Steve Harvey and the Lament of the Diva

The following is attributable to Variety. . .and whoever leaked Steve Harvey's staff memo.

There will be no meetings in my dressing room. No stopping by or popping in. NO ONE.
Do not come to my dressing room unless invited.
Do not open my dressing room door. IF YOU OPEN MY DOOR, EXPECT TO BE REMOVED.
My security team will stop everyone from standing at my door who have the intent to see or speak to me.
I want all the ambushing to stop now. That includes TV staff.
You must schedule an appointment.
I have been taken advantage of by my lenient policy in the past. This ends now. NO MORE.
Do not approach me while I’m in the makeup chair unless I ask to speak with you directly. Either knock or use the doorbell.
I am seeking more free time for me throughout the day.
Do not wait in any hallway to speak to me. I hate being ambushed. Please make an appointment.
I promise you I will not entertain you in the hallway, and do not attempt to walk with me.
If you’re reading this, yes, I mean you.
Everyone, do not take offense to the new way of doing business. It is for the good of my personal life and enjoyment.

This is the lament of a diva.

Can we talk about tone?  No "please."  No "thank you."  Use of CAPS!!!   It is all absolutes and the voice of dictatorship.

Can we talk about the unspoken sense of "it's me against all of you."   It seems that the driving idea here is that "my team is really just a bother, they are not additive to my show or my personal success."

Then there is the sense of royalty:  "Do not approach me."   "My security team will. . ."  Mind you, this memo is not being directed to the outside world - this is written to his staff.

Oh, there is also the obsession with "me."   "I have been taken advantage of . . ."  "I am looking for more free time for me."  "It is for the good of my personal life. . ."   News flash,  nobody really cares.   What people care about is what they perceive they have ownership of. . .and the tone of the e-mail is very clear  that they have very little ownership.

Which bring us to this.  Does this sound like communication from a leader that people would like to follow. . .or does it sound like a brittle narcissist?

Perhaps it would have been ultimately more effective to do something like this:  "Hey everyone.     The time that I have in my dressing room and between the dressing room and the set is time in which I'm really focusing on refining the product we all put on air.  While I really want to hear your concerns and work with you, at these points  of preparation I will not be able to give you my full attention.    For this reason,  please make an appointment to see me to discuss your ideas so that we can find a time to work together in which I can provide focus to your conversation.  Thanks so much for doing this - I really appreciate it. "

Does this accomplish the same thing?  I would argue it accomplishes more.  There is a collective reason for the request ("so I can refine the product we all put on air.")  There is an informality and lightness (as opposed to perceived anger).   There is a focus on the team and less on "me."   There is "please" and "thank you."   The end result is that team members will really want to do what is requested vs. wanting to throw the writer of the memo under the bus.

Which is exactly what they did.

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