In a meeting you have no stake in? A social setting you cannot connect with? Around people you do not relate to? In a place that disagrees with your lifestyle? A job that fails to inspire you? Then get the hell out of there. Don’t waste time. Time is money (and more valuable than money). Walk out. Pack your bags. Just go. You have an important family obligation. Impending deadline. Death on the horizon. Get out. Move on. Be as polite as possible, but leave. Think of the things you could be doing instead – and go do them. The impact you can make on the world and your own life while doing those other things far outweighs the egos you rub sitting still. Looking back, those offended meeting attendees will understand and forgive you for it.
Tag Archives: Employment
Inventory Your Relationships
When I say, ‘Inventory your relationships,’ I don’t mean, ‘Treat your friends like retail products on a stocking shelf.’ I mean, ‘Keep tabs on everyone in your network.’
Like reviewing notes taken in class, study your mobile contacts list, address book, or friends list. Take note of the people you haven’t spoken to in a while. If you find yourself curious about or missing updated information on a contact, you should reach out to him or her and catch up. Send a note, invite for coffee, arrange a phone or video call – whatever you find comfortable. Learn what keeps your friends busy, where their talents lie, what interests they have, and where they want to go next. Catch up, offer help if you can, and take notes to update your rolodex. Promise to stay in touch.
Never rule anyone out; people can change. Some of the shady characters in high school may have sobered up to start multi-million dollar businesses. You never know. You will be surprised what happens when you reach out to old relationships, especially the ones you were never close with before. You might uncover a great opportunity, discover a shared interest, or find romance. All three have happened to me. Partnerships of all kinds form out of rebooting network connections.
Recycling old relationships can be far easier than meeting new people because you already share common ground. I would even argue that keeping your network fresh by staying in touch is equally as important as growing your network, if not more so. As I have said before, it’s not about who you know, but who knows you. It is important that your contacts remember you. Stay fresh in other people’s minds, keep them fresh in yours, and keep your network strong.
It all starts by skimming your phone during downtime. Stay in touch.
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Farewell, Alloy Entertainment!
Ladies and gentlemen, my term with Alloy Entertainment has come to an end. Over the past 15 months, I helped teacher and friend Tripp Reed build a new media division, produce six original hour-long series, and premiere them across the web. My experiences on these series served as an unmatchable education in production, content, leadership, marketing, and technology. Lessons gleaned here will inform me for a lifetime. I could not be more grateful to Tripp and the Alloy family for this amazing opportunity. Thank you for trusting and empowering me to help you build this company.
To the 511 individual department heads, cast, crew, executives, assistants, accountants, lawyers, vendors, and clients I have worked with over the last year and a half: it has been an absolute pleasure. I love you all. Never hesitate to reach out if you need anything. Please stay in touch.
A few special shouts: to Korey Budd, for taking care of everyone and reminding me why I love this business; to my editors and post-production staff, for putting up with me daily and keeping the culture fruitful; to Courtney, for taking everything so seriously; to SonicPool Post-Production, for going above and beyond to meet our needs; and to our office staff, for putting the work first and keeping me alive.
Today, I pass the baton on and begin the next era of my life. I wish Tripp, Alloy, and our team all my love and best wishes as you venture into the shows beyond. We shall meet again down the road.
Here’s to the future!
Hire the Job, Don’t Let It Hire You
I pity you if every little task, responsibility, or minute of your day has been laid out by a job description. If you do not have the freedom to explore, discover, or experiment through your job, then you are little better than a slave.
Forcing a person to fit the itemized mold of a job description is unrealistic and myopic. Every employee has so much to offer; failure to encourage peripheral skills and passion will drive him or her out unfulfilled. On the other side of the table, applying for and interviewing to fit a job description may be equally naïve. Why sign up to do what you are told and nothing more?
Great organizations understand that human beings are not simple tools. They judge character and accomplishments over trade skills. Why do you think more than 70% of Americans secured their job through someone they knew in the company? Relationships bare the fruit and culture of success.
The dream hiring situation? First, the company acknowledges a need for talent in a certain area. They screen fresh talent and possibly give them a trial run. When a comfortable cultural fit is found, the company throws him or her into the wild. No guiding hands or operations checklists, only a dish full of puzzles to solve. Before long, the new hire will find his or her own place. Effectively, he or she will write his or her own job description.
