Characters in Teams: A Case Study

            I have already designed a timeline for the events leading up to the release of my band's second installment of Us Against Me entitled "Side Y: To Measure Grief in Joules". I have also figured out how much each expenditure is going to cost me, and what the total cost of the project is ultimately going to be. Now it’s up to me to manage a handful of celebrities assigned to me from the higher ups to make sure that the execution of my project is an all around success. The label I work for forbade me from handpicking my own celebrities because you may not necessarily be able to choose who you wish to work with in real life (or sit by, as is the case in grade school). There are many different personalities in the workforce and you must learn to pick your battles and choose wisely.

            I have researched my celebrities, identified each of their DISC personality types and have identified their strengths and weaknesses. I have given them each a vital role in my project and have devised ways to motivate each person into working together, ensuring that the project gets the best attention that it deserves. You will not agree with everybody 100% of the time, especially in the music industry but there are many great things that can come out of interpersonal relationships like the ones you gain from celebrities. The networking potential is magnified astronomically if you can remain on a famous person's good side. Egos will clash tremendously; this is readily apparent with any reality show but the utmost professionalism and final results are all I'm concerned with.

            Before I elaborate on everybody's DISC personality traits, it's important to know what the DISC Personality Model looks like. DISC is an acronym for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness & Compliance. Each of these four factors describes a different set of qualities about us. Dominance refers to our assertiveness and problem solving capabilities. Influence refers to our ability to relate and connect with others and how we deal with them.  Steadiness refers to the individual's temperament - our personal natures and behaviors. Compliance refers to how we will go about carrying out the ultimate tasks at hand; this will also include the methodic processes necessary to accomplish what we want. When we think celebrity, we think quirkiness or susceptibility to negative attention. When we stop to realize that they too are just as human as we are with a variety of things that they do well and can bring to the table, only then will we begin to realize that anything is possible.

            The first thing I did for this assignment was take a separate DISC Personality Test for every celebrity I was going to be working with. The second thing I did for this assignment was watch The Bourne Identity to learn the fictional character played by Matt Damon. This was a process that required an immense amount of objectivity on my part. To do this, I had to get into character and answer each question with the best response possible; I'm fairly convinced that I did a sufficient job of depicting each celebrity accurately. I took the test for myself and noticed that most of us have dominant personalities but a few of us have tremendous influence. Luckily, one of us fell in the compliance category so I had myself a great businessperson to be in charge of logistics. I imagined my interactions with each of my celebrities to try to get a feel for our chemistry. All and all, I didn't have myself a bad team at all.

            My first celebrity of the group is Angelina Jolie. Angelina scored about 38% Dominance and 29% Influence on the DISC Test. Angelina Jolie, in my mind is unquestionably remarkable at what she does. There are many things that Angelina can do quite well. Like others that possess dominant qualities, she is the type of individual who aims for the sky and is self-sufficient. Angelina spells out a specific goal in front of her and takes care of it with no delay. Angelina's Influence will be an added advantage to the project because not only is Angelina Jolie this alluring figure in show business, her influence adds a certain pull and credibility to it.

            Since Angelina is also comparatively high in the domain of Influence, she is capable of working well with others and is quick to establish relationships - a must have quality in the entertainment business. On the flipside, she scored comparatively low in the domain of Steadiness and Compliance just like a lot of us did. Angelina has the tendency to be too direct with people, which can result in a domineering and overpowering perception of her. Details and routine work that she finds tedious will be passed off to a subordinate. She is independent and uninhibited which will lead to a resentment of authority or rules.

            Angelina is going to appear on the "To Measure Grief in Joules" project as Aurora Price, one of two main protagonists in the band's science fiction novel. Angelina will quickly learn the role and will undoubtedly be the emotionally explosive actress that I'm looking for. She'll get to do what she does best but she'll be doing something new and personally fulfilling that she could add to her already impressive resume. The dialogue that Angelina will be providing for the project will be an expansion of the dialogue from our first release, The Audiotistic EP. I will be acting opposite her as Autumn Antonia, the other protagonist in the band's story.

            The second celebrity that I have the pleasure of working with is soul sister Mariah Carey. Mariah scored the highest in the Influence category with a 47% and a 31% Dominance on the DISC test. Mariah's going to be a valuable asset to this project because, like Angelina, she's extraordinarily exceptional at what she does. Aside from being an award-winning singer, Mariah Carey is valuable when it comes to being around people; she's seen in a favorable light most of the time and her opinions are credible and relevant. Not only does she show concern for her fans, friends and family, she can be counted on to be optimistic, outgoing and socially skilled. (Mariah's like an inversion of Angelina; she's going to use her Dominant status as a supporting role to her Influence.)

            Mariah also scored comparatively low on Steadiness and Compliance. Having such an influential figure on your team offers you a lot more to lose. Having Mariah play such a dominantly influential role in the project can yield favorable results with her audience but with that comes high expectations. There is little to no room for error with Mariah because she does not deal well with commercial disappointments. Producing for Mariah Carey is a big set of shoes to fill. I must gain Mariah's trust and prove to her that I am a capable and competent songwriter-producer despite lacking the professional studio experience to back it up.

