RULES OF THE BUSHLEAGUE №3
Pack A Lunch
There is a lot to unpack in the lunch box of Rule №3 so…
Let’s get Busy Bushleagers!
Many of my fellow workers out there in film, design, television, and even education are probably are no strangers to work in the food service business. I would argue that at the end of the day every business is a service business, and in order to be successful we must at it’s basic level solve a problem for someone else, or create a product that meets a customer or client need. This is why embracing a servant leadership approach is so valuable in areas of Agile project management methods. Much of the freelance work I perform to compliment my salary as a professor has grown from TV Production, Design, and Branding into the interdisciplinary field of UX Design. Of the many approaches to UX Design most can start with two words empathy and understanding.
As a competitive business professional I want want to win. The Bushleague moto is about winning Quoquo moto. In my formative years I trained and competed fiercely as a wrester, and when I made the switch to acting in my twenties I studied acting at the best studios I could. I want to win by whatever way I can gain and gain an advantage over my competitor. That’s is a textbook bushleague approach. However, as I’ve grown and matured as an educator, and writer though many graduate schools this hard charging ego hasn’t always served me. I’ve had to learn to listen and understand and respect an audience, accept notes and feedback from diverse perspectives, and become a better servant leader in the classroom be understanding the needs of students who often come from some of the most marginal spaces in our society.
There are so many quality lessons and behaviors one can learn from working in the service industry that translate across all businesses. Prior to launching Two in The Bush TV Co. my sister and I were both still working in food service, Ashley at Wexler’s Deli in LA, and I was picking up bar shifts and banquets at Gamba Ristorante in Indiana (Mangia Mangia) to finance my MFA in Screenwriting at Depaul. I know I speak for the of us in saying how grateful we are for the countless creative entrepreneurs, chefs, workmates, and family business owners that not only put money in our pockets, but taught us how to provide service, win regulars, and create a winning products and experiences.
Breaking Bread with Stakeholders
Bushleague Rule №3 “Packing a Lunch” includes more than just the notion of service as a human behavior, approach to design thinking, or a succesful business strategy. It also includes actually Breaking Bread or eating with all stakeholders as a ritual of a successful working practice. The term stakeholder has traditionally been relegated to “desicion makers” of a committe or board room but we expand this at Two in The Bush to include crew members, collaborators, investors, interns, clients, and even rivals. After all, the stakes are high when we raise them to create quality products and productions. Feeding people, and sitting at a table to eat with others is one of the most basic and dignified human acts. This simple act creates a trust by slowing the relationship down and investing attention into something beyond a transaction. Deals get done this way in big business. When families take time to turn of the technology at sit at the table across from one another problems can be addressed more productively. The coming apart steps in Knapp’s relationship model like circumscribing, stagnation, and avoidance are less likely to occur when facing one another face to face. I believe that creating a space at work and eating with others can be sacred, and not rushing through lunch in 2o minutes or eating alone in ones car can be the simplest strategy for creating healthy human systems and successful outcomes with teams.
Revising Danny Meyer’s Setting the Table
One of my favorite business reads of all time is Danny Meyer’s Setting the Table. You can pick up a copy on Amazon through the link below.
There are so many takeaways in this book but one of my favorite’s are the simple little infographics that explain hospitality concepts with ease for my visually driven ADHD mind to comprehend. Take for example, the following flow chart about overcoming a mistake in service
Simple, but so hard. If you are as prideful a human as I you probably hate failure. Don’t let shame be your middle name. The most successful people learn early in their practice that success is an iterative model. Even the Goat Michael Jordan said, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games”… it’s not that one should have the goal of failure, but just embrace the idea that mistakes are going to happen. Be flexible and approach things with humility. Every misstep is an opportunity to provide a better product or service. This is why Agile methods and a user design process creates products though sprints with feedback loops with users. The acknowledgement that version 1 will only set the table, there is not perfect product, but there can always be productive conversation about improvement
Fuck Fast Food
This one’s brief. I still eat it from time to time, but it doesn’t rally a family or team like a crockpot of homemade goodness, or a team lunch at a local family owned spot. We are all in too much of a hurry to think strategically. Preparing a home cooked meal brings a family together, and with all do respect to the workers who don’t compensated nearly enough, taking a longer break and spending a little more on quality will serve our team and yours more productively in the long run.
Oscars for Craft Services
This naturally gets to my final piece of Rule #3. I want t take the time to thank all those workers in Craft Services who rarely get the respect they deserve in the Film and Television industry. I would love a day where the Academy of Arts and Sciences would also honor the best carpenters, grips, gaffers, but mostly the craft service professionals that provide what I consider the most important job on a set. Though the pandemic you’ve made it possible for the crews to bond during breaks and provided inspiration from every bottled water and hot meal you’ve served. You are all true Bushleaguers, and we salute you.
