Coming in at #1: Have three arguments a day.
Woman gesturing a no sign.
Last fall, actress and director Olivia Wilde fired Shia LeBeouf because he violated her straightforward policy on set:
NO ASSHOLES ALLOWED no matter how talented or famous you are. We applaud – no – we double high five her for that action. Should we ever put up with asshole behavior in business or in life?
The full interview is here, but for us the highlight was Wilde’s clarity and confidence coming from her acting experience and some terrible advice an experienced director shared with her.
He said, “Listen, the way to get respect on a set, you have to have three arguments a day. Three big arguments that reinstate your power, remind everyone who’s in charge, be the predator.”
Did he seriously say ‘be the predator’? Nasty!
At SpeakWell Partners we know that empowered leadership comes from manifesting one’s vision and authenticity without engendering fear, drama or threat. We can manage conflict and have difficult conversations without being “predatory.”
Let’s use our strengths as bridge builders to communicate with authority so that everyone wins.