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#wayfinding
Jennifer Davis will be attending the Women of InfoComm Network Breakfast on June 9th at 7:30AM in Las Vegas. This is an inspiring community of men and women who are committed to supporting and empowering women who work in the technology and AV industry.
To join the discussion about the challenges that women in the AV industry face, identify areas of support, and exchange ideas, please register for the breakfast.
"Don’t say 'yes,' just because saying 'no' is scary."
- Isabelle Roughol talking about Volkswagon engineering cars to cheat emissions test instead of admit that they fell short of their public emissions goals
“Unable to reach the lofty PR goal, engineering chose to lie rather than disappoint the boss, which is how every other corporate disaster begins,” she continues.
“We can’t really afford to spend time on things, unless they have a shot of being really epic." - Phil Libin, former CEO of Evernote, now with General Catalyst
That is true for each of us. Time is the only commodity that is of limited supply to everyone. Use it wisely. Pursue epic.
Disney, famously, calls their employees “cast members,” recognizing the role that they play in creating the experiences in their theme parks, in their movies, and in their stores. The job of “casting director” has been long considered a key one in the movie and entertainment industry, where these experienced professionals have the tough job of finding people who fit the director’s artistic vision. This could be finding someone with the right look, the right voice, the right celebrity, at the right price, with availability, to bring the vision to life.
Avoiding unethical or illegal discrimination of protected classes or physical characteristics, of course, all of us who hire would do well to think about our own vision for our team and consider some of the things that casting directors might when they fill their cast list. Beyond the experience that might be on the resume or the work samples or portfolio that the candidate might represent, there are other aspects that can be key to the hiring decisions that borrow from the casting director’s playbook. I call these the Four P’s of thinking like a casting director.
Personality: The energy that people bring to situations can help them succeed or fail in certain roles. Sometimes described as “presence,” casting directors look for people who can successfully play the characters they are seeking to fill. Does the person command respect? Can the person play the quiet, supporting role? The same is true of hires in industries outside entertainment. Too much energy and restlessness, can spell disaster for more detail-oriented roles. An introvert might be exhausted by a position that requires constant interaction with team mates or customers. Even the amount of team work required in a role might differ. A cameo part might not require the actor to be that “coachable” or “easy to work with” when a role on an ensemble cast might require a lot of those characteristics. Judging for this in an interview can be incredibly difficult, but is immensely more so if the hiring manager has not identified the ideal profile for the candidate. “What are you looking for?” and “How can you test for that?” are great questions to ask. There is a host of resources available on behavioral hiring, like Effective Interviewing! (which is an elearning, book, and classroom style training program in competency-based interviewing) which may be of use.
Purpose: The “job objective” has long fell off the professional resume, but it is good to understand the career objectives of the individual before hiring them. The casting director might inquire as to why the actor famous for stand-up comedy is looking to read for a serious role. Or why a Hollywood blockbuster actress, might choose to do an independent film. Knowing the individual’s career goals and aspirations can allow their career path to align with the companies goals for many years. When Anne Hathaway was cast in the movie Les Miserables, she was tapped not only for her acting skills, but also because of her personal passion for the cause of disenfranchised women, something that she spoke of regularly in her press interviews for the film. The more candidates can relate and be excited by the purpose of the company, the mission of the firm, the content of the job, and the promise of the career path, the better for all parties.
Platform: Some actors are cast for roles because adding their name to the marquee or to the project, brings along a fan base and connections that would be unavailable for an unknown actor. The same is true for hires outside entertainment. Companies are often looking to bolster their reputation or brand by hiring a recognized expert well-known in the field. Even new college grads might bring with them networks within their university, club affiliations, or community service connections with value to their new employer. Experience sales people, certainly, are valued for the long-standing customer relationships that they can bring with them to their new employer. Candidates looking for new roles in any discipline are well-served by thinking about their own reputation and network in their industry, their city, or the like and how that might benefit their company. Hiring managers, or casting directors, are well-advised to think about the platform that their new hires represent and how to best leverage those for the good of the individual and the company.
