We all have an oh-I-am-so-above-that side. So many of you will be appalled at this confession: I watch American Idol. Faithfully.
My husband just poked his head in my office, looked at me then at the TV. (It’s Wednesday, folks, America has voted. Someone is going to get ELIMINATED.) He pathetically shrugs his shoulders. Potentially there are two messages: 1. “I can’t believe you watch that.” 2. “You’ve got a problem girl.”
While The Huffington Post drones on daily about American Idol, at least I’ll only do it in one post. And I’ll have a laudable point to make a worthy differentiation from all the blabber out there.
Let’s take a look at those judges. After every song, they have to offer a critique. It’s their job.
No matter what, Paula Abdul is going to say something nice. If you sing as if you were gargling cod-liver oil, when her turn comes she’ll marvel about your spirit. She’s gonna be uplifting if it kills her. Randy Jackson offers encouragement, disappointment and advice in a dumbstruck but always hip manner. “Man, you rock.” “Great song choice, man.” “Man, it just didn’t do it for me.”
Always last is the notorious Simon Cowell – sharp tongued, blunt, unapologetic, and singularly rude at times. He’s vain, showy and spectacularly unmoved by a performance that doesn’t evoke excellence. He’d sooner flap and crow than give you a compliment. I read a post about Mr. Colwell that summarized him with a string of bad adjectives yet ended, “But, you know, at least he’s honest.”
Last night with the final four contestants even I couldn’t bear the low caliber of the first couple of songs, lackluster performances and stupid song choices. “You simply cannot do this at this stage of the game,” said Simon. “We deserve more.”
Based on my vested viewer status, I think Cowell hurts a contestant’s feelings when he tells them “you just haven’t got what it takes.” But you know what? He hasn’t been sitting on an oil rig all his life. A relative successful executive in the record business early on, about the only big mistake he made was turning down The Spice Girls.
If you could choose between the three of them to coach you to be better at whatever you want to be better at, you better choose Simon. He’s honest, he’ll hold you accountable and when he compliments you, you’ll know damn well you deserve it.
Now some people might thrive with a sweetheart, peach of a coach like Paula. Others might do better with middle-of-the-road Randy. But with a good amount of success in my career helping leaders get better, I do more what Simon does.
You can’t watch Idol once and come to the conclusion that Simon’s the one for you. But over a period of time, you’ll see he gets the most from those contestants. They rise up to more of their potential because they know he’s got high, very high standards and he’s gonna call you out when you don’t deliver while the other two judges won’t.
No more Idol talk. But stay tuned, I also watch The Biggest Loser. On that show, the coaches YELL.
3 Responses (add yours)
While I am sure Elizabeth doesn’t watch either of these two shows…I will share my secret with you since you shared first…I am an Idol junkie and I love watching the Biggest Loser!! I could be your long lost daughter!
I am sitting in awe, my right hand forming a big “L” on my forehead, my left hand pointing squarely at YOU.
Leaders tell me all the time – they learned to be better leaders by watching all their bosses throughout their careers. Lisa, I think there’s value in watching people in competitive and challenging situations – reality tv! Thanks for your transparency!