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When actress Sydney Sweeney joined the second season of the television series The Handmaid’s Tale in 2018, her future career was unlocked.
Sydney joined a cast steered by Elisabeth Moss, the show’s lead actress, producer, and director. Being part of the production, she watched Elisabeth work on the script in the writer’s room, direct scenes behind the camera, and, in front of the camera, perform. Sydney witnessed firsthand Elisabeth shape the show’s creative direction. Sydney was always fascinated with the business side of the industry. But observing Elisabeth made that future possible. In 2022, Sydney ventured behind the camera with the rom-com Anyone But You. As the executive producer, Sydney pitched the concept, hired the actors, and sold it to Sony. She explained proudly, “I put the whole project together.” Not unlike her inadvertent Mentor, Elisabeth Moss. Inadvertent mentoring is a consequence of the Leader Amplification Effect, as explained by Adam Galinsky in his book Inspire: “When you’re a leader, you’re constantly being observed. Those around you are attending to your every move, studiously interpreting your expressions, and analyzing your every word.” In other words, leaders (and Mentors!) attract attention, which then magnifies their actions and intensifies their influence. As Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage.” And the attention that stage demands is amplified when the actors on it are cloaked in leadership titles. When Diego Rodriguez, Senior Nursing Director at City of Hope, joined our podcast recently to talk about feedback, he echoed Shakespeare’s sentiment. Diego shared an experience in which he participated in a meeting with a new executive who, he noticed, was texting and laughing with someone else. Diego reached out immediately following the meeting to offer his observation and advice: “I’m concerned that other people might have taken this the wrong way. I want you to be aware that people are looking at us. When you’re a leader, it’s like being on stage – all eyes are on you always. Everything you do and say can influence people in a positive or negative way.” Unaware of the spotlight on her behavior, this leader was grateful for Diego’s mentoring conversation and welcomed his future support in her success. Self-awareness and perspective-taking help us temper the Leadership Amplification Effect. The stage bears enormous responsibility but also a tremendous opportunity. An opportunity to use this stage to inadvertently mentor… advertently. As people watch our every move, we can influence them with our courage, our compassion, and our contributions. © 2026. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. |