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In every job, there’s one significant other. He (or she, and from now one I’m just going to write, he) may be a department head, studio head, creative head, company head, project head, or chairman of the board. Regardless of his title, he’s the boss of you. So you’d better be able to live with who he is and how he bosses.
But how do you know if you’ve found him? While he’s doing his pre or post-interview research on you, do your research on him.
Here’s a checklist:
1. You don’t have to be like him. But you do have to have some common ground. People who agree on things co-operate (and that means work together) better. ‘Things’ can be that hip hop rocks, emails should be answered within half an hour of receiving them, it’s tough being a parent, you’ll do whatever it takes to build business, good grammar matters or there’s only one game: rugby.
2. You do have to like him. You don’t want to like him like that. Unrequited anything – love, lust, hero worship – is the worst thing you can take to work. Except perhaps that conversation you’ve never had about the night you worked back together.
3. Ideas can come from anywhere. He listens to yours. That includes ways of doing things. He knows when not to steer. He knows the rules and also knows when to break them, update them or give something else a go.
4. You want him to remember what the client said in the brief in the boardroom six weeks ago. But not the mistake you made the day before. If he can’t get over it, stay away from him.
5. He stands behind you. When you do something great, he doesn’t try to stand in your spotlight. When you do something less than great, he doesn’t sacrifice your arse to save his own.
6. He’s there when you need him. He’s neither booked up for weeks nor off playing golf.
7. He doesn’t criticise, condemn or complain. (With thanks to Dale Carnegie.) Because if you wake in the morning expecting another day “in the salt mine”, you’re not going to want to get out of bed.
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