Constance Schwartz-Morini
SMAC Entertainment CEO says: If you aren’t invited to the table, create your own.
Corporate Competitor Podcast Episode 158
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Constance Schwartz-Morini is not the person to turn your back on. Just ask the original D-O-double-G himself, Snoop Dogg.
Early in Constance’s career, she was part of a marketing team that was meeting its client, the famous rapper and youth football coach, only to find themselves staring at the back of his head as, resplendent in a long purple fur coat, The D-O-double-G stared out the window, much to the puzzlement of his “team.”
Although by no means the senior member of this team, Constance had enough of Snoop’s behavior. She looked at him and said, “Hey, we’re all here for you. And if you don’t want to hear what we have to say, we can leave and go back to our office and work with people who do want to hear us. We’re cool.”
Two days later, Snoop called her and asked her to be his talent manager. Snoop signed on with her at The Firm, where she elevated his prominence as a multi-platinum selling creative, and then again after she co-founded her own company, SMAC Entertainment, a talent management firm, business incubator, and Emmy-nominated production company she co-founded with Michael Strahan in 2011.
Today at SMAC Entertainment, Constance and her team continues to manage Wiz Khalifa as well as Erin Andrews, and four Pro Football Hall of Famers: Strahan, Tony Gonzalez, and one of the biggest names in college football today, Deion Sanders.
Listeners to the podcast learn how, and when, to avoid going with the flow and avoiding “group think,” as well as using complex and even ambiguous situations as opportunities to grow. Lessons include:
- Why fixating on job titles is an inaccurate way to predict quality and skill.
- Choosing mentors who have done something very close to what you want to do.
- Developing enough confidence to be able to ask, “Am I missing something here?”
Constance shared that several important early lessons in leadership were learned through her own sporting experiences. A 95-pound softball player in high school who didn’t see a lot of at bats, Constance says she was proud to be a backup and “bench cheerleader.” She and Strahan still are and want their team to be as well. “It doesn’t matter how great I play my position if the team loses,” Constance said. “And that’s what Michael and I instill in our team.”
You will learn:
- 4:00 How to instill great leadership qualities in your children.
- 9:00 How to be a reliable teammate.
- 15:00 The key to fruitful compartmentalization.
- 20:00 How to own your actions to overcome others’ doubts.
This leader isn’t afraid to be a backup. Just don’t turn your back on her.
You will learn:
- 6:00 How easy it is to cut corners in practice and why you’ll suffer as a result.
- 8:00 How to emphasize the power or “we” on your team.
- 11:00 How living and working in Japan in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster taught Lane that caring was the universal language of respected leaders.
- 15:00 The level of employee interaction required to achieve success.
- 18:30 The difference between being accountable and responsible.
- 27:00 How to identify a meaningful friend or mentor.
Resources:
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- SMAC Entertainment’s latest news and releases.
- Follow SMAC Entertainment on Instagram.
- Connect with Constance on LinkedIn.
- Brené Brown’s TED Talk on The Power of Vulnerability.
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Special thanks to Dave Moore, Lauren Hafner, Samantha Clark, and the Florida State University Internship Program for consistently supporting our research team.
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