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Will Smith
Posted on April 25th, 2009 4 commentsWill Smith has diligently built a long and successful career in multiple entertainment arenas, beginning with his early success in the late 1980s as a young rap star known as the “Fresh Prince”. The nickname is said to have generated from Smith’s high school nickname “Prince”, which his peers gave him based on his charming and sly demeanor. Smith and best friend Jeff Townes formed a rap duo that became known as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
As the theme song to Smith’s TV breakthrough suggests, Smith was born in West Philadelphia. His mother was a school administrator and his father a refrigeration engineer. They separated when he was 13. The popular television show “The Fresh Prince” portrayed Smith as a high-schooler dropped off at his aunt and uncle’s ritzy Bel Air home when his mother couldn’t take care of him.
Smith had bigger goals. The Fresh Prince had come at a good time for Smith, in 1990. After some trouble with back taxes with the IRS, the NBC show was a success and helped him get back on his fight. However, his next ambitious goal, as he states, was to become “the biggest movie star in the world”. Smith’s movie career jump started in the 1995 hit Bad Boys, a cop show in which Smith starred with Martin Lawrence. The film marked his third successful entertainment profession (music, TV, film).
Smith overcame the mistakes of his youth through ambition, specific goals, and intelligence (he was admitted into pre-engineering at MIT, though never attended college). If not the “biggest” movie star, Smith is certainly near the top. Remarkably, he managed to make the transition from his persona as the sly, hip-hopper known as the Fresh Prince, to a serious actor. His roles include many powerful films, such as: Independence Day (1996), Men in Black I & II, Bad Boys II, I Robot, and more recently, The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds.
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Tom Cruise
Posted on April 19th, 2009 4 commentsTom Cruise is one of the most well-known American actors and film producers. The 3-time Academy Award nominee and 3-time Golden Globe winner made his feature film debut in the 1983 movie Risky Business. Another popular movie from 1986, Top Gun, helped make Cruise a household name in the acting business. Cruise has since gone on to play some great roles and has starred in such prominent films as the Mission Impossible (MI) series, Jerry McGuire, The Color of Money, Cocktail, A Few Good Men, Rain Man, Days of Thunder, The Firm, Interview with the Vampire and more.
Cruise is not only a celebrated actor but he is also a well-established film producer and is recognized by leading Hollywood types as one of the most powerful names in the movie-making business. His name alone can help make a movie money. In 2006, Forbes ranked Cruise as the most powerful celebrity.
Life did not always come so easy to Cruise. He moved 15 times in 12 years as a kid. His parents divorced after years of discontent. Cruise maintains that he suffered from child abuse as a child and merciless ridicule from his father. Still, he learned the value of work ethic as he worked a newspaper delivery route to help is mom put food on the table. Acting became a part of his life when an injury left him unable to play sports in high school, so he turned to school plays.
Cruise’s relentless dedication to his craft as an actor helped net him several $20 million-plus acting gigs. His prowess as a producer and his determination to help make great pictures shows his business savvy and understanding of his industry. The drive to always learn more and to continue to grow is what has made Cruise a big target, not only as an actor, but by other big name actors who want to be a part of Tom Cruise film productions.
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Will Ferrell
Posted on April 18th, 2009 4 commentsAccording to some people, Will Ferrell is the funniest man alive. The well-known actor and comedy film star got his big break in the acting business on the popular Saturday night sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live, from 1995-2002. On the show, Ferrell took on many characters that helped show off his unique talents in the physical comedy realm.
As many other stars of SNL have done, Ferrell took his newfound success and recognition and moved into film making. His first major film role was in A Night at the Roxbury (1997). He has since appeared in such films as: Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Kicking & Screaming, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and Step Brothers.
Ferrell grew up in a nice part of Irvine, California and says his background is the opposite of many other modern-day comedians who talk about tough upbringings. He says he used humor to break the boredom of a routine and convenient lifestyle. Ferrell majored in Sports Information at USC and often combines his passion for sports with his acting. He is a regular in skit appearances on the ESPY’s, the ESPN sports awards show. He also makes occasional visits to the USC football team, and appears in spoof sports-themed commercials.
Ferrell helps teach people in any career path that having fun at what you do is a major part of success. He truly enjoys his “job” and has found continues to do things that he enjoys. His routines and bits are often off-color and shocking. In fact, he regularly manages to be shirtless in skits, movies, or other appearances, despite his less than impressive physique. Ferrell is serious about his work and is committed to being great at his job. Fortunately for him, being great at his job means being himself, and doing what he loves.
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Preparing for a performance appraisal
Posted on April 15th, 2009 No commentsOften misused by employers and employees, performance evaluations or appraisals are intended to be growth opportunities. They are supposed to motivate the employee by providing direction, vision, and encouragement. Unfortunately, evaluations have often come to be recognized as opportunities to earn wage increases or for supervisors to communicate important items with the employee.
The first step in preparing for an effective evaluation is for an employee to approach the meeting with the employee in a positive frame of mind. He or she should view it as a chance to discuss ways to grow or fine tune skills. It is also important to take the time to write down important questions or concerns that you want to address. One thing to keep in mind is that in effective organizations, the employee evaluation meeting is not the time to discuss issues or grievances that had up until then been ignored or avoided. Some managers and employees mistakenly use it as a time to address key topics of communication. Communication should be an ongoing process in organizations.
Obviously, as the employee, you have less control over the nature of the employee appraisal process. Ideally, as an employee, you should not be surprised by things mentioned during the appraisal. It should be a reinforcement of strengths and concerns that have been previously addressed. The supervisor hopefully will offer praise of your strengths as well as discussion of areas of weakness. The best case scenario for the appraisal includes a comparison of your performance to established goals that you and your employer have for you in your position. This should be the assessment component of the evaluation. The motivating part should be raising or reshaping future goals to provide a measure of effectiveness for future evaluation.
From an employee’s standpoint, evaluations should not be viewed as an opportunity to air grievances. Questions or concerns should be addressed in a similar ongoing and less formal process. The best work environments include open communication and a clear and consistent understanding of work requirements. The performance appraisal should only reinforce what has been going on and help provide direction and vision for what is to come.
