In the course of collaborating with hundreds of museum directors since we founded American History Workshop, we've discovered that successful ones come from all sorts of backgrounds, but their two irreducibly necessary attributes are first, a strong ability at linking the current issues under discussion to some area of relevant personal experience, that is, skill at telling people how what's now happening engages their intellectual and organizational vision, and second, the ability to diagnose their own weaknesses and locate people who can do what they cannot. When friends have been up for directorships, I always advise them to assess whether they can get the help they need to compensate for all the parts of the job they don't particularly like doing or don't do very well. If the director can't figure out how to compensate for her weaknesses, whatever they are, she won't do the job well. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Richard Rabinowitz <> American History Workshop [log in to unmask] <> 588 Seventh Street 718/499-6500 fax: 718/499-6575 <> Brooklyn, New York 11215-3707