Because eQ is so heavily invested in the power of a story, we decided to explore it at the level of two huge news stories taking the attention of the nation. The eQuest at hand was to determine who was selling their own story better – Charlie Sheen or Wisconsin’s teachers? The answer was surprising – even to us.
In case you didn’t hear, Charlie Sheen is on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. Or so the TV and movie star says in regards to his sobriety. His battle with addiction entered the forefront, again, when CBS suspended its production of “Two and a Half Men” - a sitcom seated at the top of the rating charts. For the past week, Mr. Sheen has launched an all-out offensive against his bosses using the media as ammo appearing on “20/20,” “Today,” “Piers Morgan Tonight,” “The Howard Stern Show,” among multiple other outlets to public waves. His one-liners have ranged from silly to shocking, but always sensational.
Then there’s Wisconsin where public employees have been protesting Governor Scott Walker’s budget plan which would limit their collective bargaining rights. Much of the coverage has revolved around teachers whose involvement in the demonstrations caused dozens of schools to close across the state during their absence. The message the teachers want to send to Madison: support the unions, support the schools, support our families, etc.
eQ believes that a story is the most important part of a company’s foundation for it encompasses the organization’s mission, purpose, values, and history. The story is the basis for confirmation that all parts of a business are properly aligned to one another including revenue goals, marketing materials, sales strategies, community involvement, essentially everything from the inside out and around again!
So when we looked at the two business entities discussed above – Charlie Sheen and the Wisconsin teachers – who do you think we found exemplified their own story better?
Call him Chris Taylor, Bud Fox, Ricky Vaughn, or that guy who’s done a lot of drugs and once locked a prostitute in the bathroom… It’s Charlie Sheen! Why? Because he’s perfectly in character so to speak. How different is this torrential downpour of a media tour he’s staging now different than the life he’s always acted out in the public eye? Though he may be making a huge mistake for the future of his acting career (and possibly the future of his life if he is actually stubbornly struggling with addiction) and though his behavior is the antithesis or professionalism (please rest assured it is definitely NOT what eQ would EVER recommend for businesspeople outside a small population of playboys in Hollywood), Mr. Sheen’s wild escapades are a part of the story he’s selling. In fact, the numbers would show this story of his has managed to make him more money over the years.
Meanwhile the teachers, regardless of whether any of us think their current cause is right or wrong, aren’t exactly protesting in a manner that aligns with their mission. Almost everyone would agree that the majority of Wisconsin’s educators are not only smart and creative, but they have their students’ best interests at heart. So why collectively engage in an event that would obstruct learning? What would have been (and can still become) a much better course of action is to combine those creative smarts of theirs into creating an after-school project that would try to TEACH the state of Wisconsin all about its beliefs on the subject of the budget cuts without temporarily sidelining the students.
What the specifics of such a program would be, we’re not sure as eQ wasn't hired to help. But we are absolutely positive that these teachers could have come up with an incredibly unique and unprecedented form of protest with much greater potential for gaining support had they pooled their talents and efforts wisely and stuck to their story.
Kristen Zatina is a writing specialist at entreQuest who scours worldwide business news for corporate inspiration.
(Information Sources:
"Charlie Sheen's Rants Benefit CBS Rivals" by Sam Schechner. The Wall Street Journal. Monday 28 February 2011.
"CBS Chief Hopes for Return of 'Men'" by Sam Schechner and Lauren A.E. Schuker. The Wall Street Journal. Monday 28 February 2011.
"Wisconsin Protesters Defy Order to Leave" by Amy Merrick and Kris Maher. The Wall Street Journal. Monday 28 February 2011.
"Wisconsin Governor Issues Ultimatum to Democrats" by Amy Merrick and Kris Maher. The Wall Street Journal. Tuesday 1 March 2011.
"Wisconsin Governor Seeks Deep Cuts" by Amy Merrick and Kris Maher. The Wall Street Journal. Wednesday 2 March 2011.
Wisconsin Education Association Council: http://www.weac.org/Home.aspx
Charlie Sheen: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000221/)
