THE NEW HOLLYWOOD LEADER

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP PRESENCE?

WHAT IS PRESENCE?

When we talk about presence, we're not talking about domination.

We're talking about the ability to be present in our self.

And to monitor and balance the needs and messages from our internal state with our external state AND our own business objective.

And only when we do that can we be aware of the other people's internal state and the other people's external state and business objectives.

CREATING SAFE SPACE

So leadership presence is really creating a safe space for others to speak the truth.

Safe, non-judgemental, and also, ultimately focused on a business objective.

So when we say Presence, we have to be able to be aware of whether WE are being present.

We have to first be present, and first be vulnerable and real, so that we can inspire others to do the same and to bring their presence.

FACILITATE YOURSELF

George Lakoff who wrote the book on political framing explains how to change our language for political change. long, but very valuable. he does actually make some recommendations at the end.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lakoff/untellable-truths_b_794832.html

Are Collaboration and Consensus Overrated?

Interesting post from  Michelle Rhee on being quoted that  "collaboration and consensus are  overrated".

i think many leaders are afraid to ask people what they think because they're often afraid of the reaction if they  don't act on the feedback. in reality, participants usually feel better being heard and can usually go along with an opposing decision. thus, the leader must find the balance between taking feedback and making an
autonomous decision.

What will Jeff Zucker do next? http://bit.ly/ciUxAP (i'm quoted in this article in the Hollywood Reporter.)

WHAT'S YOUR CAREER OBJECTIVE?

Wow, have I seen a lot of resumes in the past two years! Not as many as people who're actually hiring but I see a lot as I work with clients looking for new jobs or opportunities.

Now more than ever, it's important to be clear and specific about what sort of gig you're looking for.  The main reason is because it helps you find the right company or project for you. In addition it helps other friendly people help you by knowing who to send you to.

LET ME SEE YOUR RESUME

It's essential to begin your resume with a clear objective of what kind of job you're looking for. By doing so you help any person who is reading your resume figure out what do with you. Maybe you're wrong for the current position but because you're specific about where you are and what you're interested in it can inspire a person to forward your resume on to someone who can help you.

BE REALLY SPECIFIC

What sort of company do you want to work for? What sort of position? Where do you see that company going? How can you help?

You have some expertise although it may not be apparent to you.

The old/passive way of looking at career objectives and job hunting is to create a resume like a generic list of stuff you showed up for.

ALREADY BE ON THEIR TEAM

The pro-active way of looking at your career objective and job hunt is to take a bigger look at your life experiences and career experiences and think about how they fit into the local and global economy in the world today (i.e. right now.)

What industries are dead and dying?  What industries are growing and thriving? What are new companies specializing in? What are established companies changing to keep up? What sort of people are they looking for right now to help them transition and reinvent their business model?

DO SOME RESEARCH

From that perspective, take a look at your skills and background.

Do some research into cutting-edge companies.  Read a copy of Wired or Fast Company. Find companies that are doing something interesting and do some research on them.

Then search on Linkedin for employees of those companies and see how those people describe their current jobs and their past jobs.

OBJECTIVE EXAMPLES:

Here are some examples of specific resume objectives:

OBJECTIVE: Seeking an Entry Level Sales Position in a New Media Company focused on Green Technology and Alternative Energy Solutions.

OBJECTIVE: Senior Management Position in Television or Radio Industries leveraging my success in Transforming other Traditional Media into the Social Media Age.

MAKING THE CASE:

Then, once you have a clear objective, organize your experience (past jobs or other relevant background.)

Your past jobs should do the best job to possible to support your objective. You might want to describe your past jobs differently or add some unique experiences that wouldn't normally go on a resume but help your resume stand out as unique, memorable or funny.

Your objective at this point, is to get them to call you in for a meeting. I once suggested that a client add to her resume her experience selling Rice-A-Roni in supermarkets because it was relevant to the sales type jobs she was interested in. Another client who wanted to work at a Music-Related TV network added his past experience as a drummer to his resume. These are not the make or break issues to getting hired but they help a company understand more about you than just a list of jobs you had.

WHAT’S YOUR CAREER OBJECTIVE?

What’s the funniest thing you add to your resume?

How can you make the case really clear by some simple editing or rearranging your past experiences?

http://www.hollywoodcoaching.com

6/24/10 LA Event: GETTING STUFF DONE: Productivity and Creativity Management For Writers and Other Creative Geniuses.

-Simple Techniques for Managing Your “To-Do” list.
-Time Management vs. Creativity Management
-Clearing the Obstacles for Creativity
-Enjoying Your Work And Your Life

Bring Your To-Do List: (Whether Large or Small.)

Arrival time 6:30. We’ll start at 7:00 and go until 8:00. Then hang around to network and schmooze.

