In a time where callousness is fostered by the mass lack of direct personal connection, loyalty is a commodity. Your loyalty to someone or even an organization will always have a high appraisal value, and in a climate like today’s, and an industry like the entertainment industry, understanding what loyalty really means is a must. Who you know sometimes is directly proportionate to how far you get. Personal relationships are crucial to your success.
So what is loyalty? Fred Rechheld defines it as, “the willingness to make an investment or personal sacrifice to strengthen a relationship.” Kleinig says that, “It is an essential ingredient in any civilized humane system of morals.” Loyalty is having a person or organization’s back when talking to others – or the world – even when things are less than perfect, but holding that person or organization accountable to themselves to help them grow. It is essentially the act of putting something ahead of one’s self. It is unique as it is expressed equally in both actions and words. Overall, loyalty is really about seeing the bigger picture and putting your own interests second place.
So how do you practice loyalty? First you must be willing to sacrifice. Sacrifice in itself is a necessary step to success. JR Ridinger once said, “To obtain success you must first evaluate what you are willing to give up or overcome to get there.” You next need to take time to look at the needs of whomever will have your loyalty. Loyalty entails mutual respect and benefit; find the path that helps you meet your needs by first helping others to meet theirs. Lastly, remember everyone has their weaknesses and flaws, being loyal to someone means helping them to exploit their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.
As the concept of trust is deeply entangled with loyalty, do not misuse the trust you gain. Someone who trusts you will often expose their weaknesses, so be careful not to exploit or broadcast them. This means be careful what you say to others about this person or organization, always speak positively of others when you can, and remember the golden rule- “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Ultimately, when you trash others it reflects poorly on both you and the individual or organization you are trashing.
So how do you build loyalty in others? Loyalty comes simply from the act of being loyal. Loyalty should be reciprocated. Look for reward and appreciation in your efforts to be loyal. Being loyal to an unappreciative person or group is not very rewarding, and although this implies a selfish motivation for your loyalty, it is a practical thing to expect the person or group to which you give your loyalty to be loyal to you in return. They say the quickest way to lose someone’s loyalty is not to reciprocate to someone deserving.
Loyalty is key to your success in any industry. No matter what industry you are in, you will notice that people who are loyal are people who get better deals, better information, and enjoy all around better relationships with people they do business with. Loyal customers are more profitable than those who are not loyal. They create share of customer which has a greater long-term value than market share – as it is far easier to get on person to buy repeatedly than 100 to buy even once. They also bring new customers to your business. Without loyal customers it is harder to grow your business and more costly to serve the customers you have. Loyal employees or business associates are ultimately what leads to loyal customers. “You can’t have loyal customers without loyal employees. Employee loyalty is evident to your customers and its nearly impossible to generate loyal customers without strong internal loyalty. There’s no way around it.” Aaron Green
In any industry, there are often sharks who seem to step on others to get where they need. These individuals rarely achieve long-term success. This type of self serving behavior ultimately destroys relationships. So how do you swim with the sharks without getting eaten? Well the truth is, in any journey to success, one often gets burnt along the way – it happens. Do your best to avoid those who seem unappreciative, listen to others warnings, and mainly pay attention. Your best bet is not to join ’em, but to beat ’em! The best revenge for someone who is disloyal is success!
The entertainment industry is especially notorious for being a world full of sharks. The reality is it often takes great determination along with a big ego to do what is required of an entertainer. From the outside, it also appears to be a very attractive place to be so in that it is highly competitive, and very tempting to step on others to make your way to the top. The truth is the entertainment industry is one of the most important industries to be loyal. It is in this industry where often the right relationships are often the most crucial ingredient to your success; more than in almost any other industry. People who work for or with an artist who are loyal and enthusiastic will encourage your fans to also feel loyal and enthusiastic towards an artist. Greg Gerla from Audimated says, ” If you make a habit of using people word gets around, the entertainment business may be a big industry, but your reputation is important. There are many paths you can take toward stardom and it is possible to be loyal at the same time. You do not want to give others a reason not to sign or work with you.”
In this industry, image, perception, and reputation is EVERYTHING. So be loyal and genuine; people can smell disloyal and dis-genuine. In the long-run, a loyal person has to say NOTHING to make a disloyal person look bad. So, be conscious of how you treat those around you, especially value those who genuinely help or believe in you, show appreciation and respect, and above all, loyalty.
