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It starts at the top

This past Saturday, instead of risking torn calves and sprained ankles with kickball on a muddy field, I decided to help a friend out on a music video shoot. Given my options for the day were do that or sit at home, I wanted to help my friend out in any way that I could.

I've been on video shoots before and they can take a lot out of you. Luckily, the eight hours flew by pretty quickly, mainly due to the fact that the director (my friend Joe) ran a very smooth and friendly set.

Proving once again about how things can be run in an efficient and positive way, this stuff always starts with the top.

Certain sides of people that you never knew about can come out when you work with them. I've seen this with people I've played in bands, as well helping a friend move to a new place. Sometimes those sides are sides you wish you never saw, but that's life.

I'm reminded of a chapter in David Lynch's book on meditation and directing, Catching the Big Fish. Before you skim over this paragraph over fear of hearing some advert for TM, I think Lynch nailed a concept about how to keep a workplace happy and devoted. If you rule by fear and intimidation, people don't want to work under you. They stay on because they want a job, but the impact on them on a daily basis is negative. We're supposed to enjoy life to its fullest; not some of it to its fullest, right?

Maybe I pine for some fantasy world that doesn't exist. I counter with the notion that you can be in a working environment where people really do get along, from the top down to the bottom. And there's no intimidation because of fear and negativity. Now there's a concept that doesn't seem like a pipe dream.

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