Bossing It: Paul Jax on Taking on (and Giving Up) Responsibility

Paul Jax was born in Freiburg, Germany, now lives and works in Munich and is managing partner and co-founder of the production company WE MAKE THEM WONDER. He started as a director, and has realised films for brands such as VW, Porsche, FC Bayern, DHL and many more. In addition, he founded the company very early on with his DoP partner Niclas Löffler and is now responsible for his own team of around 12 people and crews on large sets.

Ottobock’s NEW BOUNDARIES - a four part Youtube documentary - is the latest WE MAKE THEM WONDER project and was realised throughout Europe. The work was created in direct collaboration with Ottobock and shows how holistically Paul and the team realise projects. Paul is an award-winning creative, entrepreneur and also a pretty decent footballer, which helps in a city like Munich.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership? 

Paul> You know, together with my DoP partner Niclas (Löffler), I founded WE MAKE THEM WONDER very early on, when I was just 23 years old. And we wanted to set it up very professionally and as a company right from the start. It wasn't about two freelancers getting together, we really wanted to build something. So, on the entrepreneurial side, our first employee and how he was able to develop into our organisation was certainly our first leadership experience as founders.

As a director, I remember the first time I directed a TV commercial on a big set in 2014. During the first takes, I didn't realise that everyone was waiting for the “und bitte” (and action!). On this and every other production, I generally learnt a lot about how to coordinate the different departments.

And I think one of the most important leadership experiences was to always work with great people, to give them the freedom and above all the trust and then to be surprised again and again at how much better they make the project, because they themselves are working on a vision and not just executing someone else's. We quickly transferred this conviction to our company. 

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be? 

Paul> Many people would say that you want to be the boss you would have liked to have at the start of your career. I can't really say which boss I would have liked to have in the past. But what I can say is that I learnt a lot when I was an employee myself even if it wasn’t for so long. And that I always kept an open mind afterwards.

I think that's one of the advantages of starting up early, that you always listen to the initial uncertainty and see what others are doing to improve. I sometimes have the feeling that people who are too strongly characterised by one style of leadership find it difficult to accept other elements of leadership.

That's why you could perhaps say that I try not to be too narrow-minded when it comes to leadership, even if it's not always easy for me in everyday life. 

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership? 

Paul> There is no one single experience here. I think the best thing you can say is that the moments in which you realise that you have found exactly the right path between giving others the space and defining guard rails at the same time are moments in which everything fits together.

The result, the great identification and motivation of the team and, ultimately, your own standards. When this triad came together for the first time, I knew that's how I wanted to lead. 

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you? 

Paul> That came more naturally and not as a set goal. However, I always wanted to work independently or be an entrepreneur. But I never thought about leadership in concrete terms back then. Rather the freedom to realise things that are important to me.

LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned? 

Paul> First and foremost, you have to be prepared to take on responsibility. I think that's a bit of a type question. You can certainly practise this, but I have also experienced managers who find it very difficult and also had difficulties changing this. The rest, such as employee management, feedback culture, willingness to make mistakes, etc. can always be learnt and you simply have to gain experience. 

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them? 

Paul> Giving up responsibility and giving space for others to grow. As I said, had the best experiences with it but … Still learning :) 

LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it? 

Paul> I've certainly failed a few times, but I think one skill is not to give the mistake too much room. That doesn't mean that I don't reflect, but I think you shouldn't give too much importance to your successes, just as little to your failures.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered? 

Paul> Not everything has to be transparent, but we also try to cushion things from our team so that there is a safe space and room for magic. I also hold back a little on personal topics. That's simply because at some point we had to grow out of being friends who make films into a company that takes responsibility for people.

Nevertheless, we still love making films together. 

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship? 

Paul> As I said, I only had a limited amount of time to learn things directly from others, as we founded so early on and I therefore didn't spend as much time in other companies.

But I was able to learn from producers as well as directors. But you can always go through the world with your eyes open and learn things everywhere (even in other fields). It is in our DNA to promote talent. In order to promote leadership, you have to give space and relinquish responsibility. 

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters? 

Paul> You shouldn't pass on your own responsibility and the pressure you are under to the team. By that I don't mean project responsibility, but entrepreneurial responsibility. Of course, we try to pick up our team in terms of content and share developments on the market, but I have also learnt that great general uncertainty is not helpful when things get a bit rough. 

LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce? 

Paul> I took part in the TLNT&TLNT mentoring programme. TLNT&TLNT is a non-profit organisation that brings together young people with a family history of immigration and mentors with professional experience in the creative and tech industries. This is how we try to make an impact in our industry.

When filming, we also try to set up teams that are as diverse as possible and support female directors in particular. We would like to see a bit more gender diversity in the company, but it's difficult to always achieve this, especially in post-production.

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with increases in remote and hybrid working patterns? 

Paul> We primarily work physically and not remotely. This definitely helps our collaborative culture and cooperation. And as mentioned above, we build real safe spaces for our people to work their ‘magic’. I think that's really a key part of our success. 

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey? 

Paul> Exchange with other people in similar positions always helps to gain different perspectives. And, above all, feedback from the team.