Extra Credit
March 17, 2009If you missed a class, or want extra credit, watch one of the above movies and do a 1 page write up (which you will post on blog) commenting on:
Major managerial lessons/approaches and major teamwork lessons/approaches on one of the below movies:
The Rocker -http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=55525
New In Town -http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=59425
Heather Barnes – Extra Credit Assignment
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The Rocker
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- I chose to watch ‘The Rocker’ mostly because Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight on ‘The Office’ is in it, but a friend also told me it was pretty funny! In a brief summary of the movie, Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman (Rainn) plays a man who at the start of the movie was the drummer for an 80’s – type hair band called, ‘Vesuvius’. The play a great gig, and their manager sends Fish outside while he tells the rest of the band members they have to kick Fish out to land a great record deal and play for ‘White Snake’ (another great band). They do this, and Fish spends the next 20 years in boring dead – end jobs with a grudge against Vesuvius (he won’t listen to their music, and hates when people mention them; he even got fired because he tackled a guy that was singing along!). Fish’s nephew is in a band and they need a new drummer, Fish goes along, and through a series of events, they eventually get their practice video up on youtube, where Fish was featured naked (they didn’t plan on putting this video online), the record company’s loved it, and people loved the music albeit the naked man! They sign a record deal and go on tour, eventually they open for Vesuvius, and they discover that they were lip-syncing.
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- Fish’s new band wouldn’t give up on him, even when things went horribly wrong, and they ended up succeeding while Vesuvius lost their entire fan – base in one night. Fish’s new band (ADD) manager tried to stop them from going on stage, but they thought the people had the right to hear a concert even though Vesuvius ruined it, so they fired him, did what they wanted for the people, and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams!
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- In terms of both managerial and teamwork lessons and approaches, they movie touches on them quite a bit. Even though the movie was less about an organizational setting, and more about the progress of the bands, they managed to still bring out the company side of going on tour, and the individual band drama. The band managers didn’t have the customer (fans) and the team (the band) in mind in either of Fish’s band situations. They were only ever concerned with profits, and this is a horrible way to run a company. If your team and/or your customers are un-happy, eventually your profits will start to reflect this as well. When Fish joined his new band though, their ‘team’ worked together, they cared about each other, and they cared about their ‘customers’. They stayed true to themselves and didn’t compromise who they were (in the movie the members of Vesuvius took on British accents because they thought it gave them and ‘edge’, while ADD’s lead girl didn’t dress the way the company wanted her to because it just wasn’t her and it was fake). ADD didn’t let the fame get to them, and making sure that all of their hard work was for their ‘customer’s’ as well as for themselves, they ensured a stronger and more real fan-base. I think the biggest take away from this movie in relation to the business world would have to be; you have to have a good team and good co-workers to be able to really get the job done and still maintain its quality. At the same time, you have to have good management, without this your team could have good intentions and still end up with a bad end result. And from the side of the manager, you need to make sure that you have both your employees and customers at heart, a good product will sell because people want it. But if people ever find out that a company is trying to put one over on them, it’s next to impossible to ever win their trust back, even with another good product. All-in-all, be truthful and at the same time effective in your work. This is the best way to produce profitable and fulfilling work.
EXTRA CREDIT
New it town was a great movie, not only for its entertainment value, but for the entrepreneurial lessons it taught. Renee Zellweger plays a hard working woman striving to get to the top of the corporate ladder. Yet when a plant in northern Minnesota needs to be managed, Renee is forced to take the post. This is a classic case of a woman trying to make her way in a man-dominated industry.
Lucy (Zellweger) is trying to play the role of the man and the movie surely personifies this. She has no children or significant other, probably due to her demanding work schedule. She also has to work twice as hard to impress her male boss that her male colleagues do which is why she takes the position in the first place. Yet once she gets to the small, extremely snowy, Minnesota town, Lucy realizes that she is not only completely out of her comfort zone, but that there are major cultural differences between the people living there and herself.
This movie focuses on Lucy thinking entrepreneurially to not only get the job done, but also how she moves forward and acclimates to the cultures of the town in order to create a better situation for everyone. Below are some key takeaways:
• Culture clash. Ex: “We don’t joke about Jesus ‘round here.” or “I think any examples of strong successful woman are vital.”
• Woman in a mans world; Ex: When she is the only one to volunteer to take the job in Minnesota; When Lucy looks at the wall of photos and they’re all men.
• Use simple language that everyone can understand. Ex: When Lucy is first addressing the workers and she uses jargon filled language- no one understands her or really pays any attention.
• Put a spin on things; Ex: When Lucy is on the phone with her boss and she puts a positive spin on even the most negative things occurring throughout the day.
• Negotiation; Ex: When Lucy needs the staff to move the factory around, she negotiates closing the factory down for half a day in exchange for their work in moving in new equipment.
• Thinking entrepreneurially; Ex: When Lucy decides to wrangle investors so she can a. become CEO and b. so that the workers can keep their jobs.
