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Remodeling: As a business owner and/or manager, there are times one needs to be—pardon the term—a hard-ass. It comes with the territory.
But this doesn’t always mean being a jerk. How do you avoid that?
16 comments:
Myha'la Herrold
said...
A huge part of the acting business is exactly that- business. And a lot of the business can be emotionally driven and that can always create tension. Professionalism is the most important thing in the acting word which includes handing business is a responsible, respectful, and non emotional fashion.
Going after what Myha'la had to say, I do agree that the professional acting world is partially business but another part of that is being able to work effectively with others. Whether that be with your manager, agent, or fellow cast and crew members. People will want to higher you again if you give them the talent that they want and also if you give them a good dose of professionalism. Yes, there are times when you do need to be a "hard ass" in the acting industry. But you cannot have this type of mentality like a corporate attorney does. They can be a hard ass on a day to day basis with each other because they don't have to emit any real emotions between one another. As actors we have to be aware of the business side of things as well as how we conduct ourselves when we are in a scene with another actor who is more than likely being extremely open and vulnerable. Finding a good balance between remaining professional with little twist of "hard assiness" is key to a long lived acting career.
Both the above comments deal with the acting side of this business. When I read this article, the first thing that came to mind was a Technical Director working with his or her workers. And in that scenario, the advice presented in this article is much more applicable. Technical Directors are commonly known to be a "Hardass" and the advice presented in this article can allow technical directors to balance that with being an effective boss.
I can relate heavily to this article because when I first started leading builds in the theatre, I had trust issues and felt that nothing could be done without my supervision. When something went wrong, I tended to blame others more than myself, which I now realize isn't the appropriate thing to do. By laying out guidelines, expectations, and having everyone know the schedules we are on allows for less confusion and fewer mistakes. I also agree with the 'take your emotions out of it' piece because when you remain calm you are objective and objectiveness keeps you aware of the situation in its entirety as opposed to being blinded by your emotions.
I had to deal with this quite a bit when working on a construction site this past summer. Of course the foreman on the job had to deal with being this kind of person more than I did. I was still learning the ropes, and it doesn’t help that I’m not the best person in the world at trying to be a hard-ass on someone. As the weeks developed though, it became easier, because I could see that the crew was slowing down a bit, and we needed a bit more tempo to get the project back on track. Of course working with trades who know what they are doing compared to having a general knowledge of the trade gives a disadvantage, but what’s on the plans, is what’s on the plans. I get orders from the boss and relay them, sometimes people have to deal with a hard-ass employer, but that’s life.
A better title for this article would be "How to be a Good Professional Leader." Yes, this might come across as being a "hard-ass," but at the end of the day, everyone is doing a job (hopefully THEIR job). There are some times where you have to be their boss. I worked a lot with this over the summer. I was 19 year old in a 21+ position in charge of counselors who were all my age or older than me. While it was tempting to be their friend all the time, I constantly had to remind myself that I wasn't. I was their supervisor. I think that's a concept that a lot of people would do well with learning. That doesn't mean you stop being professional: it means you get down to business and support your staff.
The best crew heads I have ever head have been nice hard-asses. I think this is because they know exactly what they are doing, and when people come and ask questions they can give them clear answers. However, they are still very nice and are very easy to talk to. As a crew member you can tell that they are confident which makes them trustworthy. This crew head know how to push people to be productive and efficient and work to their strengths. I have had a ton of educational take away from them on how to be a crew head, but also how to work with people in general. Hopefully when I'm a crew head I'm considered to be a nice hard ass.
This article describes my favorite type of manager. If a person sets clear expectations and guidelines, with understandable instructions and good feedback (both while completing the task and after the task is finished), then they're a good manager. I'd much rather have a manager who comes off as a "hard-ass" (while still being able to ask questions) than have a nice manager who gives confusing instructions or doesn't stick to the plan. I think one of the best pieces of advice in this article is to always ask “What can we do …?” instead of “Why did you …?” Mistakes happen to everyone (especially when you're working with inexperienced people, like college students.). In times in the past when I've messed up in some task, if my boss's first reaction was "why did you do that?" I immediately would feel belittled and shamed, and I'd be much less likely to be proactive or take risks in the future. "What can we do" is a much more productive way to go about these things- it makes the manager and the worker part of a team, and it helps the worker far more than just placing the blame on them.
