“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” As You Like It, William Shakespeare.
If they were to cast someone for your job, what would they be looking for in the actor? How would they want the part to be brought to life?
That job you are applying for, what role do they want someone to play? Good cop, bad cop, peace-maker, agent provocateur? The job description may be the same, but the portrayal required can vary widely.
Acting Up: A common term where someone is asked to play a more senior role. Or, maybe you’re just the stand-in? Just make sure you don’t Play Up!
Approaching the workplace, your career, or any problematic situation, as a stage can be a useful metaphor to stimulate new ideas about how you can achieve your goals, and also to re-evaluate the way you engage with your workplace.
So, if you were an actor, among a troupe of players, when facing something that is troubling you now:
- What would you notice about the challenge?
- What roles are different people playing in the situation?
- Which role is missing, that nobody is playing?
- Who are the victims, the persecutors and the rescuers?
- How is the audience reacting to the performance?
- What will the critics say about the show in the papers tomorrow?
- How could you re-interpret the role you have been asked to play?
- If you could write your own part for the play, what would it be?
Just a few creative ways to re-evaluate a situation and break free of the assumptions that bind you.
No go on, break a leg!
Oh, and remember, when the curtain comes down, you can revel at the First Night Party, then prepare for your next performance.
The Gautrey Influence Blog
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