• Small accomplishments = big rewards; Ex: Getting the old yogurt machines to work proved to make everyone extremely happy as well as getting the new product off the shelf.
Courtney Barth
Extra Credit
NAWMBA Panel
WEL
Although this was an extra credit assignment, I was really looking forward to attending the panel. One truly valuable thing I’ve learned throughout taking WEL is to take advantage of all opportunities available to you. This was a great opportunity to listen to intelligent, motivated and highly successful woman tell their stories and give advice- and as a soon to be graduate I need as much advice as I can wrangle out of people.
Throughout the panel each woman gave invaluable advice but there were a few key takeaways that I thought could help me in my future endeavors. Laura Lee, who I was glad to meet after reading her amazing case study, made a great point to “always look at the what ifs.” After the tsunami hit Asia, her business took a hard hit. You can’t predict the future, but you can plan for the worst. The nice thing about Laura’s story is that this horrible event caused her to movie a large percentage of her operations to the US, a fact she is incredibly proud of. Another great point Laura made was that it’s “ok to be a control freak if your name is on it.” When you are responsible for a project, a product or whatever it may be, if your name is connected with it is you that will be held responsible for both praise and criticism if something goes awry.
My one biggest takeaway from the panel came from Professor Frey, and ever since that night I think of this phrase every day: “Be ruthless with your time.” I’ve never thought of time as a valuable commodity similar to money, but in the world of business and “hours billable”, time is money. Being ruthless my time has proven to be a hard task but I’m slowly getting better at managing my days. I am doing work on my commute, while I work out, and cutting out things that are a total waste. What’s nice is that Professor Frey really focused on “me time”, not as a waste of time, but as an absolutely necessary component of a woman’s life. Now, because I am attempting to be more ruthless with my time, I can allocate enough space in my day to have some me time, so as Kathy stated, the hamster wheel doesn’t fall off the track.
The Rocker
Before taking this class, I would not have thought about the movie The Rocker in terms of managerial style. However, upon taking a deeper look into the meaning of a seemingly light-hearted comedy, a lesson can be learned about management and teamwork. At the beginning of the movie when Fish was in Vesuvius, the band was clearly under poor management. This led to a lack of loyalty among the group members and a failure to focus on the bigger picture. The manager of the band was concerned primarily with making money, and the group members got sucked into this when presented with the opportunity to open for Whitesnake. They quickly agreed to oust Fish from the band in order to receive this instant gratification. In an organizational sense, a business can not concentrate solely on the short term; a long term strategy is necessary, and it is up to the manager to inspire a vision and bring people together to work towards an objective. While Vesuvius achieved its goal of fame, it did so in a manner that ended up backfiring, as the band was ultimately caught lip-syncing, which led to its downfall. Poor decisions and improper management likely were the cause of the band’s demise. Even though the audience is meant to sympathize with Fish as the protagonist, another lesson that can be extracted from the situation in terms of managerial style is that sometimes in order to achieve success, sacrifices must be made. These decisions can be difficult, and it takes a strong manager to lead a team to determine the best course of action.
When Fish joined ADD, the band is again stuck with a manager who puts too much emphasis on profits. The group, however, is a strong team that is able to succeed regardless, and does so with honesty and passion. This goes to show that having the right team is crucial to accomplishing goals. Despite a few rough patches, the band supports one another and the members refuse to compromise their integrity; at the end of the movie, they decide to find a new manager who will be willing to keep their best interests in mind. In the corporate world, the same holds true. It is important for teams to work together about something they are passionate about, and managers must align everyone’s aspirations to become successful.
Extra Credit – NAWMBA Entrepreneurial Panel
On March 26, 2009, the National Association of Women MBAs held a panel discussion with successful female entrepreneurs in the DC area. These panelists were extremely informative and energetic. They included:
• Professor Kathy Frey – Founder of the Hot Mommas Project and Vision Forward, LLC
• Syieda Penn – Principal and founder of Pastiche Group, LLC
• Laura Lee Williams – President and owner of Laura Lee Designs
• Bonika Wilson – President of Wilson Capital Management, Inc.
• Karen Wrege – Principal and founder of KB Enterprises, LLC
The panelists took turns sharing their experience, advice, and thoughts on several topics. The biggest takeaways can be grouped into six key areas:
1. How to set up a business
2. The importance of a board of advisors & joining organizations
3. Managing your time
4. Outlook on the current market
5. Hiring someone and establishing a partnership
6. Other tips and advice
How to set up your business
Starting a business is risky and can be scary. If you’re risk adverse, then Professor Frey recommends to “make the jump because the idea of starting your own business will never stop being scary.” This was good advice for me because I’m one to over-analyze an idea and will avoid risky situations. From the panel discussions, I realized that waiting for a better opportunity may actually hurt my chances for successfully launching a brilliant idea or concept. If too much time is spent getting ready to get ready, someone else may move into the market and capitalize on the opportunity. As Karen Wrege said, “be confident in what you do, otherwise someone else will do it.”
