Too salty
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A group of friends sat gathered at a table. They had already exhausted conversations about their work and their lives so they moved on, like many of us do, to trying to convince the others to watch their favorite shows. Eventually the conversation led to the bad shows, the horrible movies, the ones that are not worth your time. What is interesting with these flops is that many of them had brilliant actors.
Have you ever seen All About Steve? It is a romantic comedy that stars Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper. Seems like a recipe for success, right? Rotten tomatoes’ 6%, and just about every review out there, beg to differ. So what went wrong? Kelly Jane Torrence, a reviewer from the Washington Times, said it best, “Even talented and preternaturally attractive people can't entirely engross us without the help of a good script.”
Actors are just one ingredient of many that go into a show or film; acting, writing, directing, producing, and editing are all the salt that can flavor or spoil the meal. A great director can make magic with mediocre actors, while a bad one can take a skilled cast in the wrong direction. Furthermore, an otherwise great movie might make it through the writing, acting, producing and directing but then get torn to pieces in the editing room. Unfortunately, even when everything else is perfect, getting one of these wrong is like too much salt and there is not much you can do when there’s too much salt.
I find this to be a fitting comparison for working at an organization. Just like the director, the best leaders can make magic with the mediocre; a group of interns under the right direction suddenly feel like seasoned employees. We’ve had those leaders, the ones that bring out the very best of us. On the other hand, the best employees on the best team will never thrive when there are unrealistic goals, fuzzy direction, and no support. You can be the best of the best and you can do everything right, but with bad leadership you will find success always out of reach.
It is commonly said that people don’t leave companies, they leave bad managers. This resonates with so many because it is true. A leader is the writer that sets the goals. A leader is the producer that sets the tone of how those goals will be reached. A leader is the director who makes the goals achievable. A leader is so many things that perhaps this is why we lack leaders and are left with poor managers. Getting just one of those ingredients wrong can make or break an employee experience.
While we should never expect perfection, there are times when we do need to just throw out the dish and try again. If we try to tell the chef that’s too much salt and they aren’t open to help, then there may not be much to be done. Whether it’s the project, the team, or the company, it’s important to recognize when the situation is unsalvageable. You may be Sandra freakin Bullock, but there’s only so much you can do with a bad script and poor direction.
