PlusOne – Marketing Musings

My wife was recently commiserating the fact that most of the recently hired staff at her company did not display the tenacity to get the requirements of the job done. They lacked spirit. Indeed in another conversation with a friend who is a university lecturer, she was at her wit’s end over that fact that she still had student’s failing, despite a requirement under the system that say students have to be given the answer as part of the question. And they still failed? Maybe one is linked to the other – perhaps people these days are having it too easy and this is reflected in poor work performance because the ’spirit’ is missing.

Ahh! Spirit to perform – brings to mind last an event I attended last weekend. This was a dinner show put on by the University of Southern Queensland drama/acting course students. While the junior years students who were the waiters were fairly hammish in their acting (they got better the more we imbibed!) it was the main show that really impressed. Great acting, some really sharp satire of local and national events – overall an excellent performance.

But again what future for these actors? There were around 50 acting students involved (including waiters)…how many of these will find a future in mainstream acting, no matter how good they are? I guess it boils down to taking responsibility for one’s own future. In any of the arts, a strong entrepenurial spirit is essential.

As I mention in a recent post on motivation, having a dream and working toward it is all important.

Now these fine actors – are they going to enter a world with the hope of landing an acting job – working in between in menial jobs, or are they going to take the future into their grasp and create their own opportunities?

What I hope is that a core of the group, who have a good repore, will see that there is opportunity knocking for a touring dinner show. There is a massive market out there waiting to get good entertainment and a meal. Plus there is no shortage of venues who can provide floor space and the meal who would be only too happy to work in partnership to get people to turn up for a great evening. It is a case where everybody wins.

For these students, some graduating this year, creating and chasing the dream is vital. It is no different for anyone — an entrepenurial spirit feeds the soul and opens doors to opportunity.

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