By Tania Khadder and Zac Frank
Celebrities. We love to hate them. We also love to watch their every move, laugh at their mistakes and scrutinize their decisions.
Like them or not, their celebrity status means not only have they achieved career success, they’ve also got a hell of a lot to lose. And sometimes, whatever actions have helped catapult them to fame or rendered them B-list can provide valuable lessons for the careers of regular people like you and me.
Excelle presents 20 career lessons from celebrities. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are just plain ridiculous.
#1: Kim Kardashian
Lesson: It is who you know.
Long before she was known for her “assets,” Kim Kardashian came into the spotlight as the BFF of celebutante and tabloid favorite, Paris Hilton.
She now has her own reality show (Keeping Up With the Kardashians), a workout DVD and of course, a sex tape. In addition to being friends with Paris, Kardashian is the daughter of late OJ Simpson lawyer Robert Kardashian and the stepdaughter of Olympian Bruce Jenner.
Is it fair that she rakes in millions for no other reason than who she knows? Of course not. But life rarely is. And nepotism is not exclusive to the entertainment industry.
Most people get jobs through someone they know. Who you know may not make you millions or snag you your very own TV show, but he or she can help you get a foot in the door and set you on your path to career success.
#2: Madonna
Never one to let things get stale, Madonna has reinvented herself over and over again since she first stepped into the spotlight in the mid 80s.
There was the virgin, the “material girl,” the Evita era, and her disco-fabulous look and sound of 2005. She’s had as many new looks as she has albums, and always manages to stay fresh and relevant. Reinvention is so central to her career, she named a tour after it. And 30+ years after her debut, she still manages to be at the forefront of the global music industry.
Elaborate personal transformations may not be realistic (or helpful) for mere mortals. But there’s a lesson to be learned from this pop icon. In order to thrive in a rapidly changing economy, it’s important to stay fresh, keep your skills up to date and be adaptable to new directions in your career.
#3: Christian Bale
If you haven’t heard the audio, you’ve been living under a rock.
The action movie star famously lost his temper on the set of this year’s Transformers sequel, shouting countless profanities at the film’s director of photography, Shane Hurlbut.
His fit of rage was caught on tape, and of course, a YouTube video quickly circulated the internet. His reputation went from sexy, brooding screen legend to world class A-hole (still kind of sexy though).
Getting worked up at work is not uncommon or unexpected. But keeping your cool in the face of blood-pressure raising circumstances is essential, not just to your reputation at work, but to your overall health and happiness. Lose your temper like Mr. Bale and you may never live it down.
What can you learn from Britney Spears, Oprah and 15 others? Find out on Excelle!
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