The other evening I came across an hour-long interview by Charlie Rose with Bill Murray# where the two discussed his role in the latest movie by George Clooney, The Monuments Men, the actor's career, and a number of acting-related topics.
Incidentally, Murray did a Reddit AMA where he talked about the most surprising thing he learned about the movie. His answer (movie spoiler alert):
Well probably the most horrifying thing was that there was something called Nero Edict that was distributed by the Fuhrer, Hitler, which said that if the Reich should fall, or if Hitler was killed or taken, that all the art that was stolen should be destroyed. And a fair amount of the art was burned, things were burned that will never be returned, a lot was burned even before the Nero Edict because of the modern art, that was degenerate.
In the hunt for the art, they found hidden in the salt mines where the art was hidden, they found the ENTIRE gold supply of Germany.
ENTIRE. Like they had moved their gold, their Fort Knox, into a mine, and this small group of guys searching for art in a mine, found the gold supply of Germany. And this effectively ended the war because once we announced we had all their gold, no country would sell them any more rubber, no country would sell them any more oil, no country would sell them any more anything.
Is that surprising? I think it's one of those odd, bizarre facts where you have this dinky group of guys looking for an art heist effectively ends the war in one fell swoop cutting the arteries of the economy.
What I found intriguing through the entire Charlie Rose interview and others he has done in the past, is the focus on doing good work and respecting the work of others. In his references to the work of an actor, Murray explains how one has to be present in the moment, to bring oneself totally into the part.
Earlier in the Reddit AMA, there is also a remark about the fact that ads are not bad in themselves because we all need to go buy things like groceries. There is a way to sell you things that make the exchange more a human one. I concur.
This remark along with being present to the moment, forms a theme that resonates with the idea of connecting and relationships.
Since it's Valentine's Day, if I were to add a line of advice to the colorful graphic above, I would add show empathy and keep your promises. To me, that is what makes the exchange a more human one.
[image courtesy]
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Valeria is an experienced listener. She designs service and product experiences to help businesses rediscover the value of promises and its effects on relationships and culture. She is also frequent speaker at conferences and companies on a variety of topics. Book her to speak here.