Now, you might think that the current hand-wringing over Hollywood morality is unlikely to yield any surprises, and up until this morning I would have agreed with you. But in today’s Times, the director John Waters had this to say:
You show me a kid who’s not sneaking into R-rated movies and I’ll show you a failure in the making. The future C.E.O.’s of America are all sneaking into R-rated movies.
So there you have it. For years the business magazines have been telling us that the running of companies is an activity best performed by rebels and rule-breakers. I never really believed it. Actually, I still don’t quite believe it, but if John Waters has career advice to offer, I think most of us ought to pause and pay attention. So stop waiting for that Jack Welch book you wannabe MBAs, and go rent Polyester. I don’t know if it’ll make you a better CEO, but it will probably make you a more interesting one.
