I'm trying to get a local film group off the ground and the lack of support from institutions is disheartening but I was floored by a statement from a young lighting technician who was using some of our gear on a shoot on the weekend ...

"A director needs to be an actor. To inspire and encourage a crew, even when things aren't going well, is a performance in itself."

that blew me away

Why? I consider it obvious that a director with good social skills will go further. Not all of them are like that; really powerful ones can afford to boss their way around, but little people end up making fools of themselves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMPz3Z86naI