Ask Yourself In Entertainment

The Importance of Pain

Last night I went to see a performance a friend directed called Goliath. It was a minimalistic and powerful group performed poem about confronting your own demons.

There was a line that struck me: "Pain, after all, is weakness leaving the body".

I wasn't sure why the line resonated with me so much, but I let it melt into my sub-conscious over night.

Then, this morning I had my weekly Concierge Team rehearsal. This is where I pull together front line staff at StarQuest and run scenarios to make sure our entire team is united in the way we answer questions and the manner in which information is presented to our guests.

Each individual that is in the rehearsal process has moments in the rehearsal or while interacting with our guests that are uncomfortable to them... Some find it painful just to role-play the scenarios, others find it hard to reflect the emotions of our callers, others find it hard to use positive words in negative situations…

Or course, I want my team to grow, so I push their individual weaknesses until it is just slightly painful for them... At the end of the rehearsal I ask what they got out of the workshop, and most of the time, the individual says what was most beneficial to them was when they were pushed into an uncomfortable zone...

Interesting…

Because the rehearsal space is a safe environment to try things and fail,  the team member generally is comfortable confronting their weakness and the byproduct is rapid growth. 

"Pain, after all, is weakness leaving the body"... This is why we each need to do the things that scare us. Fire molds steel. Each time we put ourselves in pain or discomfort we become 1 step closer to adapting to the situation or environment. We become more familiar with uncharted territory. We make the uncertain, certain. 

 So.... The next time you are confronting an uncomfortable situation or scenario, if you feel discomfort, if you are exploring new territory; Stay open, stay aware, know what it is you are feeling and why you are feeling it, and grow…. There is a reason it is calling "growing pains".  

If there was no pain…everyone would do it. Your willingness to confront the pain is what makes you stand out. And god only knows we in entertainment throw ourselves in the face of uncertaintly and discomfort. 

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*If you would like to see Goliath, it is running now through June 3^rd at the Wild Project. Tickets Here

 

N.B.S. = “No Business Speak”

1) Build The Relationship

2) Create Loyalty

3) Be Proactive

4) Take Initiative

5) Stick With It

All these are “Business Speak”. Whether you are the one saying it or your staff is saying it to you, it wastes time using these types of phrases.  “Business Speak” (Z) is the desired outcome of (X) + (Y).  It is too easy to be vague (Z).  It takes work and brain cells to be specific (X & Y).

Here is what I mean:

1) Call the vendor to explain why we were late on submitting the order (X) + Follow up with a bag of Hershey Kisses (Y)  = Build The Relationship (Z)

2) Send the client the box of Harmonicas they ordered  (X) + Send a follow up Thank You note wishing them success in their harmonica show (Y) = Create Loyalty (Z)

3) Create the address label on Monday before you have to pack the box on Tuesday (X) + Hand deliver the box Wednesday when they need it (Y) = Be Proactive (Z)

4) Look for numeric the errors in the settlement report (X) + make changes, and highlight the changes in the report before sending it to me (Y) = Take Initiative (Z)

5) Find the source of the clients problem with their ticket order (X) + See the resolution through personally until its resolved, even if other people have to handle it. (Y) = Stick With It. (Z)

So….

If you get yourself and other to speak more specifically in what causes the desired outcome you want to achieve (Z), you will be able to trust that you will consistently deliver a strong (X) and (Y). It prevents errors, misunderstandings, time, money, and emotions.

I am still working being a better N.B.S (“No Business Speak” or if you would like, “No Bull S***”) … Join me in the challenge

It’s a habit. That simple… Let me know how it works out!

 

Legacy Without Art Is Irresponsible

 

Legacy is what you leave behind. It is what you brought to the table in your life time.

Remarkable businesses leave behind legacy that transcends its founders. 

To deliver sustainable legacy you must create art. 

Arts is not limited to photos, paintings, and opera. Britannica Online defines art as "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others."

I love that they use the world "Experiences" 

So..we are talking here about, Art in the way you define your mission to your followers. Art in the consistency your protocols are managed and executed. Art in the way your people are hired. Art in the way customer service is handled.  Art in the way you create the path your guests take in a phone tree to get someone on the phone... 

Any system or protocol or training module that is not whole heartedly developed with your mission and vision in mind removes artistic merit from your business and in turn taints your legacy. So don't settle. 

You can't create grand scale art unless you can cultivate artists out of your staff. They need to be able to brilliantly execute your vision through clear and simple protocols. 

Some people think that protocols are restricting for staff. I'll agree that irresponsibly crafted systems do hurt a company and make for grumpy employees. Perfectly crafted protocols executed by the properly placed artists however, give staff the ability to excel and bring their unique selves to the work without having to worry if they are representing the business correctly.

 

MORNING INSPIRATION: Getting What You Want

It's Monday! Your head is full of all the tasks that need to get done! Whatever are you going to do? There are few items on your list that seem impossible! You don't know where to start... You don't know how to get it... 

You want somthing?

Sometimes its simple to forget the first most important step

Simply Ask For It.

*Please use tact when trying this at home...

MORNING INSPIRATION: If You Want To Make Some Changes…

Then you have got to make some changes……

That Simple…...

Ask Yourself: What change do I want to make and what action will I take TODAY to make that change happen?