Find a job you can make your own. If by the end of every day you have satisfied the thirst of all your talents and interests, you will know you have found the right fit.
Don’t Work for the Man
Be the Man (or Woman).
In either case, be true to yourself. Not your job. Stand up to the fools. Let no one push you around. If you know you deserve to lead, then lead. Don’t take “no” for an answer.
Dry Spells [Film Friday]
People working in Hollywood are looking for work regularly: when a show wraps, it’s time to find a new job. Like all freelancing, entertainment industry folks run the risk of suffering weeks or months between projects. Even people who make as much as $10,000 per week file for unemployment between jobs. It’s crazy. Having had a steady paycheck for the last 14 months, I cannot imagine the day-to-day challenge of finding work. It’s a whole different world. For the people who work regularly, it can be great. For those who don’t, it can be hell. All you can do is get out, enjoy the California sunshine, chase personal projects, and keep busy. Learn to appreciate the dry spells. After all – the second you learn to love them, they’ll end, and you’ll be buried with work again.
Meaningful Work
A quarter of the average American’s week is spent on the clock and a third is spent asleep at night. Many work even longer hours than that. With so much time and energy devoted to one thing, it’s worth it for our health and sanity to make sure our jobs are fulfilling.
Everyone wants a job he or she can be excited to wake up for in the morning. For me, I need a job that I can believe in. A company building things I believe in. Leadership with strategy I believe in. But that’s just me. Most people can find joy in their work without being tied to the higher context of their employment.
So what constitutes “meaningful work?” I think it’s simple. A job where you’d rather do nothing else with that valuable time. Perhaps a job that satisfies your need to create or relate with the world. Perhaps a job working to solve an important problem. Or perhaps a job that’s plain and simple fun.
In any case, you choose to do the work over anything else. Do what you want to do for a living. Find a job like that, and life will be good.
Quitting Is Not Always Quitting
Do not be afraid to opt out of something if you’ve done everything you can to improve the situation. Marriages, jobs, partnerships, friends with bad habits, group projects, hobbies, gatherings, etc. If it’s not working out for you and you’ve taken reasonable measures to fix things, there’s no point in suffocating yourself anymore. It’s not cowardice; it’s logic. Sometimes quitting is the best way to improve your life, the lives of your partners, and the lives of others who care about you. Imagine all the possibilities of what you can do without that burden, time drain, and commitment. Do not be afraid to quit and go do those things.
Decide What You’re Worth
Want to make more money? First, you need to believe that you’re worth more. If you believe it and exude confidence on the subject, everyone else will believe you’re worth more, too. Believe it deeply enough and you may not even need to ask for a raise.
It’s very helpful to know what you’re worth. To the dollar. Not some random number, no abstract figure counts – the exact amount to cover the cost of living the life you think you deserve. Add up your expenses, your lifestyle costs, your health costs, your travel costs. Cover your responsibilities. Price out your dreams and your hobbies. Set a structured savings plan and contingency for accidents. Add them all together over a year period. With simple math, you can conclude your annual salary. That’s what you’re worth. No less.
Be open to quoting that number to others, and do not be afraid to itemize the costs for them. If you can justify every price point and sell your needs, it will be difficult for anyone to argue. Make sure your employer understands this number. If it’s not possible for your company to match, find alternative means to cover the difference (freelancing, for example) – or find a different job.
Know what you’re worth. Believe you’re worth that much. Fight for it if you need to. Do not sell yourself short.
Overtime Pay Is Unhealthy
Time and a half or double pay was designed to compensate you for working unreasonable hours. Depending on the rate, it can even make extra hours appealing. That’s a problem. Why?
Money does not actually compensate you for the added stress and sacrifices. Money does not buy you your time back. Money does not keep your health in check or award you sleep at night. Overtime pay does not give you your life back. So what’s the point? Just call it a day and go home.
Only work as many hours as you need to get the job done well enough. Do not be seduced by the extra cash to compromise your well-being. You’ll burn out, and it will not be worth it long-term. Cut yourself off, quit for the night, and come in fresh the next day. It is the only sustainable course of action.
Craig Ormiston 