SmartBrief | 22.06.2026 22:47
While promoting his new movie, Disclosure Day, in a June 14 interview on The Daily podcast, Steven Spielberg reflected on an unexpected consequence of extraordinary success. After directing blockbusters such as Jaws and Close Encounters, he found that people stopped offering him advice. His achievement had created a kind of professional force field. Others assumed he no longer needed input, or perhaps they were reluctant to challenge someone whose judgment had already produced cultural landmarks. Yet Spielberg knew what every great leader must remember: success does not eliminate blind spots. In some ways, it makes them harder to see. “It takes a lot of work to build a team that will be honest with you,” he reflected. “That’s why I’ve had the same people in my life for so many decades.”