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Other Resources:

Lifehack.org – 18 tricks to make new habits stick

 

Be The Weather

It is Easter, so to reccognize the holiday I am resurrecting one of my blogs from 2009

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My friend Marisa Escolar once asked what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I answered, “I want to be the weather.”

The weather is an experience that people share. It is what people talk about with each other everyday. It affects people’s lives and the way they feel.

I want the entertainment I create to be like the weather (hopefully good weather). I want my project to alter a person’s experience in life.  I want a group of people to share a common bond together. Then I want people to go talk about it because they want to share that common bond.

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As you walk into your new week with freshly colored Easter Eggs Ask Yourself: What Can I do To Be The Weather this week? Won't it be more fun knowing the work your doing is somthing conversation worthy!

 

Morning Challenge: People Invest In People

I want you to start your morning with one simple thought. People invest in people, not projects, products, or shows. What will you do today to increase the value of your relationship with your collaborators, partners, investors, and customers?

Like Attracts Like

Want to know more about your company? Look at the company you keep. 

Want to now more about your character? Look at the friends around you.

Are you a negative person? Positive Person? Not sure? Simply listen to the people you surround yourself with day in and day out. 

Why is it that you hear stories of successful people and celebrities going to college together before they made it big? Often you will even hear they had been roommates!

Side note: My roommate, and now great friend Joel, when we were acting on the national tour of Fiddler, also ended up going into into tour Managment for theatrical shows.  Coincidence? I think not. 

There is a reason for this. It's a universal principal. Like attracts like. 

If you had a table to 50 different turning forks and you had to find the one that was tuned to A# all you would have to do is take another A# tuning fork, ring it, and the corresponding fork on the table will also ring.

Simple: Like attracts like.

I'm uber excited that today I get to fly to spend time in San Diego with my favorite business, Road Rebel. Since first working with them in 2004 they have been a company I admire. Much of my business today is modeled after their culture. If you work in theater and not know who they are, you should ASAP.  They book travel and housing for film and theater. They are the best at what they do. They are the Rolls Royce of helping get you from point A to point B and a bed to sleep in (amongst a whole bucket of other services too).

When they invited me in to do a 2 day workshop of Culture Soup, my heart stopped. To lead a workshop on culture at Road Rebel, is for a customer service geek like me what Broadway is for an actor. So Mom.... I made it to the broadway of my nerdy world! 

I'd like to think that receiving this invitation is a great indication of the type of business I conduct.  I can't wait to share with the readers of this blog some key points that come up this week while I spend time with a company I admire more than anything! 

So.... Not happy with your current career status, type of shows you are doing, or relationship? Want to make some changes? Then get yourself around more people or companies who do what you want to be doing. Especially surround yourself with people and companies that share similar values!

Success breeds success, and you get to define success..... Go find it, surround yourself by it, and live in it!!!!!

Three Simple Focusing Questions

I met with a friend the other day who has a lot of projects going on simultaneously. 

Seeing he was overwhelmed with the time consumption of all his projects combined, I asked him three questions:
1) What are you most passionate about?
2) What are you one of the best in the world at?
3) Where do you want your financial freedom to come from?

When his answer to all three questions were pretty much one in the same, I asked "Well... why would you focus your energies on anything that is not in-line with those three things?" 

Want to grow bigger? Want your company to generate more income? Ask yourself the three questions above. Then figure out a way to start cutting back on anything that is not in-line with your 1,2,& 3. 

It may be scary, but it works. 

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*Please tell me somone reading this understand the coorelation of the photo and the story....10 points to he (or she) who interprets in the comments section. 

10 Irrational Ways to Magnify an Audience Member's Experience

Got antsy on my flight from NYC to San Diego and gave myself a challenge:

Asked {Myself}: What 10 ways can I magnify an audience member's experience - regardless to union regulation, privacy policies, and other realities. 

1) While waiting in line to pick up tickets or while entering the theater, each guest receives a piece of chocolate with a discount printed on the wrapper to purchase another ticket right there and then for a another performance. Allow the newly purchased ticket to be emailed as a gift. 

When guests pick up their tickets at will call, the representative behind the window instantly connects to the patrons Facebook/twitter/four square page and asks them about their day using data they read. 

iPlaybill - have playbills on the guests seat waiting for them. On the Playbill Cover is a photo of the guest that they uploaded at the time of reserving the ticket (ps - this would be the same time they gave you permission to access their Facebook page).

When the show ends, the guests walk through a gallery showing the history of the show and how it got here, complete with more information about the cast they just saw - this leads them into the gift shop. 

Have a popular piece of scenery from the show recreated that sits in the lobby.  Guests can take photos for FREE and you can encourage them to tweet it right there and then. 

Ushers talk to patrons about their NYC experience as they mill around during intermission. 

Follow up with an email after the show that comes from a cast member that asks "What was your favorite memory from the show experience?". Respond to each response! 

Have a "post-show club" (like a book club) at the end of each presentation at a local cafe... Here guests who opt in can talk about what the content of the show meant to them. 

At the end of a show, allow the audience to be filmed for the finale, post the clip online, on the way out give everyone the link to pass onto their friends and social networks. 

Thank the audience for coming as they exit the theater. (This one seems to be the hardest for most organizations) 

*****

...It doesn't matter if you think any of these ideas have merit, what matters is you find memorable ideas that work for you. It is no longer just about the show, it is now about the experience.