Being a hard-ass without just being an ass is a hard balance to find. I have worked under many different managers who were all very different but the ones I liked working with the most were the nice hard-asses. When I worked for a large lighting production company for the most part the guys who had seniority were also just asses. Not to say that there weren't good people there but a fair amount of them were jerks. I think ego has a lot to do with this. The older guys, especially those who still actively toured, had the mentality that they knew best and any other method or idea was irrelevant. While I do understand that they had the experience and their methods could very well be the best, it was the delivery that was the problem. It wasn't "hey here's a better way to do that" it was "hey what the fuck is wrong with you, this is how you do it you moron" and that didn't sit well with me. Another challenge with managing is how to be a nice hard-ass without seeming like a pushover. I have the most respect for guys that are fun to work with when things are going well but still are able to command total authority when things go wrong or there are problems. Although the tips the article gives are useful I think there is way more to it that you can only learn by doing.
This article, to me, doesn't seem like it is describing how to be a "hard-ass." Instead, it seems to simply be describing how to be an effective leader in any field. Many of the tips this article gave sounded like they came directly out of the tips Anne Mundell gives us in Growing Theater. One of the most important things we do as mentors in Growing Theater is to give our mentees clear expectations and guidelines. Now, of course the relationship between a mentor and a mentee and a employer and an employee are different. However, much of this advice crosses over between the two relationships. As a manager, I think the most important thing you do is setting expectations with the people on your team. Without expectations and guidelines drawn out right from the start, the process and working relationship is already off on the wrong foot.
Interesting article. I see that a few people disagree with the use of the term, "hard-ass," but I think the proposal of a nice hard-ass is very important. A lot of the time, when describing a leader, these are terms that can be thrown around-but not often together. "Ugh, the TD here is such a hard-ass" or "Yeah the SM is really nice," are both negative comments, if you ask me. The best thing to be as a leader, especially in the theatre, is a strong combination of both. A person who is kind, but very committed to getting the work done, or a person who is determined to have everything done well but is not harsh in how they ask for it is a good leader that I would be happy to work under.
It is incredibly important to command respect from your subordinates while treating them like human beings. Sometimes it's easy to slip and fall into a heightened frenzy of emotions. I agree with the idea of taking a break from a frustrating situation and returning to it with a more level-headed attitude. Deep breaths always help me.
I like to use the mentality of "how can I help you help me" because it allows the expectation to get through that this has to get done while maintaining a more easy-going and approachable status.
This article takes the term "hard-ass," a common complaint, and spins it into a necessary quality for a leader.
Hard-Ass can best be translated to Objective Communicator. Helping your employees remember that work is about work and acting accordingly will certainly help minimize tension in the workplace and keep everyone on track instead of getting involved with emotional drama that could eventually end up effecting their work. I feel that as a manager it's important for you to develop two distinct but cohesive personalities: one for work, and one for not work. Also, by remaining objective during work also alleviates pressure to play the favorites game with people who are trying to suck up to you by getting to know things about your personality, likes, and dislikes outside of work. Remaining objective also allows for better teamwork because it lessens the chances of blaming someone or singling someone out for a mistake rather than using that time to come up with a solution as a group.
I think most people will agree that this is the best kind of manager. On either side of this you have the raging asshole and the incompetent push over, neither of whom are people that you want to work for. When I was at a Cirque du Soleil conference last year, I took a project management class and one of the things we discussed was SMART objectives when managing. I think many of the things that this article discusses are basically the same type of process, but just framed in a different way. Regardless though, I whole heartedly agree that this improves management.
This article is the definition of being a good stage manager. You cannot be a jerk to others in the work place but you also cannot allow people to walk all over you either. This article perfectly displays the correct way to be a good hard ass. As a stage manager I will take lessons from the examples and statements made in this article. I feel as though this is also good for directors and designers as well. Everyone needs to make a collaborative effort in the workplace.
This really reminds of the whole "angry TD" mentality. I don't doubt someone who is a self proclaimed "hard ass" isn't going to do a good job as a leader. However sticking to your guns and running a tight ship is completely different from being a hard ass. Connotatively speaking, hard ass is indicative of someone whom people don't enjoy working with. If you think of every person you've dubbed a hard ass, have you immediately thought, "Man I just love working with this person. I truly look forward to all our professional time we get to spend together". The answer is absolutely not. Now I'm not suggest that we be flexible when we shouldn't be, or sacrifice professional practice just to be more well received. But I think that the mentality of being a hard as is just completely wrongly suited to leading a team. Especially if you think of a more creative and collaborative setting.
