A Young Leader Is Needed
On page 303 of by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards’s incredible book MCU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios, casting director Sarah Halley Finn tells the story of the hiring process for actor Tom Holland to play the role of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man.
Holland had only a handful of screen credits to his name along with playing the title role in Billy Elliott, a London musical production. But despite his limited resume, Holland did a handful of things which made him stand out from other young actors being considered for the iconic role.
The authors write, “Finn noted the teenager’s work ethic. ‘I knew that he had been dancing eight hours a day since he was nine years old. He had already shown that he was a professional and could go on a set and show up for work every day.”
To purchase a copy of MCU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios, click HERE or on the image provided.
3 Things Which Will Separate You from Your Peers as a Young Leader
Finn’s analysis of Holland teaches us three things which will separate you from your peers as a young leader:
Work Ethic
Finn noticed Holland’s work ethic. Hard work is a skill. Hard work works. Success smells a lot like sweat. One of the easiest ways to separate yourself from your peers is to simply outwork them.
Consistency
Holland had been working eight hours a day for over nine years before getting the role of Spider-Man. A Google search tells us, “With about 72 million Millennials in the U.S, this generation is a huge part of the working population. Despite this, Millennial workers stay in a job for an average of 2 years and 9 months, showing a shockingly large decline in employee retention rate when compared to their older counterparts.”
Think about that – 2 years and 9 months.
Many people give up or quit either right before (or long before) their big breakthrough. Starting at nine years old, Holland worked for almost a decade before “making it.”
In our world of instant gratification and immediate results, consistency is in short supply. But faithful, consistent performance over an extended period of time is highly valued and yields big results.
Responsibility
Holland showed up for work every day for a decade. It appears he took minimal if any time off. Holland was reliable. I would surmise “PTO” was rarely in his vocabulary.
Conclusion
If you are a young leader and want to separate yourself from your peers, it is not that difficult. Simply, do the following:
- Work Hard
- Be Consistent For A Long Time
- Show Up Every Day
It may take a decade (or longer), but if you do those three things, you have a chance to “make it” as well.
Once again, to purchase a copy of the incredible book MCU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios, click HERE.
#CommissionsEarned
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