“Talk to My Agent”

Not many people get to drop that epic line. While this service, usually reserved for famous actors or sports stars, may seem pretentious, there are some important qualities that the non-famous, anti-jocks of the world can benefit from. What I am talking about is advocacy.

Think about what an agent does. The agent’s value beyond the specifics of legal services and contract negotiation is to advocate for their client. This is fundamentally important because, let’s be honest, humans are horrible self-advocators. We sacrifice self much more often and easily than we would sacrifice a teammate, friend, or family member. By nature, we make horrible deals with ourselves. Left to our own devices, we’ll take on unbalanced relationships, concede rights and privileges, and work more for less, and you’ll do it “because [you] can”. Plus, it can be awkward to stand your ground and tell people what you’re worth. As a result, there’s a billion dollar industry of people that get to play bad cop and advocate for others. These people, of course, are called agents.

This is precisely the moment that Jerry McGuire steps in and says, “Not on my watch! Show. Me. The. Money! Show me the money!”

Since you can’t order up an agent from CAA yourself, what does this mean for you? Well, if Will Smith needs someone to demand that he get what he deserves, you sure as hell do, too, (because not only is he extremely good looking, he can act and rap). At some point we need to advocate for ourselves, even if you have Big Willy Style. This starts with recognizing that our default is often going be taking bad deals, giving up what we need in our lives, and constantly pulling the short end of the stick.

If you had an agent, what would he/she be fighting for in your life? Can’t you do that yourself? Shouldn’t you?

 

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach