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Late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien attended Harvard University in the early 80s and considered law school. But he was also drawn to comedy.
While at Harvard, Conan served as President of the Harvard Lampoon, the school’s humor magazine. There, he met the comedic genius and Saturday Night Live (SNL) icon, John Candy. When Candy visited the campus at the magazine’s invitation, Conan assisted as his guide for the day. Sharing the experience in a recent interview, Conan reflected, “I don’t see myself as a brave or reckless person. I had worked so hard to get to that college, and I knew my parents would kill me for trying this thing (comedy) that famously flames out for most people.” So Conan mustered his courage, measured his words, and nervously confessed: “Mr. Candy, I’m thinking I might try comedy.” Candy’s head snapped to attention, and in a role not dissimilar to Yoda in the Star Wars saga, he looked straight at Conan and said sternly, “You don’t try comedy. You do it, or you don’t do it.” “That hit me powerfully,” Conan mused 40 years later. This unexpected mentoring galvanized Conan – he ditched his backup plan, skipped the law school entrance exam, and declared, “I’m going to make comedy work!” Conan graduated the following year, moved to LA to write for HBO, SNL, and The Simpsons, hosted three late-night television shows, and became a stand-up comedian. Candy’s mentoring was based on a concept in psychology called “self-signaling,” in which we use our words and actions to “signal” our intentions and commitment to ourselves. “I’m going to try” is a vague signal, a hope, a dream. Vague: I’m thinking about more education. Vague: I’m working on my self-confidence. Vague: I am hoping to become a leader. It’s scary declaring intentions – there is no safety net. Our commitments are impenetrable by excuses. But intentions are always more potent than hopes and dreams. As we plow into 2024, don’t underestimate the power of your words (and your mentee’s words) to self-signal commitment and fuel actions. Why bother “trying” when we can “tackle, toil, and triumph!” © 2024. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. ps. Have you registered yet for our 2024-Q1 complimentary webinar? |