Working Girl

Today was movie day. I've been recovering from a cold and decided to spend the day in front of the TV enjoying Netflix. Movie number 3 was "Working Girl" starring Melanie Griffiths, Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver. My wife hadn't watched this movie so we decided to give it a shot.

The basic plot is there's this smart personal assistant, who's trying to make it in the world of big business but she's finding it tough. As a young women in NYC in the 80's, no one's taking her seriously. It's basically a feel good chick flick with a happy ending, but I also think it makes some important points as Tess (Melanie Griffiths) makes her way to ultimate success:

1. Tess spent a lot of her time mastering her craft (And I mean mastering, and I mean a lot of time and I mean "her craft", i.e. something she loves doing). When she wasn't getting coffee, picking up laundry, carrying luggage, etc, etc for difficult bosses, she was reading about and being exposed to the world she loved (business) and dreaming up deals (mergers and acquisitions).
2. She valued her friendships. She seemed to empathize with her workers, friends, brides on their wedding day, even cheating boyfriends starting their own business. She didn't lose sight of the human factor. And it's funny how her killer business idea also has this empathy at it's core. i.e. She seemed to put herself in the shoes of the company she ultimately helps to succeed.
3. She wasn't afraid to take risks and break the rules (especially when those rules didn't make sense). There's a great line in the movie when she tells her friend, that she's not going to spend her life following bunch of rules designed to hold her back, that she had absolutely no part in creating!
   
   
4. She had a little luck along the way. I can bet she never knew exactly where all the effort she was putting in was going to lead her. Often the way forward isn't clear, but I think there's no denying she focused on what was important and what she loved to do and the rest took care of itself. Sometimes you make your own luck especially when you're spending time making yourself stronger.

So here's a little toast to the weeks and months ahead: May they be filled with friends, mastery, a few risks and a little luck. Have a great week!

 

Made to Measure

Mass produced or custom built? I think given the choice most people would opt for a custom made product built by an expert they trust. The obvious reasons are: better workmanship to develop a product that's tailored just for you. But I think it's more than that, I think it also comes down to the freedom the individual is given to exercise their skill. Start reducing their level of freedom and they may lose control over the process - quality drops. (maybe that's why they call it quality "control" ;-)

Take the example of a touch-less car wash vs "hand washed" alternatives. Hand washed usually results in a much better result, because the person doing the cleaning can check the work and focus more of their energy on problem areas. They are also smart enough to switch to other techniques, cleaning products, etc based on the specific situation. The auto-wash has no control, it's programmed to follow the same steps for every single car, it does what it was told, and that's that. You're expected to take it or leave it and you're probably ok with that because it's cheap and it's just a car.

This line of thinking can lead to an interesting question about careers. As competition becomes increasingly fierce, the room for compromises in quality is small and getting smaller. But how do you avoid unacceptable compromise when you're not calling the shots?

I've outlined a few suggestions below, but the common thread that runs through all of them is that they focus on what you can control:

Expand your role
Simply try calling some of the shots (ask for more responsibility) and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised that your input is welcome. This works (I've tried it!)

Search for new opportunities
Invest the effort necessary to work for companies that share your values and commitment. Employers that are looking for proactive people to exercise their unique expertise (and control) to deliver outstanding results.

Start your own enterprise
Finally, there's the option to start your own business and search for customers who love your unique and uncompromising style!