            During my meeting with my group, I informed Mariah that I was assigning the lead vocals on my new album to her. After announcing to her that Us Against Me is actually a two-part album and that "Side X: To Measure Sorrow in Lumens" was the electro-rock group of tracks for the record, I informed Mariah that "Side Y: To Measure Grief in Joules" was going to lean more toward hip-hop and neo-soul. I'm pleased to announce that Mariah is going to be singing lead vocals on 3 or 4 of the project's 8-track playlist. I came to the conclusion that Mariah Carey and myself would benefit a great deal if I gave her this responsibility; not only would Mariah benefit from crossing over to a younger demographic, I'd have the privilege of having a well-established artist appear on a project of mine to get my foot in the door.

            My next celebrity in the group is none other than our former first lady, Laura Bush. Laura scored comparatively high in the Compliance category and comparatively low in every other category. Laura tends to be peaceful, adaptable and is comfortable following procedures in her business life as well as her personal life. Laura will have a high acceptance of rules and regulations and tends to be cautious rather than impulsive. Because Laura is the least dominant of the group members, she is generally well liked because of her patience and mindfulness. Because she is the least dominant of the group, she prefers to let others initiate action and resolve problems.

            I think the biggest setback with Laura going into the project is going to be her Influence. She tends to be socially passive and prefers to get things done alone. We currently have a man and first lady in the White House who in many ways are polar opposites of her and her husband, the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. Her teammates are going to view her as irrelevant and archaic and will not be able to get her points across without a differing of opinion from other members in the group. I gave Laura a role that would allow her to thrive in the group without the other members having any say in the matter. We're both Conservatives so I have a strong feeling that we are going to get along just fine; we may be family friends for years to come. Laura is going to be my finance secretary. She is going to be the brains behind the project and my go-to-gal for anything that I need financially; she will also be charged with making sure we are conservative with project funds.

            Group member number four is television personality and businesswoman Joan Rivers. Joan scored comparatively high in both Dominance and Influence with scores of 44% and 41% respectively. Joan is no doubt the most outspoken individual of the group and also one of the most influential. Like Mariah, Joan is strongly interested in meeting with people and shows concern for her guests on air. She is extremely appreciative and empathetic of her audience She is a strong and independent businessperson who knows her way around a project. Joan embraces competition and loves a good challenge.

            Joan can be a little too rough around the edges if you don't know her and must be the center of attention at all times. Being low in Compliance makes it harder to bite your tongue and control being too blunt at times. Joan is going to do things her way or no way at all so I gave her the biggest challenge and most crucial role of the group members to satisfy her insatiable hunger for success. Joan Rivers is going to be in charge of the marketing and branding of the project. This will also include a primetime special, which will revisit each member in the group and will also give me room to reflect on the project.

            Last but certainly not least, we have a fictional character among us! Jason Bourne, from the Bourne Identity series authored by Robert Ludlum, possesses extremely quick reflects and above average problem solving skills. Jason scored comparatively high in Dominance with a score of 52% and comparatively low in everything else. Jason is the type of individual that knows exactly what he wants and will always get his way when he goes after it. Jason is also known for wiggling his way out of trouble every time he finds himself in it.

            Jason doesn't go around looking for trouble but trouble sure knows where to find him (luckily he knows how to deal with it). Jason isn't exactly one that could be viewed as charming by any stretch of the imagination at first glance. He's not exactly the friendliest person you will come across either but one thing is certain: he has great negotiating potential and that's why I hired him to be my manager. I'm going to need someone to get this project picked up by a major and if the figures aren't right...well...somebody's got to be there to take out the trash!

            Now that I've introduced each of my group members and brought their strengths and weaknesses to light, it would only be fair to introduce myself and elaborate on what I'm going to be bringing to the table. Like Jason Bourne, I scored comparatively high in Dominance (42%), fairly moderate in Influence (22%) and comparatively low in the other two DISC factors. I have a strong personality with great potential to work well with all sorts of individuals. For the most part, I can say that I'm punctual, dependable and that I work harder than most of my peers. I look forward to working with my team members and I am highly optimistic that everything will go well for everybody.

            I possess a shark conflict style that can be toxic if not tamed properly. I am self-sufficient and not a big fan of group projects. I'm generally not a big fan of working relationships with people, which can prove to be fatal in the entertainment industry. I don't like to be the center of attention so I take the passive route and don't like to draw too much attention to myself. People would not necessarily view me as their leader, coach or mediator.

            Instead of asking the question, "How will I help this team unite and work together according to its strengths in spite of their weaknesses?" I ask another question: "How do I intend to ensure each celebrity that it will be in his or her best interest to complete their portion of the project?" If I can play on each of their emotions and be genuine, humble and down to earth in the process, I should have no problem getting them to go miles for me. I will have to approach each person (not as a celebrity but a human being like myself) differently. Everybody's looking for the same thing but in different ways and in different places.