Price: Of course, there is an economic element to hiring as well. Can the budget of the film afford the actor with the biggest fan base? Can the more senior, experienced candidate be afforded? Can the organization afford the onboarding and training investment required in a more junior, early-career candidate? There are trade-offs on both sides. Casting directors are working within a budget. So are hiring managers. And that budget not only includes the expense of the employee, but the value of the work product to the organization. A casting director could come in under-budget and help produce a failing film by not having the right caliber of talent. Likewise, any hiring manager can overpay for candidates as they try to find the right fit. I recently saw a Leonardo DaVinci exhibit at the San Diego Air and Space Museum which recounted a letter he sent in 1482, at the age of 30, to Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Milan, where he indicated his knowledge of bridges and weaponry. An early resume or cover letter, it has been called. I think it does a great job of creating value for the kind of thing DaVinci brought to his future patron. It is good for hiring managers and candidates to keep in mind the economic value of the role and to make sure they are finding the right fit on that front as well.
There are many other things that casting directors must consider when making their determinations. It is a hard job that is fraught with controversy at times and I imagine the ones who are good at it make it look easy. Those of us tasked with building high-performance teams, can learn from the examples of great ensembles who work together to deliver great performances and the professionals that work behind the scenes to ensure the right people are in the cast.
This article was posted on LinkedIn Pulse.
According to USA Today, the millennial generation (which is from 18-34 today) spends 10% of their day creating content. What is the impact of this as they come into the workforce and into leadership?
Jennifer Davis' promotion was covered by AV Network.
I wrote recently about Google’s efforts to provide the whole product in my article Y is for You: Google's Alphebet and Personal Branding. I learned recently that one of the founding father’s pioneered some of these strategies himself: Ben Franklin
Ben wanted to be a printer. His biographer (Isaacson) talks about the lengths to which he went to procure a printing press from Europe. He wanted to own a communication machine.
He started printing things for his friends and customers.
So, to use the machine, he started a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. If one flyer was good, then having a weekly or daily publication was even better. Those who wouldn’t afford to print a flyer, could afford an advertisement in a larger publication.
He printed books. The most popular book was the Bible. But most people only bought one of those in their lifetime, so how could he get people to want to buy a book every year. He started the Poor Richard’s Almanac which would have repeat customers every year.
Then he began to think bigger. He wanted people to read his books and magazines, but many people were far sighted and had trouble reading. So he invented bifocals.
He noticed that in the cold New England winters, people weren’t reading as much, so he invented the Franklin Stove.
He wanted to broaden his distribution channel to allow people outside of Philadelphia or the region to read his books and publications. So, he championed the US Postal System.
And realizing that it was inefficient to print things in Philly and move them around the country, he franchised and shipped the plates to a friend in the Carolinas so she (yes, she) could build a business serving that community.
A man with Ben’s broad curiosities and diverse background pursued these and many other ideas in service of his main themes and principles. What are your main themes and principles that are worthy of the height of your creativity, enthusiasm and focus?
Jennifer was listed in the "People on the Move" section of the February 26, 2016 edition of Portland Business Journal.
Every morning I unlock my computer with the keystrokes that I used to use to reboot it in case of terminal errors. CTRL-ALT-DEL were the keystrokes of triage and now they are “hello.” Maybe it’s a sad commentary on our world where “that was a disaster, let’s try again” is how we greet the day or maybe it is Microsoft’s way of reminding the computers that if they get sentient and go Terminator on humanity, we still remember how to do a hard reboot. In fact, we’ve been practicing every day.
Seth Godin sited a survey in a presentation on which students were asked if they wanted to be a CEO of a global company, president of a non-profit, or the personal assistant to a famous singer or actor. And over 40% of the respondents said “personal assistant.” He described that the role of a personal assistant is close enough to the action to have bragging rights and to be part of the fun, but far enough away as to avoid the responsibility and vulnerability that comes with being in charge.
Are you afraid of responsibility? Do you select roles where you are supporting others, implementing their ideas, or working their priorities? Teamwork is critical and collaboration important, but do you work on teams to avoid personal accountability for the results of your actions? Are you quick to blame others when things are not successful? Are you comfortable and confident enough in your skills and opinions to advocate for them?
As Theodore Roosevelt said in his speech “Citizenship in a Republic” given in France in 1910, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
See you in the arena!
You might feel unqualified. If you feel that way, consider it a good thing and get set to grow.
"We all want to be treated like insiders." - Chris Brogan
“Without a purposeful toolbox of culture, behaviors, and management training, you get drift and inconsistency.” – Andrew Quinn
It’s like an axle out of alignment.
This is the first year ever that my family is going to be out of our home country during the holiday season. Although not everyone will travel to exotic (and warm!) locales during this traditional vacation-laden time of the year, but there are three reasons why everyone should consider taking a proper break during the holidays.
