Drama at work | Seth’s Blog

A divo (or diva) is an opera singer with skill. Sometimes, though, that skill comes in a package that also includes imperiousness, skittishness and a fair amount of unpredictable drama.

It’s tempting to imagine that CEOs, painters or poets that bring the noise must also have skill.

But burning your guitar doesn’t make you Jimi Hendrix.

There are some film directors that have meltdowns, go over budget and fuel their creative work with feuds. And then there are the professionals that do great work. That’s it. Simply great work.

With few exceptions, we’re better off with just the skill part. The media loves the drama, but your co-workers and customers don’t.

I’ve never seen a resume that listed “low drama” under skills, but it might be a useful attribute.

December 21, 2023