Like a lot of people, when it comes to social media, I have a love-hate relationship with it. If we focus on the “love” part, I do enjoy a little scrolling through reels in search of something light-hearted or inspirational – ideally both.
Last week I came across a short clip of actor Tom Hanks being interviewed by Richard E Harris. “What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?” was the question asked.
Hanks talks about the summer he turned 21 when he was an unpaid intern at a repertory theatre in Ohio spending most of his time changing the sets over and doing other random duties.
On one particular day the rather frustrated theatre director lost his rag with the professional actors who had all showed up on set hungover, unrehearsed and asking questions that they should know the answers to.
The director barked out three statements that went on to help inform not just Hanks’ acting career but also became a rule for living.
- Show up on time
- Know the text
- Have an idea
It got me thinking about how this relates to the people I coach and support.
In the Everyday Manager training, these are all topics that regular new managers bring to the discussion.
Show up on time
…which means a little bit earlier. If I had a pound for every discussion I had with a manager who stuck rigidly to a start and gave no flexibility, I would be a very wealthy woman. Is it ok to arrive to work with not a second to spare? How ready are we? What is accessible to us when we allow for a little space at the start of our day or to a meeting?
Know what is going on
Know the goals and the purpose of the work you are responsible for. How many meetings do we go to and have no idea of why? When it comes to our roles and purpose what do we need to do to make sure we have clarity for ourselves and for those we manage?
Have the idea that no one else has – the idea that will move things forward.
Creativity and new ideas require vulnerability if they are to be shared. Do you have the courage to speak up and share that idea that might be a bit radical or make you unpopular but make real impact?
If you think that your managers would benefit from some Everyday Manager training, I would love to hear from you. Get in touch
This image was originally posted to Flickr by Dick Thomas Johnson at https://flickr.com/photos/31029865@N06/29830327845. It was reviewed on 21 September 2016 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.
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