Leadership lessons from pop culture
The BIG Takeaway™
newsletter
May 16, 2022

​What leaders can learn from TV, sports and movies this week

Hello current and aspiring leaders!

Another great week for sports, TV and movies. Here are some highlights.

  • The NFL revealed its 2022 schedule. Game to watch: Jets vs. Browns on Sept. 18 only if they do this promotional idea: "Awful Quarterback Day."

    The Jets and the Browns have wasted the most picks and money on quarterbacks that didn't work out; let's bring them all together for one magical day. Honorary team captains for the coin toss (which would be botched): Glenn Foley and Luke McCown. Who are they? Exactly.

  • A "This is Spinal Tap" sequel was announced. Not sure how I feel about this. 

    The original was brilliant and the first "rockumentary." If they do something like "this one goes to 12" I might cry.

  • Selena Gomez hosted SNL. This skit was the best one of the evening. Future stars on the show: Andrew Dismukes, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Bowen Yang.

  • The Cincinnati Reds season got even worse Sunday when they managed to LOSE a no-hitter; it was only the sixth time it has happened in MLB history.

    Losing a no-hitter is like acing the interview but calling the hiring manager the wrong name like in this commercial. This link might be the best 30 seconds of your day.

This week I am going to use the HBO program "Hacks" to show why it is important to remember to be humble...or you will be humbled.
  • Fun note: Hannah Einbinder who plays Ava on the show is the daughter of original SNL cast member Laraine Newman.

👉​Amazing stat: All the original SNL cast members will be over 70 years old when Dan Aykroyd celebrates his birthday this year.
  • RIP John Belushi and Gilda Radner. 
​
​​Off we go.

Rich Trombetta
@trombettarich
May 16, 2022
Section No. 1: This week's big takeaway
No one is above any job
Image: HBO
Earning your stripes
Be humble or be humbled

The context: "Hacks" is a show on HBO Max that "explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old." (source: imbd.com)

  • Deborah Vance is near the end of her career. She has been in show business for over 40 years and knows it takes hard work, grit, determination and some luck to make it big.

  • She shares the same agent as Ava, a young, out-of-work comedy writer who can't get a job and is panicked about her finances. The agent "encourages" Vance to hire Ava to write jokes for her. 

  • The two clash, especially as Ava behaves as if she is too good for the job; she also shares that Vance is making things hard for her.  

Watch the trailer to get a better sense of the show; the key line is at 1:50.
  • "You don't know what hard is...You just got lucky....Good is the minimum. It's the baseline and it doesn't get better. It just gets harder."

What we can learn: When you acknowledge you don't have all the answers your are open to growth.

  • Ava wants the quick fix, the instant success and the easiest path forward; she wants the paycheck but doesn't want the job that comes with it. 

  • Deborah Vance sees how Ava is not giving 100 percent, but also knows she has talent; she just needs a portion of humble pie.

  • Vance pushes her not only to be better at what she does, but to also do things that Ava feels are not in her job description; she is making her earn her stripes.

My take: No one likes the snot-nosed know-it-all that has never really worked hard outside of school.

  • Being sincerely humble, willing to listen and wanting to learn are possibly the best things a leader - especially a new leader or someone joining an organization - can do.

  • Showing respect and appreciation for the people who have come before you is critical as a leader; it is an acknowledgement that you don't have all the answers and that you are not here to "change everything."

  • Sometimes we can't see that we are that snot-nosed kid and it takes a someone to set us straight; they are actually doing us a favor.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY:  ​
  •  ​Don't be in a rush to be the CEO. Earn your stripes and build respect and credibility.
​ACTION STEPS

😀​​What you can do on your own: 
😀😀​What you can do with others:
  • Use our discussion guides with your team or other colleagues to dig deeper into this topic. (Instead of a book club I like to think of this as our "movie-or-TV club") This week: Humility.​
Did you know we can design a custom leadership program based on topics like the one above? Click the button to learn more.
Section No. 2: Take 30 seconds
Learning from commercials
 Video: NBCUniversal/Youtube
It only takes eight minutes to waste $19.95

  • Watch the commercial above. 

  • Eight quick minutes and suddenly you have great abs with no need to sweat or worry about your diet (mullet optional).

  • Who benefited most from this product? The people who sold it.
    ​
  •  Just like most things, you have to put in the work. Whether it's your career, exercise, your finances or learning something new, the quick fix won't get you there.
    ​
  • Of course, if you are still determined to go this route and want to save a minute there's always 7-minute abs; check out this scene from "There's Something About Mary."

THE BIG TAKEAWAY: ​ 
  • ​There are no shortcuts. Be humble and recognize it takes work to get where you want to go.
Section No. 3: What to watch this week
Image: HBO
📺 Here's what I will be watching this week:​​
 Section No. 4: Quick info and dogs
 Image: Pexels
Here are some quick links:
  • 🎓 Learn: Read or re-read "Sharpen the saw" in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."
  • 💼 A life hack: A Chrome extension that allows you to take notes.
  • 💪 Inspiration: Remember to live with the joy of a kid.
  • 🐕​  Smile: Our weekly dog video. ENJOY! 
Section No. 5: Have fun today
Want to waste hours of your life today and have fun doing it? Then check out the Wayback Machine.
​
  • Here's what CNN.com had on its site on May 16, 2001.

    There's a link to a story about a runaway train; nine years later Denzel was saving Ohio in a movie based on the story. Great ideas are everywhere if you are paying attention.

  • There's also this story about workers feeling overworked and stressed. Not sure if I need the Wayback Machine to read something about that topic.

    "Survey researchers said it is the cost of overworked employees that, in the end, will prompt U.S. businesses to take action to prevent workers from becoming victims of a workaholic society."

    ​Yeah. Um...
That's all for now

Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying this newsletter.

​Please remember:
  • We archive our stories and put them here for the world to read so feel free to have a look.
  • If you have any ideas or feedback Contact me with your thoughts.
  • We can create custom newsletters​ and training sessions on the topics we write about.
Rich Trombetta
​@trombettarich

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