People get fired. It happens. If people didn’t get fired, there might not be room for you at your next job. It is the life cycle of jobs. This is how I see it:
Step 1) You get the job.
Step 2)
a) Do well and get promoted/recognized.
b) Blend into the middle of the pack and stay where you are.
c) Do bad and get fired.
Step 3) Repeat until retirement.
Now don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that you should be overly comfortable at your current job. You should always have a little fear that you may not have your job tomorrow. However…There is definitely a line you cross when fear becomes too much. Don’t let that fear debilitate you. Don’t let that fear get in the way of giving 100% all of the time. In all jobs, not just entertainment, being overly scared of being fired almost always ends up being a hindrance on your job performance.
When people become scared, they often pull back on their performance. They tend to go to the safest moves and the safest conversation. Where you might have spoken up about something that is truly wrong, that fear will make you regress to the “back of the pack,” in fear of “causing trouble;” In fear of being noticed and singled out. The reason things change in shows or in the job environment is partly because someone was willing to break the precedent and stand out. If we all start to endlessly fear for our jobs, how are things supposed to change and progress?
Let’s look at new shows for a minute. You have to be willing to ignore the fear of failing when opening. If you try to open a show that does not make a statement and is “safe,” you are not going to accomplish anything. Entertainment is built around emotion, and emotion is only applicable when someone is BOLD and makes a stand. This does not happen if you are being safe and following the norm. Could you imagine what “The Book of Mormon” would be like if they were afraid of their sponsors pulling their money? It definitely would not be selling out on Broadway. This is for sure.
In entertainment, our work is physical. And where work is physically demanding, there are always going to be the “fresh” young people coming into the field with tons of talent. This is one industry where each new generation brings a more powerful punch then the next! If you let your fear pull you to the back, how are you supposed to stand out among the abundance of new talent coming in? Why should they keep the guys that have been in the same job for 5 years when they have new guys with more talent? Standing out is the way! This is something that no new guy coming in will have. They don’t have your experience.
In conclusion, think very hard when you have those feelings of losing your job. Are you holding yourself back? Is it really worth it to just be OK with the norm? Or…would you rather take a stand and be an innovator in this industry?
By Zachary K Miller
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