It sounds strange for me to defend the value of a vacation, but the statistics are pretty alarming: US workers simply don’t utilize their time off. I assume it is similar worldwide. Vacation hours, even the “use it or lose it variety,” go unused. And in the modern era of always-connected, device-toting knowledge workers, even days of PTO can be consumed with email, texts, and keeping tabs on projects.
1. Vacations are a release valve.
We recently say the hosts of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters in a live show at a local theater. While explaining how they caused a household water heater to explode magnificently, Adam Savage made a poignant observation. “Water,” he explained, “boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Unless it’s under pressure. Then it gets stupid and forgets to boil.” It is this expansion effect that can lead to magnificent explosions as the air trapped inside the water heater compresses and then releases.
I think we humans are the same. Under pressure, we can get stupid. We can get harried and stressed. We can do our own form of expansion as the negative parts of our personality, like our impatience or intolerance, are amplified. We forget what we were designed and gifted to do. What otherwise we’d do without thinking about (like treating strangers or co-workers with a degree of kindness), we forget.
Vacations can be a bit of a release valve. After all, pressure only builds in a closed system (like that of a sealed water heater). If some air can escape, then the water can return to it’s normal operating state. That is the hope of a vacation. To make people less stupid.
2. Vacations provide perspective.
Sometimes getting away from something can provide you a whole new perspective and a new set of solutions to draw from. Marcel Proust has been quoted that “the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Many professionals in creative fields, find it useful to step away from their problems or work, to take a walk, work on something else, or even goof off a little, only to return to the work refreshed and ready to see the solution that might have been in front of them the whole time.
Although there is a temptation to get things “wrapped up” before leaving the office for the holiday, it might be wise to leave some tricky problems waiting for your return in January. You’ll return with new eyes and have a better chance of coming up with a better resolution than you might have under the pressure of deadlines in December.
3. Vacations allow us to appreciate normal
Despite the fun of the vacation and the excitement of news sights and sounds, there is always something nice about coming home again. Sleeping in your own bed. Being able to wash clothes and eat at home. The space to spread out after being cooped up in a hotel room or a car (a “little too much togetherness” at times). Sometimes getting away allows you to better appreciate “home,” even if you don’t travel far. The familiar routines take on new comforts. The places and people that you took for granted now seen through new eyes of gratitude.
So, whether you are fleeing the country for this season or staying close to home, I wish you a very merry and warm holiday! I will be seeing you and the world with new eyes this coming new year and I wish the same for you.
This article was published on LinkedIn.
Have you ever thought that each day you regularly do more than is humanly possible? You can do a load of laundry, bring in water, cook dinner, commute, and talk all at the same time, thanks to modern convenient appliances, innovations, infrastructure, and automated processes. You measure modern engines by how many equivalent horses they could replace. I wonder how many humans our modern lives could replicate on a day to day basis. No wonder the world seems to be speeding up. We are all living multiple lives in parallel.
Most things we do have a defined beginning and end. We keep appointments. We meet deadlines. We work on projects. We deem these activities worthy for a time. Like a sprint. From firing gun to finish line. But what things are worth doing for a longer duration? What things are your marathon?
Each of us will have our own list. It could include mundane things like flossing each day to maintain your dental health. It could include specific eating or exercise habits. It could include commitments to stay close to family and friends. It includes marriages, decisions to become a parent, or involvement in causes.
I got involved with a non-profit called Marathon Scholars earlier this year and they take a long-term approach to solving the access to higher education gap among low income students in the Portland area. High potential students are selected in 4th grade and given their first college scholarship. The organization then walks with them with mentoring and educational programming until they earn their college diploma. Most will be the first people in their families to graduate from college (many are the first to graduate from high school). The program has been around long enough to see graduates exiting the program at 7x the average rate, speaking to the power of the long-term approach. A marathon, for sure.
There are opportunities for individuals to get involved in short and long-term mentoring and sponsorships. One of the most popular programs is scholarship sponsors committing to give $100 a month for 12 years to fund a scholarship. Giving in parallel to the student’s academic progress, this approach illustrates the partnership between the students that do the work necessary to generate results and the organization and the organization and the sponsors that make the mission possible. Although this kind of commitment is not required, it is a beautiful metaphor to how problems are solved for good – they take time. For more information and to see how you can get involved, see www.marathonscholars.org.
