Monday, July 8, 2013

Another Clever Lesson from Hollywood



Hi Everyone,

Sorry I have been remiss.  I have been getting all your fan mail and questions though I have been behind in posts.  And the odd thing is I have about 10 things I want to write about, from answering questions to other tips I have.  I’m currently under the weather, coming off a huge project, and tons going on in my personal life - all good things.  You know - family reunion, family visiting from overseas, 3 weddings, but am only attending one - a destination wedding, and expecting another houseguest in September internationally as well.  So, it’s been busy to say the least. 

I’ve been reading SWITCH by the Heath Brothers about how to change when it is so hard.  So following some of their rules, I figured I’d post A POST instead of the ones I should be posting (answering reader mail).  I figured SOME presence is better than NO presence or waiting for the BEST time. 

So, if you haven’t seen Monsters University yet, don’t read any further because there will be spoilers!


I saw this shortly after it opened at The El Capitan theater in Hollywood.  If you have not been there, you should go at least once.  I was really struck by the message of the movie and I think it’s a great reminder to all of us to be humble and remember the lesson of perseverance, patience, and hard work.  Too often we get struck with a sense of entitlement and this movie addresses it very well without even acknowledging there is an “issue” in America TIL THE END CREDITS basically!

I loved how although they were the best scarers the Dean and the school had even seen they didn’t ask to be treated in a special way.  They were still not able to attend the school and they still chose to follow their dreams even if it meant they had to start in the mailroom.  Then they became janitors, and customer service reps, and then finally they got to be become a part of the scare team.  By the montage, it looks as though they were proud, happy, and okay will climbing the ladder to success from the very bottom rung and they celebrated every tiny step.  They never had the attitude that they were too good for their positions or how things unfolded unfairly for them. 

Hollywood is very similar.  There is an entire book written about famous executives starting in the mailroom.  It’s called THE MAILROOM:  HOLLYWOOD HISTORY FROM THE BOTTOM UP by DAVID RENSIN.  Slow and steady is not a bad strategy to thrive in a race...  If you have read enough of my posts, you know I did a lot of gopher work too. 

I hope everyone had a great long weekend.  Here is a photo of my 4th of July weekend, watching fireworks from the top floor of a parking structure.  :)












3 comments:

  1. Great! Thank you for the book suggestion. I have just requested it from my library. I've just been faced with a big change in my employment and am trying to equip my toolbox to navigate it.

    Best,
    Annie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Muser at Musings of a High Level Executive AssistantJuly 24, 2013 at 10:31 AM

      Annie,

      So glad you found this blog helpful and are interested in reading the book! :) I hope you are doing well. Thank you for being a reader!

      Delete
  2. I want to be the best executive assistant that I can be. I have full access to my COO calendar but I'm not getting much usage with it. What can say/do to ask my COO to let me have full control?

    ReplyDelete