16 comments:
A huge part of the acting business is exactly that- business. And a lot of the business can be emotionally driven and that can always create tension. Professionalism is the most important thing in the acting word which includes handing business is a responsible, respectful, and non emotional fashion.
Going after what Myha'la had to say, I do agree that the professional acting world is partially business but another part of that is being able to work effectively with others. Whether that be with your manager, agent, or fellow cast and crew members. People will want to higher you again if you give them the talent that they want and also if you give them a good dose of professionalism. Yes, there are times when you do need to be a "hard ass" in the acting industry. But you cannot have this type of mentality like a corporate attorney does. They can be a hard ass on a day to day basis with each other because they don't have to emit any real emotions between one another. As actors we have to be aware of the business side of things as well as how we conduct ourselves when we are in a scene with another actor who is more than likely being extremely open and vulnerable. Finding a good balance between remaining professional with little twist of "hard assiness" is key to a long lived acting career.
Both the above comments deal with the acting side of this business. When I read this article, the first thing that came to mind was a Technical Director working with his or her workers. And in that scenario, the advice presented in this article is much more applicable. Technical Directors are commonly known to be a "Hardass" and the advice presented in this article can allow technical directors to balance that with being an effective boss.
I can relate heavily to this article because when I first started leading builds in the theatre, I had trust issues and felt that nothing could be done without my supervision. When something went wrong, I tended to blame others more than myself, which I now realize isn't the appropriate thing to do. By laying out guidelines, expectations, and having everyone know the schedules we are on allows for less confusion and fewer mistakes. I also agree with the 'take your emotions out of it' piece because when you remain calm you are objective and objectiveness keeps you aware of the situation in its entirety as opposed to being blinded by your emotions.
I had to deal with this quite a bit when working on a construction site this past summer. Of course the foreman on the job had to deal with being this kind of person more than I did. I was still learning the ropes, and it doesn’t help that I’m not the best person in the world at trying to be a hard-ass on someone. As the weeks developed though, it became easier, because I could see that the crew was slowing down a bit, and we needed a bit more tempo to get the project back on track. Of course working with trades who know what they are doing compared to having a general knowledge of the trade gives a disadvantage, but what’s on the plans, is what’s on the plans. I get orders from the boss and relay them, sometimes people have to deal with a hard-ass employer, but that’s life.
A better title for this article would be "How to be a Good Professional Leader." Yes, this might come across as being a "hard-ass," but at the end of the day, everyone is doing a job (hopefully THEIR job). There are some times where you have to be their boss. I worked a lot with this over the summer. I was 19 year old in a 21+ position in charge of counselors who were all my age or older than me. While it was tempting to be their friend all the time, I constantly had to remind myself that I wasn't. I was their supervisor. I think that's a concept that a lot of people would do well with learning. That doesn't mean you stop being professional: it means you get down to business and support your staff.
The best crew heads I have ever head have been nice hard-asses. I think this is because they know exactly what they are doing, and when people come and ask questions they can give them clear answers. However, they are still very nice and are very easy to talk to. As a crew member you can tell that they are confident which makes them trustworthy. This crew head know how to push people to be productive and efficient and work to their strengths. I have had a ton of educational take away from them on how to be a crew head, but also how to work with people in general. Hopefully when I'm a crew head I'm considered to be a nice hard ass.
This article describes my favorite type of manager. If a person sets clear expectations and guidelines, with understandable instructions and good feedback (both while completing the task and after the task is finished), then they're a good manager. I'd much rather have a manager who comes off as a "hard-ass" (while still being able to ask questions) than have a nice manager who gives confusing instructions or doesn't stick to the plan. I think one of the best pieces of advice in this article is to always ask “What can we do …?” instead of “Why did you …?” Mistakes happen to everyone (especially when you're working with inexperienced people, like college students.). In times in the past when I've messed up in some task, if my boss's first reaction was "why did you do that?" I immediately would feel belittled and shamed, and I'd be much less likely to be proactive or take risks in the future. "What can we do" is a much more productive way to go about these things- it makes the manager and the worker part of a team, and it helps the worker far more than just placing the blame on them.