NOTE: Admission is Complimentary but RSVP Required:


The Writer's Junction
1001 Colorado Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.451.0999

Memo to NAB Jobseekers - Micro-Niche Branding and Resumes

Memo to NAB Jobseekers - Micro-Niche Branding and Resumes

Hi there,

Just  got back from a Career Day Event with NAB in Vegas Last week. Here’s letter I wrote to the people I met with there.

There may be something in it for you guys too:

See ya

-db

Hi folks.  Hope you all had a productive and informative time at NAB last week.

It was great to meet and speak to so many of you.  It was exciting to see and hear your new ideas, enthusiasm and willingness to try new approaches to your career.

It’s obviously been a strange time, both in the entertainment industry and the world, but I do believe there are new and lucrative work opportunities for us all.

The challenge is often about getting a clearer picture of who we are, what we’re good at, what we care about and how it relates to the current market opportunities.

GRADUATES AND MENTORS

I met some of you who are still in college and some of you who’ve been in the workforce for decades.

The broadcast and entertainment industry is different now than it was 2 years ago, let alone 20 years ago.

Your ability to thrive is in direct proportion to your ability and willingness to re-invent yourself in a way that is true to yourself and relevant to the professional world as it exists today.

It used to seem like the best way to stay gainfully employed in the old days was to find a way to mold ourselves to the shape of an existing job. Now the challenge is to figure out what we’re best at, what we care about and what organization needs our help to get where they are going.

MICRO-NICHE: WHAT ARE YOU REALLY BEST AT?

Things are changing and happening so fast that many employers know they need help but don’t know what how to ask for or what who they need.

Companies have been shedding jobs that fit their old view of their process and business model but they’re looking for help in reworking their business model for the future.

Therefore, if you can explain on your resume objective and cover letter what your skills and interests are and how it relates to the current business environment then they will be more likely to bring you in for an interview or meeting.

FRESH OUT OF SCHOOL?

If you’re fresh out of school and looking for a first professional job it’s important to show your special interests, as they relate to the job you want to do.

It’s not just that they make you stand out from the crowd of boring resumes it’s that it shows you’re a person  who’s got an eye out on the world and paying attention and ready to be a contributor to the team as well as to the world.

SPRING, SPRUNG: JUST DO IT, EDITION

After a quiet midwinter dip in energy (or was it a surge of reflective, nurturing energy) the Hollywood earth is thawing and ready for planting new seeds.  
 
The entertainment landscape has certainly changed but it hasn't disappeared. Now is the time to reframe and possibly rebrand your career in accordance with the seismic shifts of the past 2 years.
 
I know I've used the past few months to do an assortment of things.  
 
NO DIRECTION HOME?
 
I've looked at where Hollywood is going and how I fit in. Both as a career coach and as a creative person.

I always talk with my clients about their need to continue to be creative in addition to working your day job or your hunt for a day job or your hunt for financing or whatever you're hunting for.  
 
Continuing to create is an essential fuel for the fire that is our life as creative people. It sounds stupidly obvious, but how many of us have been looking so hard for the right creative "job" that we forgot to express and work in the creative part of our life that we do have control of.
 
YOU KNOW . . .
 
Writing a script, writing a song, taking a photo, shooting a web series or a feature or a short.
Or writing a spec. Or going to the museum. Or staying up late reading or writing.

Or waking up early and swimming in the ocean.

See a movie. Write a blog about what your love or hate or fear about the state of the industry or art or world or politics.  
 
It's our job to follow the creative urges and to see where it leads or lands.
 
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY?

Of course we must be responsible to the day job and be responsible for our finances, that's a given.

MY MISSION, AND I'VE DECIDED TO ACCEPT IT

I wrote a really long great article this month on the plane to Sundance.

However, I’m just going to send you the last part of it because I know your attention span is challenged. (As are all of ours these days.)

I may post the rest later but for now. . . lets all just create community. Shall we?

—–

ON COMMUNITY AND MISSION. . .

I had a gathering of a small number of friends, colleagues and clients recently.

Because I had the presence of mind to get help with the party food and preparations I was able to have the time to think, actually. And be relaxed in the hours before people arrived.

And I thought about saying a few words when people were gathered there, but I didn’t, because it didn’t seem necessary at the time, but because the thank you I got was that they had all shown up, in my life, as well as my practice.

WHAT I REALIZED WAS THIS:

I actually had a mission for my business and my coaching practice that I’d never articulated.

HERE IT IS

My mission for Hollywood Coaching is to create a Hollywood that is Healthy, Rewarding, and Enlightening.

And I can only do that when people show up in my life who’re hungry for that as well. (And  I’m not just talking about coaching clients.)

JUST SHOWING UP

When people with a positive outlook show up at a networking event or a gathering or a meeting it allows me to bring and share my positive outlook and thoughts.