Leadership lessons from pop culture
The BIG Takeaway™
newsletter
May 9, 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.

  • Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby Saturday at 80-1 odds which is about the same chance I give this whole Pete Davidson/Kim Kardashian thing working out. 

    Admitting you watch the Kardashians is like when Jerry wouldn't admit he watched "Melrose Place" on an episode of "Seinfeld."

    "Remember Jerry, it's not a lie if you believe it." - George Costanza offering words to live by.

  • The Met Gala took place Monday and Pete and Kim were there; quite a story with her dress.

    Question: How can the New York Mets not have a Mets' Gala? Seriously. Someone get on this ASAP. I will dress in honor of Rusty Staub, AKA "Le Grand Orange."

  • "Doctor Strange" rocked the box office pulling in $185 million domestically; the movie's star, Benedict Cumberbatch, also hosted SNL this week.

​Speaking of SNL, in this newsletter I am going to focus on communication skills using a VERY funny skit from the show.
  • Spoiler: This tip will involve you actually talking to someone.

👉​Amazing stat: 928
  • ​Number of SNL episodes since 1975. They might get to 1000 right at season 50. Karma.
    ​
​Off we go.

Rich Trombetta
@trombettarich
May 9, 2022
Section No. 1: This week's big takeaway
Newsflash: You may actually have to talk to a human
Video: NBCUniversal/Youtube
Texts. Emails. Emojis. Teams. Slack.
A phone call or conversation might be the best of all.

The context: "Research shows we communicate most effectively in real-life, real-time conversation."

  • The above quote is from work done by researchers at universities like UCLA and Princeton.

  • While Slack, Teams, email, text and other forms of electronic communication are fast and convenient, they may not be the most appropriate tool depending on the situation. 

  • An approach that seems to be going the way of the letter is an actual conversation. 

Watch the clip above: SNL cast member Mikey Day goes out of his mind trying to communicate with his wife via letters.

What we can learn: Sometimes it's just better to pick up the freaking phone or walk over and talk to someone.

  • While this skit is set over 100 years ago, substitute texts, emails and emojis and it is a perfect depiction of the way many people communicate today. 

  • Too often people go back and forth using electronic communication thinking they are saving time; it can actually lead to WASTED time and miscommunication.

  • Worst of all, there can be a disconnect in terms of tone which may result in unintended tension and conflict.

My take: Businesses are relying too much on electronic communication, especially in a hybrid or remote arrangement.

  • Hallway and water cooler conversations are disappearing as more people move to remote or hybrid work.

  • Relying on electronic communication negatively impacts the ability to build relationships and understand personality styles.

  • Strong relationships and an appreciation of people's personality styles will lead to better communication, productivity and results.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY:  ​
  •  ​Communication is an opportunity to build relationships, trust and to better understand others; choose your mode wisely.
​ACTION STEPS

😀​​What you can do on your own: 
  • ONE: Read this article about Warren Buffett and why he credits a public speaking course as the best $100 he ever spent.
    ​
  • TWO: Use this guide to help know when to pick up the phone.
    ​
  • THREE: Go talk to or call someone today with these stipulations: No text first. No email. No Outlook appointment. Just call and ask politely, "do you have a minute?"

😀😀​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: Communication​​
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
What we have here is a failure to communicate

  • Watch the clip above from SNL. (time: 3:06 - but worth it!)

  • Amazing how two people are sharing the same story with two VERY different perspectives; although we don't see it we know that Phil Hartman's character became upset when he called about his credit card.

  • While it is great comedy, it is also a great reminder that your tone and emotional state can have a tremendous impact on a conversation.
    ​
  • In addition, Phil Hartman's character believes, possibly because of his status in his company and society, he has more power than the operator; he is grossly mistaken.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY: ​ 
  • ​Your tone and emotions can be more important that the words you are using; they can make what you are saying and what the other person hears quite different.
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: How to make people laugh. It's a long video so pick your spots. Fascinating.
  • 💼 A life hack: Love these tips for Netflix.
  • 💪 Inspiration: Feel free to skip around in this video, although you might watch more than you expect.
  • 🐕​  Smile: Our weekly dog video. ENJOY! 
Section No. 5: Have fun today
Need some nice background noise as you work? Want to be at the beach? A coffee shop? Both?
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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