The Devil Wears Prada

How my reference of the movie and its lessons in the workplace served me my own

I fell in love with the story telling in this movie. The Devil Wears Prada is a movie set in New York with its fashion shows, magazines and glam lifestyle. Based on a novel by Lauren Weiberger, it is as exciting as it is cringe-worthy. In this story which came to our screens in 2006,Andy is a recent journalism graduate who lands a job, not as a reporter, but as an assistant to a very demanding and, some may say, toxic boss, Miranda. What follows is the young lady trying to learn, catch up, and transform in order to be good at her job. Despite a few false starts, denigrating workmates and unsupportive friends, not to mention the diabolical boss, she manages to earn her place and even anticipate her boss’ needs to the point of being ahead of her when it comes to expectations.

My article argued that this is a good movie to teach motivation and what to expect at work. It may be an extreme example, but life can be extreme at times.

So, at The Daily Monitor, I had settled into writing my weekly column on entrepreneurship and, once in a while, stories based on interviews and business happenings. So one day, I decided to write about results based work performance and I referenced this movie. My editor was happy with the piece, and it was duly published. Only another editor wasn’t so thrilled. He complained. No one told me anything till I went to the newsroom to discuss a story or such. And in a by-the-way kind of tone, my editor told me that one of the editors had complained about my article. I asked him why, and he said I had trespassed into his territory.

So I went to see this unhappy editor upstairs. He is a genial gentleman. I greeted him and indicated that it had been brought to my attention that he had some issues with my last article. Could he explain? And he did, stating that he edited a Jobs and Career section that ran on Friday. I contributed to the Smart Money section that ran on Tuesday. His section was targeted at employees, while the latter were entrepreneurs. When I wrote about my experience hiring people and being hired all in one lifetime, I had strayed into his domain. I think he wanted to tell me to stop and focus my work on business. Instead, I asked him, “Can I contribute to your section?” I believed that I had some experience picked up along my journey that could be useful to his audience.

“Yes,” he answered.

That is how a meeting to discuss a work-related complaint turned into a job offer. From then on, I contributed on Tuesday and Friday.