BE ON TIME, AND GET ALONG
I met my cousin for coffee this week. He has worked his way up from Production Assistant to Vice President of a major sports network. I told him about the subject of this blog post, and he said “That’s what happened with me. I just kept showing up, and was nice to everyone”.
In my business, I have always said that the two basic, essential rules for success: Be on time, and Get Along. The first is a given. You just have to do it. Being on time shows respect for your employer, your coworkers, and repect for yourself. I would say it is easy, as well, even in LA traffic. You should always allow for the unexpected, but with traffic alerts and directions on our phones now there are not many good excuses left. A few years into my career I worked on the last season of Picket Fences, which filmed at Fox studios, with locations in Monrovia. When I started on the show I was the extra guy. If they had a big set to build I would be the first one hired to help the core crew. I would also be the last one layed off when the set was finished. After that I would go back to the lot maintenance department, where we would do repairs and remodels. At one point, while working on the show, a friend of mine who was one of the four regulars suggested I come in a little early to ‘hang out’ with the guys. Shorly after I started drinking coffee and playing dominoes before starting time one of the regulars left to work on a feature film. I took his spot, and it turned into six years of work. I am not always very early, but I am never late, and I have seen the benefit of that.
The second part of my motto, Get Along, is the most important. I’m sure it is the same in any business, but in film, since we work such long hours, everyone wants to be around people that they, at least, get along with, and hopefully, enjoy being around. And really, I don’t think it is that hard to be friendly to other people. It is a combination respecting the space and rights of others while of standing up for your own rights. This make others comfortable because they know where they stand with you. I have a friend, a coworker, who is an excellent craftsman, probably better than me. He is smart, and very devoted to his work. However, several times when a foreman has asked the crew if they know anyone who is not working I have mentioned his name. This is always followed by audible groans, “Not that guy” they say. His difficulty, as I see it, is that he does not respect the space of others. He gets so into his work that he loses sight of his surroundings. Because of that people avoid him, which does not help in getting along at work. I really believe that getting along is the most important aspect of being successful at work.