A couple of outstanding performances made headlines in January. First, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Golden Globe-winning role in The Revenant. Second, England fast bowler Stuart Broad’s brutal demolition of South Africa.
I tried to draw some parallels between the two to see what wisdom and inspiration they could provide me on a cold January morning.
On the surface, the links are limited. Leo bowls over critics and audiences. Broad bowls out the Aussies.
What they both do brilliantly is deliver on cue. They perform to their best under the weight of huge expectation. So what can we learn from these kings of the camera and crease?
Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio looks likely to end his Oscar drought with his performance in The Revenant.
His character, explorer Hugh Glass, embarks on a quest for survival, in extreme conditions, after being attacked by a bear and left for dead.
DiCaprio suffered for his art, showing unshaken commitment to his character, crossing frozen rivers wrapped in a bearskin and eating a raw bison liver just for starters.
Finger-numbing commitment
We’re talking full-on, finger-numbing commitment to making the best film he could. We may not all be Hollywood actors, but we can apply Leo’s rules to our own professions - commit to every project and push ourselves to the limit.
The Revenant’s director Alejandro González Iñárritu made another useful point. “Leo, like me, is absolutely obsessed with total perfection and doing whatever it takes to get to the next level. I think we both suffer from the same disease, which is called chronic dissatisfaction,” he said.
Killer bear
Striving for perfection can feel like facing a killer bear in the wilderness. But it’s a great idea to always reflect on your work with a healthy degree of dissatisfaction. By casting a critical eye, you put yourself on an ongoing journey of improvement.
Most people who work with DiCaprio are full of praise, not only for his performances, but for the commitment he brings to every job.
“Pain is temporary, film is forever,” he once said. That may sound a bit OTT, but at its core is the common-sense message to commit 100pc to every piece of work you take on. A simple piece of advice to cling to if you’re short of motivation on a Monday morning.
He also puts his success down to being his own man. “I'm not the kind of person who tries to be cool or trendy,” he said. “I'm definitely an individual.”
No distraction
And he doesn’t let things outside his control - like the fact he’s Oscar-less - distract him.
“If you can do what you do best and be happy, you’re further along in life than most people,” he said.
“I don't think I ever expected anything like an Oscar ever, to tell you the truth. That’s not my motivation when I do these roles. I really am motivated by being able to work with great people and create a body of work that I can look back and be proud of.”
What we can learn from Leo
- A healthy level of dissatisfaction in your work leads to an ongoing journey of improvement
- Be an individual and be proud of it
- Give every piece of work total commitment
- Let your work, in itself, motivate you - not the potential rewards
Stuart Broad
From bear attack to pace attack, England cricketer Stuart Broad is a sportsman who thrives on pressure. Big occasions bring out the best in him.
He blew away South Africa earlier this month with a stunning spell of bowling, taking six wickets for a paltry 17 runs. His performance was up there with the eight wickets he took against the Aussies in the Ashes last year.
Stuart’s stage is the cricket pitch. There’s no second take. He needs to make the right decisions in every match he plays.
Stumped!
But he’s human - and there have been bad times too. Not least when he conceded six sixes off a single over to Yuvraj Singh in 2007. It was the sort of experience that could break a sportsman. So why not Broad?
“Those six balls didn’t suddenly make me a bad bowler,” he said. "It did hurt me at the time, but I'm the type of person who tries not to get too high when things go well, so I don't get too down on myself when they go badly.”
Mental resilience
So he has a mental resilience that helps him cope with life’s ups and downs. When bad things happen, he sees them in context - and moves on.
He also thrives on the big occasion. Particularly if opposition supporters turn on him.
“My juices do seem to flow on the big occasions,” he said. “It gives you the sort of feeling you only experience when you’re playing in front of a big crowd.
“I don’t shy away from that. I don’t worry about crowds or fear of failure. I just like getting stuck in. When the crowd gets going and I get a few boos I get moving.”
So the next time you’re up against it in a meeting or new-business pitch, call up the spirit of Stuart and let it drive you to great things.
Step mum’s message
The bowler’s approach to his job has also been shaped by experiences in his personal life. He draws inspiration from his step mum, who died in 2010.
“She said don’t wait for tomorrow. Do things you want to do without delay,” he said. “I was very conservative, but now if I want to play a risky shot, I go for it.”
The message here is not to be afraid of change. It’s time to smash your bad habits out of the ground for good.
What we can learn from Stuart Broad
- Don’t get carried away when things go well - and don’t get too down on yourself if they go badly
- Seize the moment - do the things you want to do today, without delay
- Thrive on competition - when the going gets tough show your colleagues and competitors what you’re made of