Bret Favre and I both had the same kind of decision to make yesterday: To stay retired or take the field at less than 100%.
No, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t call me yesterday. But a speaker’s bureau did.
This bureau was looking for a local comedian in Texas to do an IT client’s event and do only IT jokes. Now, while I was a comedian years ago, I am not currently. I “retired” from stand-up about 8 years ago. And when I did do stand-up, I had no IT jokes that I can remember. Well, I can hardly remember my act but that is a different story all together. I politely told them the programs I deliver and made sure they understood I wasn’t a fit for them. I did refer them to some people I knew of and they found someone who fit their event. But I turned them down for the same reason Bret decided against joining the Vikings.
From ESPN:
“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Favre said. “I didn’t feel like physically I could play at a level that was acceptable. I would like to thank everyone, including the Packers, Jets and Vikings — but, most importantly, the fans.”
“I had to be careful not to commit for the wrong reasons,” Favre said.
I turned down the event because I don’t think my stand-up is up to a level that is acceptable. Sure, I could have taken the job for the money and in short order gotten something together and done the event. But it wouldn’t have been nearly as good as if I wrote the jokes, tried them out in several clubs, honed them down to the funny ones and then gone to perform for this group. The time and effort needed, I just don’t have. And I didn’t want to risk doing a poor job outside my abilities.
Same with Bret. Bret realized that he could have joined the team and done an adequate job, but he finds adequate unacceptable. So do I. If someone is paying me (even if they’re not), I need to be at my best. Not trying entirely new things at the expense of my audience. I put new material in every presentation I give, customizing to the audience, the environment or even news of the day. I do NOT give entirely new presentations each time. It’s a disservice to the meeting planner or client that is paying for the “good” stuff, not the new stuff.
I noticed this was one of the things that drove comedy club owners crazy. They are paying for ”the hits” not the untested. I always put it this way: They are paying for a Coca-Cola. They don’t want a root-beer float. They may like root-beer floats but they really like Coca-cola. If you give them something other than Coca-cola, they complain. And you don’t look good.
Negative thinking allows me to know who I am at the time. I know I do a great job presenting my keynote topic “Getting a Grip on Negativity” or my Generation Y training programs. But I also know that stand-up is not something you can just jump on stage with a few notes and do well. So instead of gambling with my clients event, I’d rather they have a “sure thing”. Had it been a keynote, I would have gladly grabbed the reins and kicked butt. But for the sake of the client I deferred to someone more suited for the task.
Just like Bret Favre did yesterday.
