Leadership lessons from pop culture
The BIG Takeaway™
newsletter
May 23, 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.

  • A beer was $18 at the PGA Championship last week. Yikes. That's over $108 for a six pack.

    Speaking of six pack, check out this movie with country music legend Kenny Rogers. Yes, that's Anthony Michael Hall in the trailer. Fingers crossed for a remake or sequel some day.​

  • Natasha Lyonne hosted SNL's season finale. 

    Crazy news of Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney leaving the show. Can't wait to see what's next for Kate and Aidy.

  • "Top Gun: Maverick" received a standing ovation at Cannes. The movie is set to premiere on May 27.

    I don't remember hearing about that type of reaction when Cruise sang Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive" in his 2012 film "Rock of Ages." Go 40 seconds in. You will not be disappointed.​

  • Harry Styles released "Harry's House" on May 20. The pop star's latest album is already setting streaming records.

    Looking for a gift for the Harry fan who has everything? How about a "This Smells Like Harry Styles" candle. It smells like a marketing genius at work if you ask me.

Speaking of Harry Styles...this week I we're going to learn a great leadership lesson from one of his past girlfriends, Taylor Swift.
  • She gave the commencement speech at New York University last week and talked about mistakes and failure.

👉​Amazing stat: Zero
  • That is the number of songs Elvis wrote; Taylor Swift has written ALL of her own songs.
​
​​Off we go.

Rich Trombetta
@trombettarich
May 23, 2022
Section No. 1: This week's big takeaway
​It's time to celebrate mistakes
Image: 
Mistakes should not result in a swift kick in the butt
Rather than fear them, embrace and celebrate them

The context: Last week Taylor Swift gave the commencement speech at NYU and discussed making mistakes.
​​
  • "It...all centered around the idea that mistakes equal failure and ultimately, the loss of any chance at a happy or rewarding life," Swift said.

  • "This has not been my experience. My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life," Swift added.

  • "Being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience. Getting back up, dusting yourself off and seeing who still wants to hang out with you afterward and laugh about it? That’s a gift."

You can watch the speech here. The part about mistakes is at 15:20.

What we can learn: Mistakes are going to happen; accept that FACT and learn from it.

  • It is inevitable that a mistake is going to take place at some point. It may just be a matter of the size of the error.

  • If we agree that humans will indeed make mistakes - that seems like a fair assumption - then how we choose to react to them is what matters.

  • While it might sound trite, the key is to learn from the experience, not run from it. You may even want to celebrate it.

My take: If you, as a leader, fear mistakes, your staff will too.

  • The concept of social learning theory was developed by cognitive psychologist Albert Bandura.

    Social learning theory focuses on "observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others."

  • You, as the leader, set the tone. If you are scared to make mistakes or, even worse, punish people for them, don't be surprised when everyone that works for you is walking around on pins and needles all day.

  • You will stifled the work environment if you try and avoid the inevitable - a mistake happening. Innovation will decrease, engagement will go down and people will only take the safe route.

    Disclaimer: I am talking about most corporate gigs, not jobs like surgeon or airline pilot.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY:  ​
  •  ​Embrace mistakes and celebrate and learn from them.​
​ACTION STEPS

😀​​What you can do on your own: 
  • ONE: Try something that might not work out. If it doesn't, use it as a way to show your team that you are human.
    ​
  • TWO: The next time someone makes a mistake, celebrate it. Yes, actually celebrate the fact that someone wasn't perfect. It will be a shock to the system for everyone.

  • THREE: Don't believe me that this is a good idea? Watch this TED Talk about Google celebrating failure. They actually give out bonuses.

😀😀​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: Mistakes.​
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: YouTube
You're not going to win every game

  • Watch the commercial above for LifeSavers from the 70s. Wow, what bad acting. That seems like a cheesy scene from the 80s show "Police Squad."

  • While the spot was made 46 years ago, the message is the same; things happen.

  • People still make mistakes, lose games and have bad days - and the sun still rises.
    ​
  • The fear of failure can be worse than actually failing. If people are so scared to fail they may not even try.
    ​
  • Here's a classic "Happy Days" clip that takes this commercial to heart. Go to three minutes in and watch to the end for the best part.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY: ​ 
  • ​You won't be perfect every time and you won't win every game. If those are your expectations you will lead a very disappointed life.
Section No. 3: What to watch this week
Image: Disney
📺 Here's what I will be watching this week:​​
  • "Obi-Wan Kenobi" premieres Friday, May 27 on Disney+
  • "Candy" is interesting on Hulu.
  • The NBA and NHL Playoffs continue. 
  • "The Kids in the Hall" are back; episode No. 1 was a little cringe worthy!
 Section No. 4: Quick info and dogs
 Image: Pexels
Here are some quick links:
  • 🎓 Learn: Read this article about Jeff Bezos and his acknowledgment that Amazon will have "multibillion-dollar failures."
  • 💼 A life hack: A way to have a "mouse" with your iPhone.
  • 💪 Inspiration: Watch this video about a paralyzed man who drove a race car using thoughts in his mind. Wow there are smart people in this world.
  • 🐕​  Smile: Our weekly dog video. ENJOY! 
Section No. 5: Have fun today
Bored with Spotify, Apple Music or any other music service? Try this site.
  • Some stations are weird, some are cool all are fun to search.
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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