Other takeaways:
• A major challenge is setting up your vision. You don’t want it to be too specific, but you also don’t want it to be too general. One suggestion is to think big and beyond yourself, then back into your vision and figure out how to achieve it. The positive aspect to owning your business is you can change your vision at any time. Unlike working at a large corporation, you have control over the direction of the company.
• Incorporate your company in the state where your lawyer works
• The SBA has free resources for helping entrepreneurs develop business plans, projections, templates, etc.
• Always consider your alternatives and ‘what-if’ scenarios. Be prepared for unexpected disasters or events.
• Develop a chart with your strengths. By creating a visual aid, clients can better understand how you’ll add value to their business.
• Have a “we” not “I” attitude or mindset. One person does not represent the company. Instead, the team creates the work and represents the company. Even if it just one person in the company, you and the entity creates a “we”.
Advisory Board & Organizations
Each panelist emphasized the importance of having a strong board of advisors. These advisors are necessary for answering questions and moving the company into the right direction. They also said that a good attorney is absolutely needed to protect your business. This information was helpful to me because it made me realize that the importance of networking never ends!
In terms of joining organizations or associations, you want to look for something that gives you an elite membership feel. You want to feel like the other members share your vision and are people you can go to for advice. Bonika Wilson emphasized finding a group of mentors who include: “someone who has been there, going there, and on the same road as you.”
The panelists recommended these organizations:
• Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Corporation
• Women’s President Organization
• Ladies who Launch
• Success in the City
• Make Mine a Million (M3)
• Leader to Leader Org.
Time Management
Time management is essential. As an entrepreneur, you no longer have subordinates or specialists to help you complete various tasks. This means you have even more projects to complete and less time to dedicate on your business. In order to be most efficient, it is necessary to: 1) be ruthless with your time, 2) stay focused on your goals and objectives, 3) plan “fun” time for yourself.
Job market
Even though the job market is very grim right now, the panelists agreed that there is a silver lining to the situation. Laura Lee Williams told the audience to be proactive, but pragmatic. She said that it is now a great time to find other opportunities. For example, she has seen increased business in Japan. Syieda Penn said that she is noticing businesses sharpening its PR and marketing initiatives. Karen added that businesses must be focused on client’s needs, even before the clients know they have a specific need.
Hiring someone/partnerships
When hiring someone, be sure to hire people that reflect your reputation and vision. You want a partner who has the qualities of a good employee and will maintain the integrity of your company and its goals.
Other tips
Finally, Laura Lee Williams summarized her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs by using her past employers’ slogans.
• Apple – Think differently
• American Express – Who are you today? Who do you want to be tomorrow?
• Nike – Just do it and be grateful
I just finished watching The Rocker and noticed various managerial lessons and approaches as well as teamwork lessons and approaches. Before touching on them, I thought the movie was a nice surprise. I don’t know how I missed its release because I love going to the movies and I love Jeff Garlin. I met Jeff Garlin a few years back and think he’s hysterical. So, I am glad I got to see it!
The manager of A.D.D. worked from the perspective of always doing what he thought was best for himself and the music label. He accepted gigs without consulting the group and forced decisions on the group in sneaky and deceiving ways. While this managing style worked in the beginning, the group eventually realized he was only in it for himself and was making bad decisions.
In regards to working together as a team, both the band and their parents all seemed to work well together except for one instance when they voted on a decision. According to Professor Eric Winslow, voting is not an acceptable method for a group coming to a decision, and I know this because I was corrected for leading a group to a decision by vote, in class last year. Instead, they should have all talked out the various options and come to an understanding. This way, everyone is on board with the decision or at least feels like they were heard and understands why the group didn’t go with the other option.
Going in to this assignment, I had no idea what either movie was about. I chose to watch New In Town, and was very pleased that I did. Renee Zellweger does a great job of playing the role of a dedicated, hard working woman looking to stay afloat in the male dominated corporate world. When requested to move to Minnesota, she has to deal with some major changes in her life as she moves there.
The movie sheds light on Zellweger’s adjustment to the situation. Her addressing of many of the issues shows her thinking entrepreneurially, especially when dealing with the issues where she finds herself out of her comfort zone. I personally enjoyed the scene where she sets out to go shooting with the men in attempts to insert herself culturally to Minnesota. From the beginning, the situation did not go smoothly, and led one guy to the hospital. However, she was able to rebound and make light of the situation, even when the people at the factory came in with targets on their butt!
- Zellweger did a great job of wrangling investors to benefit the workers and her position in the company
- She learned to tailor her speeches to her audience, so that they can relate
- She is able to bounce back, and not let the little setbacks overshadow the large picture, especially when relaying info to folks on the outside
- Zellweger ran into a lot of cultural differences when she moved to Minnesota that she needed to overcome
Her effort to come into her own in Minnesota was a valiant effort, and very commendable. If I were in her shoes, I would say that the major lessons learned all centered around being able to adjust to the situation and the people you are working with. It was also great to see her come into her own managerial spirit, with the plan to save the workers from the shut down of the factory. The fact that she puts her career on the line to work with them on this project demonstrates a bold managerial approach.