One of the great joys of leadership is to use your influence to help others get ahead and succeed. The modern term for this is “using your personal platform”. But the greatest leaders not only use their personal platforms, they also help create and grow the platforms of others.
One such leader was famed Hollywood director and producer Garry Marshall. On July 19th, 2016, Marshall passed away at age 81 due to complications from pneumonia after suffering a stroke. He was a beloved figure in the entertainment business and few, if any, created as many stars.
The following are 10 Things Leaders Do To Grow The Platforms Of Other People we learn from Marshall’s life:
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People You Must First Grow Your Own Platform – You cannot grow a person’s platform without first building one yourself. Marshall began as a writer on television shows Make Room For Daddy and The Dick Van Dyke Show.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People You Must Then Have An Established Platform – Later as a producer and director, Marshall had a string of television mega-hits including The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and Mork and Mindy.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People, Other People Must Be Willing To Listen To You – They must like you. Whether it was television or film, Marshall made people laugh. He was a joy to be around and as a result had tremendous influence.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People You Must Be Able To Recognize The Talents Of Other People – Marshall hired and often discovered people like Tony Randall, Jack Klugman, Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Penny Marshall, and Robin Williams to showcase their talents. He also gave young actors Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts early dramatic roles in major motion pictures.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People You Must Create Opportunities For Them To Be Successful – While other shows were more critically acclaimed, at one point during the mid-70s Marshall had four of the top five most-watched programs on television.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People Expand Their Audience – Marshall’s programs were just good, clean fun. He did not alienate anyone or turn off a segment of the audience. His characters had broad appeal.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People Help Them Remove Stress From People’s Lives – The 60’s and 70’s were very stressful times in America’s history. Marshall’s programs were good escapist fun. People just want to be entertained.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People You Must Be Willing To Change – Being willing to change keeps you relevant and expands your audience. Therefore, it keeps those you are wanting to help relevant as well. When prime time soaps began to overtake sitcoms in popularity during the late-70s, Marshall successfully switched to films.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People Help Them Create Something Memorable – We still remember the theme songs to Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Fonzie giving the thumbs up with his trademark saying “Ayyyyye!” are still part of the American fabric to this day.
- To Grow The Platforms Of Other People Help Them Create Something Timeless – His movies, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Princess Diaries 1 & 2, Overboard and others, have lived from VHS to DVD to digital. In fact, Fonzie’s leather jacket is proudly displayed in The Smithsonian Institution.
Creating and growing the platforms of others has several benefits. One the primary ones we learn from Marshall’s career is the platforms you create actually become part of your own legacy as well.
What is one thing you learned from Marshall’s life that will make you a better leader?
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