When your bosses are dicks- Handle it the Conan way.

Posted by brie , Jan, 2010 @ 7:54 am

I fully get that the Conan/Leno/NBC dispute playing itself out on the public stage is about a bunch of rich people deciding what will make them more money, but deep down (and yes, I’m digging), there are some career lessons to be gleaned from this debacle.

Most of the good parts of the lesson come from Conan’s Letter to the People of Earth, where he shows a little class and grace while maintaining his position and letting everyone know exactly where he stands. In any situation involving your professional life, when you want something- I mean REALLY want something, do you know how to take a stand and let people know? Here’s how Conan did it-

1) Explain your long history and association with the thing that you want. Why do you care about this? What makes it important to you,and why should it be important to others?:

“Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future.”

2) Explain how what you want (or don’t want) will impact other people. Who is involved in your goals? How will they be impacted if you get or don’t get what you want?:

“I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.”

3) Always leave wiggle room. Be firm in your stance, but give your bosses room to maneuver. There’s nothing that jerky bosses hate more than feeling that they’ve been backed into a corner. Letting them know that you’re willing to work something out to get what you want is key:

“I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more. There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.”

Tags: conan leno dispute, handling difficult work situations, how to stay classy and get what you want