Ledger's Lesson: On Preparation and the Will to Win

Heath’s Joker diary, shared by his Father Kim Ledger.

Impossibly good. There's no other way to describe Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

Rarely is a performance so memorable. Haunting, chilling, evocative; timeless. Few need revisit the film to recall the experience.

A case study.

In one word, how did Ledger accomplish this?

Preparation.

Committed to every facet of his role, Ledger spent weeks in character before filming began. He became The Joker.

Chronicling those who played the role before him, along with his own influences, Ledger created an in-character diary. Even on set he developed signature touches (face paint self-applied and caked under his fingernails) adding endless layers of verisimilitude.

Before filming and on set, preparation never ceased. During the hospital scene between The Joker and Harvey Dent, Ledger stood in the corner moving, mumbling, and speaking to himself in character for a full hour.

No one called “action”; when Ledger was ready he simply walked over and the scene began.

The result: a brief dialogue on the nature of chaos seamlessly executed through extensive preparation.

Down to the most minute detail, Ledger studied, embraced, and mastered his role.

The leadership lesson is this.

Success is not an action.

Success is a result.

Preparation is the action.

How much do you know about your offering? The competitive landscape? Are you a student of your craft, endlessly committed to learning, adapting, evolving?

Adding value to clients and colleagues through a fierce determination to master every facet?

Are you a thought leader in your industry? An influencer? A taste maker?

In your industry, someone is all of those things. Their success is earned. They deserve to win.

Being the best is on you.

Winning is on you.

If unprepared or uninvested, expect mediocrity. Anticipate failure.

There are no shortcuts.

There are no victims of results—

only self-imposed victims desperate to harvest a crop they never planted.

Winning is preparation. It is a decision.

Decide.

Mark Joseph Huckabee