Being a hard-ass without just being an ass is a hard balance to find. I have worked under many different managers who were all very different but the ones I liked working with the most were the nice hard-asses. When I worked for a large lighting production company for the most part the guys who had seniority were also just asses. Not to say that there weren't good people there but a fair amount of them were jerks. I think ego has a lot to do with this. The older guys, especially those who still actively toured, had the mentality that they knew best and any other method or idea was irrelevant. While I do understand that they had the experience and their methods could very well be the best, it was the delivery that was the problem. It wasn't "hey here's a better way to do that" it was "hey what the fuck is wrong with you, this is how you do it you moron" and that didn't sit well with me. Another challenge with managing is how to be a nice hard-ass without seeming like a pushover. I have the most respect for guys that are fun to work with when things are going well but still are able to command total authority when things go wrong or there are problems. Although the tips the article gives are useful I think there is way more to it that you can only learn by doing.
This article, to me, doesn't seem like it is describing how to be a "hard-ass." Instead, it seems to simply be describing how to be an effective leader in any field. Many of the tips this article gave sounded like they came directly out of the tips Anne Mundell gives us in Growing Theater. One of the most important things we do as mentors in Growing Theater is to give our mentees clear expectations and guidelines. Now, of course the relationship between a mentor and a mentee and a employer and an employee are different. However, much of this advice crosses over between the two relationships. As a manager, I think the most important thing you do is setting expectations with the people on your team. Without expectations and guidelines drawn out right from the start, the process and working relationship is already off on the wrong foot.
Interesting article. I see that a few people disagree with the use of the term, "hard-ass," but I think the proposal of a nice hard-ass is very important. A lot of the time, when describing a leader, these are terms that can be thrown around-but not often together. "Ugh, the TD here is such a hard-ass" or "Yeah the SM is really nice," are both negative comments, if you ask me. The best thing to be as a leader, especially in the theatre, is a strong combination of both. A person who is kind, but very committed to getting the work done, or a person who is determined to have everything done well but is not harsh in how they ask for it is a good leader that I would be happy to work under.
It is incredibly important to command respect from your subordinates while treating them like human beings. Sometimes it's easy to slip and fall into a heightened frenzy of emotions. I agree with the idea of taking a break from a frustrating situation and returning to it with a more level-headed attitude. Deep breaths always help me.
I like to use the mentality of "how can I help you help me" because it allows the expectation to get through that this has to get done while maintaining a more easy-going and approachable status.
This article takes the term "hard-ass," a common complaint, and spins it into a necessary quality for a leader.
Hard-Ass can best be translated to Objective Communicator. Helping your employees remember that work is about work and acting accordingly will certainly help minimize tension in the workplace and keep everyone on track instead of getting involved with emotional drama that could eventually end up effecting their work. I feel that as a manager it's important for you to develop two distinct but cohesive personalities: one for work, and one for not work. Also, by remaining objective during work also alleviates pressure to play the favorites game with people who are trying to suck up to you by getting to know things about your personality, likes, and dislikes outside of work. Remaining objective also allows for better teamwork because it lessens the chances of blaming someone or singling someone out for a mistake rather than using that time to come up with a solution as a group.
I think most people will agree that this is the best kind of manager. On either side of this you have the raging asshole and the incompetent push over, neither of whom are people that you want to work for. When I was at a Cirque du Soleil conference last year, I took a project management class and one of the things we discussed was SMART objectives when managing. I think many of the things that this article discusses are basically the same type of process, but just framed in a different way. Regardless though, I whole heartedly agree that this improves management.
This article is the definition of being a good stage manager. You cannot be a jerk to others in the work place but you also cannot allow people to walk all over you either. This article perfectly displays the correct way to be a good hard ass. As a stage manager I will take lessons from the examples and statements made in this article. I feel as though this is also good for directors and designers as well. Everyone needs to make a collaborative effort in the workplace.
This really reminds of the whole "angry TD" mentality. I don't doubt someone who is a self proclaimed "hard ass" isn't going to do a good job as a leader. However sticking to your guns and running a tight ship is completely different from being a hard ass. Connotatively speaking, hard ass is indicative of someone whom people don't enjoy working with. If you think of every person you've dubbed a hard ass, have you immediately thought, "Man I just love working with this person. I truly look forward to all our professional time we get to spend together". The answer is absolutely not. Now I'm not suggest that we be flexible when we shouldn't be, or sacrifice professional practice just to be more well received. But I think that the mentality of being a hard as is just completely wrongly suited to leading a team. Especially if you think of a more creative and collaborative setting.
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