Jeff Bridges: Be an Actor or a Singer, His Skills Are Transferable. And In Business, So are Yours

Many articles surfaced earlier this year about Jeff Bridge’s crossing over to country music.  Some were not flattering.  For example,  theweek.com quoted comments that branded Jeff as “country-lite,” and “a troubadour tourist.”

But the critics missed the biggest point about Jeff Bridges.  Back in the late 1980s I work on the Bridges family(Lloyd, Jeff, and Beau) in a business management firm.  I remember my boss commenting about Jeff being the consummate artist. He said Jeff knew what he loved to do (act) and did it intensely.  He also mentioned that Jeff’s wife, Susan, took care of the typical things in life and family allowing him to pursue his career unheeded.  It is no surprise that Susan was the first person Jeff acknowledged after receiving his Oscar.

But  the critics missed the point. What Jeff demonstrated, was that he could transfer his artistic skills from one medium to another.  The movie Crazy Heart was just his first vehicle, and it won’t be his last.

The same can be said for anyone today, whether an artist or small business person.  This is echoed in 8 Tips: How to Make Your Company And Career More Dynamic by Shira Levine.  In the article, Shira quotes James Marshall Reilly who says:

“We’re lucky, because these days, our skills are more transferable. ‘Advances in technology have facilitated easy access to self-education and idea exploration,’ he says. That makes it easier to take information we’ve previously learned and apply it to other ideas, concepts, industries and businesses. ‘These iterations allow the individual to grow intellectually rather than stagnate in one position,’ says Reilly. ‘They also allow for the influx of new ideas to established fields as people move around and infuse new lines of thinking into conventional and often rigid spaces.'”

The Reilly  article equates our current society status to the Renaissance period, when there was an explosion of ideas in society leading to leaps in the area of art, science, literature, etc.   If he is right, then everyone reading this article, no matter what you profession, has the opportunity to be a part of it.

For example, if you are a singer/songwriter, are you just trying to match the path of those before you, like acquire a recording contract?  Or how about a small/medium sized business?  Are you evaluating every new technology in light of how you can change your company?

Looking at our CPA practice, we have done just that.  Many companies cannot afford comptrollers and an accounting staff due to the economy.  What we have devised  systems that provide accounting, tax, bookkeeping, and access to any of our financial affiliates.  We have leveraged the current paperless and remote access technology, among other things, to provide this service.

The skill transfer also surfaces from our entertainment industry experience.  As business managers, we sometimes deal with all financial aspect of entertainer’s lives.  We have transferred that skill to our small business clients if needed.

You don’t have to be an actor to transfer skills.  The pallet of gifts are there for you to use.  You just have to grab the brush and execute a strategy.