Career Lessons from TV

Hank faces the possible end of HankMed in "Royal Pains"

In the season finale of “Royal Pains”, we see HankMed coming apart at the seems. Divya’s getting married and Evan has underhandedly lost all the company’s money in a scam involving his father. While the episode can illustrate the pitfalls of running your own business, there are other issues to consider when considering self-employment.

While Hank up until now has been successful working for himself as a concierge doctor, the circumstances around his venture into self-employment aren’t exactly typical. Like any other life changing decision, there are factors to consider before going down this road. Aside from the entrepreneurial questions you have to answer, there are also financial, legal and personality issues that factor into a successful business. Martha E. Mangelsdorf provides a brief questionnaire of all the things to consider before working for yourself in “Should You Try Self-employment? 12 Things to Consider“.

Having tried self-employment myself, I can say the article asks some very good questions as well as providing other resources to help you start your own business. I can also say that it takes a lot of soul-searching to decide whether or not you’re suited for self employment. You’ll need passion and ability to manage and minimize risk to keep your business both profitable and personally rewarding. While the season finale ends in a cliffhanger, you know Hank will use his uncanny ability to think on his feet to save his practice and “probably” his relationship with Jill. If you can think on your feet too, that’s a big plus in working for yourself.

As the star of your own show, take a page from Hank’s story. As he did in the Pilot, put some serious thought in before starting your own business. It could mean the difference between a defining success or a forgettable failure.

What are your questions about starting your own business? Post it here.

OK, so I’ve written a post on a similar subject in ” ‘Royal Pains’ – Dating In The Workplace“ , but there’s a slightly different angle that’s also a staple of  the workplace and an admittedly  entertaining part of the TV show- flirting.

Mark Feuerstein and Jill Flint in "Royal Pains"

As I’ve said before, this one isn’t going to be something to help you ace your next interview, or get you that raise you’ve needed , like,  ’forever’, but it’s something that’s part of the workplace environment that can do serious damage to your career if you’re not careful.  In “Nobody’s Perfect”, Jill’s (almost) ex-husband  Charlie (played by Bruno Campos),  doesn’t really want to make the divorce final, and in subtle and not-so-subtle ways flirts with her in an attempt to win her back. First a trip down memory lane, and then signing the divorce papers “Give me one more chance”. Complicates (but makes for good TV) things between Jill and Hank.

While it’s fun to watch workplace flirting and romance on TV, the twists and turns when they’re happening to you probably won’t be nearly as fun. While dating is common in a place you’re stuck 40 or more hours a week, flirting is even more so. Even though it isn’t as clearly defined as dating, there are still boundaries to respect and rules to follow if you don’t want to ruin your job. Mary Lorenz has some pointers, all the way through to relationship phase in “Is It OK to Flirt at Work?“. Highlights from what Lorenz writes is to keep it relatively clean (i.e. PG rated), develop good relationships with your cowokers first so they know where you’re coming from, pay attention to nonverbal feedback, and know your audience. If the two of you like to take it to the next level, Lorenz writes that you should both be upfront about intentions.

For me, flirting is like my sense of humor- I don’t mean to be, it just comes out that way. One rule I’ve always had is that I wouldn’t initiate flirting,  unless I knew the other person relatively well enough that they wouldn’t kick me in my man bits for doing so.  In the end,  I’d say it’s harmless, but unless you like sexual harrassment seminars, my advice is keep a leash on it, will ya?

Think flirting’s OK at work? Post your thoughts here.

If you’re in any business where you have to keep a client happy, you’re inevitably going to run into one that doesn’t know, or doesn’t care about boundaries. On the latest episode of “Royal Pains”, Hank faces one of his most difficult clients yet. Thankfully, unless you’re a concierge doctor, you won’t have to save your client’s life with the contents of someone’s purse. You just need to know the tricks to handling ‘that’ kind of customer.

In “Am I Blue?” Hank has to help a client’s father (played by Andrew McCarthy) overcome drug addiction. As patients go, drug addicts aren’t the favorites of health care professionals. They lie, cheat, and firmly believe there’s an easy way out. Even after Hank saves him from a crash treatment gone awry (which Hank refused to assist him in), He still manages to keep a stash on him until finally his son catches him and takes him to a drug treatment center himself.

While Hank had some help keeping his patient in line, all you may have to deal with an unruly client is some sage advice. Jun Loayza shares some pointers in “Dealing with a Needy Client“. As Loayza writes, it’s important to set expectations about what you’re delivering and how you deliver it. Loayza also writes that you should stand firm on your ground rules and if the client is beyond reason, re-evaluate whether or not that client is worth keeping.

Difficult Clients Problems Can be Solved (Or Not)

I’ve had my share of  ’those’ clients myself. The way I see it, if you strip away the drama and the perception that the world is going to end, it’s just another problem to be solved. The problem I refer to is a matter of compromised trust. Whether you can repair that trust with clarifying the issue, escalating it to someone better paid to deal with it (if you’re the owner, consider making a referral to your competitor), or just listening, it all depends on the situation. Just remember that a business arrangement has to benefit all parties, or else it may be best to part ways.