As I've studied and practiced my craft over the last few years, I have arrived at a set of personal maxims that guide me each day on the set.  I believe a narrative director should possess several critical capabilities to succeed:

• storytelling – A director should be, first and foremost, a top-flight storyteller.  He/she should study writing, classic hero’s journeys, three-act structure, character arcs, story beats, etc.  He should be able to recognize and improve upon a great script.  He should be able to work with a writer or work as the writer to improve upon and adapt a screenplay from development through production.  He should understand the uniqueness of the screenplay format and how it serves as a launching point for the production of a film.
• acting – A director should have an understanding and appreciation for the actor’s craft and how to guide an actor through the journey of their character.  A director should study acting and understand how an actor approaches their character and the project.  The director should know and understand an actor’s process, terminology, boundaries, and emotional needs.  A director should know how to recognize and respect how different actors approach their work differently and be ready to support and capitalize on those differences.  A director should have a ready toolkit of techniques to help his cast arrive at a level of performance and emotional truth that creates compelling performances.
• cinema - A director should know the conventions of cinema and how to defy convention to place his personal mark on his work.  He should be well versed in popular, traditional, and classical literature, cinema, and art.  He should recognize opportunities to build themes that comment on society, on the human condition, on the nature of our hearts and souls.
• vision – A director must possess specific ideas about how to bring the story from script, through production and editorial, to screen.  A director should bring something unique and special to a project that distinguishes it stylistically.  Working with the D.P., a director should build a visual vocabulary for the film that supports and serves the work of the actors.  A director's work must be important to him personally.
• leadership – A director must be able to surround himself with qualified artists and craftspeople, to rely on their expertise to supplement one’s own, and to inspire, corral, coerce that team in the execution of one’s vision.  A director must be able to recognize his team’s passions and desires and, where possible, provide every opportunity for each member of his team to excel.  A director must be able to recognize when he is, quite simply, wrong and to seek the council of his team to arrive at solutions that, above all else, serve the film.  A director should seek mentors for guidance and insight.
• stamina – A director must be able to physically and emotionally survive the challenge of production and maintain a sense of grace under fire.