JUST YOUR VOICE PART FIVE: The Icing on the Cake

A Note to Minions:

Your dream idea isn’t going to be made into a Hollywood Movie the first time around.  That doesn’t mean that if you get on a writing team that a few plot shifts and lines you contribute won’t start showing up. 

Big, lasting ideas don’t come easily nor often, but that does not mean you should sit back and enjoy the ride.  Look out for potholes and notice where the frontrunners are stuck – that’s the moment to sneak in your maneuvering skills. 

“How about…” “It looks like here there’d be time to…” “Have you tried…?” “Last time I saw this they…”

Adding the icing on the cake takes a different skillset than speaking up in staff meetings to change a procedure.  It demands hands-on attention and a positive working relationship with your supervisors and colleagues. 

Although it requires unknown boldness, adding your ideas to the mix is how you get your name on the page. 

A Note to Supervisors:

Your best staff has probably rewritten the company handbook.  They show up early, stay until the job’s done, and cover for you when your lunch “meeting” is running late. 

It’s likely that, even without formal training, their commitment to detail and to the company allows them to be more qualified to contribute to work product than a new hire with the shiniest credentials.   

One way or another, you’re here because someone was listening.  Who listened to you when you got your start?  Who will you listen to?