Devon Franklin is a Hollywood executive producer and pastor who has also co-authored a best seller called ‘The Wait‘, alongside his actress wife, Meagan Good. The book encourages couples to wait till their wedding night before having sex.
Franklin is a recognized authority on spirituality, faith and the entertainment business, and has received numerous accolades for his work. For instance, BeliefNet called him one of the “Most Influential Christians Under 40.” Also, Variety Magazine named him one of the “Top 10 Producers to Watch,” and Ebony Magazine has named him one of the “Top 100 Influential African-Americans in America.” So when he talks about progressing as a creative, you can be rest assured that we’re taking notes.
Franklin recently wrote a 25 page downloadable article about the ‘5 unwritten rules to win at work’ and here’s a quick summary of what we took home.
Everyone is concerned about self preservation
How can I alleviate someone’s concerns and still get what I’m looking for? This question should be top-of-mind, he says. Sometimes, you might do terrific work which furthers a superior’s self interest and get no reward/recognition. However, this strategic mode of thinking will get you ahead. Keep your head down and do great work, eventually the recognition will come.
There are levers of power
Devon highlights that for every career path, there are people who wield the power to make your dreams a reality. Finding these levers, he opines, is a deliberate act of looking in the right place. It is also not merely enough to know who or what the levers are but to go a step further in making them work to your advantage. He gives the example of the fashion writer who should know that New York fashion week is a major event. That’s a lever. Said writer may go the extra mile by writing a very original piece about it so that he or she could get an invite which would then broaden her network, that’s leverage. Sometimes your lever is a person, other times, it’s an event.
“No” isn’t always no
Some of the greatest people we know today were once told no. Kerry Washington, he mentions had done two pilots for two other series where she got replaced by other actresses before she landed Scandal. Also, Walt Disney was once told he had no good ideas or creative imagination, but he went on to be regarded as one of the world’s greatest pioneers of the animation industry. Sometimes, being told no just means that the sayer isn’t aligned with your destiny. Keep going!
The players aren’t always who they appear to be.
Sometimes we’re so taken by the big CEOs who we think make all the decisions. Although this might be true, this style of thinking will have us neglecting the people below the chain of command who might be more beneficial to our cause. Are you trying to get the attention of someone influential in a particular space? Reaching out to the Personal Assistant to the CEO might get you those contacts. Power players aren’t defined by title or salary, they are instead the people who can pick up their phones to make those phone calls or send out those messages that can get the ball rolling. That’s what you need.
People are fickle, don’t take it personally
People will disregard you when they feel they don’t need you and how you’re treated could be based on their needs at that point in time. Don’t take it personally, Franklin adds. Ensure you’re able to build yourself to a point where you’re not dependent on people for praise or approval. He mentioned how singer, Ciara had expressed that people shook her hand differently whenever she had a hit song out. What matters most, he concludes, is God’s approval.
We’ve taken notes and are ready to get into gear to hit the ground running. Are you joining us?
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