Tina Fey: Help Employees Save Face

What’s the Latest Development?

Tina Fey’s memoir, Bossypants, has significantly more depth than the average celebrity memoir, says Alexandra White. “It weaves hilarious anecdotes of Fey’s childhood and her writing/acting/producing career with smart principles of management and leadership.” One of Fey’s main mentors was Saturday Night Live (SNL) creator Lorne Michaels, whose subtle yet effective leadership style set the bar for her when she became a head writer for SNL.

What’s the Big Idea?

The tips that White most enjoyed: hire people you like, help employees save face in times of conflict, give credit where credit is due, “The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready–the show goes on because it’s 11.30”, do your thing and don’t care if they like it. Fey’s litmus test for whether someone will be a ‘fit’ in her organization—she recruits those she would be comfortable seeing in the hallway at 3am. “I hire the most talented of people who are the least likely to throw a punch in the workplace.”