If there was a category for Best Hosts of an Academy Awards show, it’s unlikely the Oscar goes to… Anne Hathaway and James Franco.
Didn’t get a chance to watch last night’s biggest event in Hollywood? Well the critics’ reviews were in this morning and the emceeing duo failed to impress. After a fairly strong opening act thanks to digital editing and cameos by Alec Baldwin and Morgan Freeman, the level of comedy and charisma drastically dwindled from Anne and James. So much so in fact that when Billy Crystal came out to make a presentation halfway through the evening, you could almost feel the crowd begging him to stay out on stage for the rest of the ceremony. Crystal’s worst improv would have surely beat Hathaway and Franco’s best script.
In retrospect, it could be said that three factors leading up to the red carpet basically predicted that the hosts would not provide a remarkable experience for their audience. Business leaders tune in because these factors could play a role in how your company can avoid delivering anything less a remarkable experience to your clients.
1. MISSING the TARGET: As everyone knew beforehand, Anne and James were picked for their potential to attract a younger demographic for the annual show. Unfortunately, Anne and James' potential to entertain their existing audience of the distinguished and the devoted seemed poorly researched. Though they are both talented actors who can definitely dazzle in designer fashions, their personalities seemed an improper match to an 83 year-old treasured tradition of the American motion picture industry - even from the perspective of a younger viewer. Bob Hope was the classic. Billy Crystal was a continuation. Steve Martin was consistent. But two young celebrities charged with commemorating the year’s finest film productions and top talent? It seems the Academy put its story aside in an effort to rein in some ratings but ultimately no organization can succeed a strategy when it loses sight of its original mission.
2. FORGETTING the PURPOSE: Along those same lines, a leader must always remember that it’s not about them, it’s about something greater. Whether you’re leading ceremony or leading a business, if you forget about the “what’s in it for them” ("them" being your viewers or your clients), you will not only lose sight of your target, you'll end up losing your target itself. Several times during the show, Miss Hathaway seemed to let her stardom take center stage when she should have been putting the spotlight other people and other productions or even making jokes that everyone could relate to and therefore participate in instead of just shaking around in her dress for her "personal moment." It's beginning to make sense why Hugh Jackman pulled out of their duet... The second we try to get more out of our performances and/or partnerships for ourselves is the very second our viewers eye up the remote control or our clients consider the competition.
3. LACKING the MOTIVATION: Before Oscar night, James Franco was quoted as saying: “Nobody thinks I’m Chris Rock or Billy Crystal. I can try anything and nobody has high expectations, so nobody cares if I’m not that great.” It’s hard to believe he’s referencing his great fortune to be selected for one of Hollywood’s highest honors in hosting its most acclaimed awards show! If an organization ever took pleasure in its prospects not having high expectations or not caring if their business is not that great, then such a company is setting goals that are absurdly low and their revenue numbers are likely going to loiter at that level too. While the Academy and ABC should be somewhat saluted for taking a risk in taking on two younger-than-usual hosts, hopefully they learned the most valuable lesson from last night for the next time. That being that no matter who they choose as the host, make absolutely sure they approach the Oscars with an attitude to outdo Chris Rock and Billy Crystal, and a willingness to try and exceed the highest expectations of his or her most loyal fans, and the awareness that every viewer will care very much if you’re not that great. Your greatness is a measure of your clients’ greatness in choosing to invest in your performance. Don’t let them down. And by all means, don’t let yourself be a downer before you even start the show.
Kristen Zatina is a writing specialist with entreQuest who scours worldwide business news for corporate inspiration.
(Information Sources:
"Academy Spreads the Oscars Around" by Ethan Smith and Michelle Kung. The Wall Street Journal. Monday 28 February 2011.)
