Rocky: Own Your Work

“If I say it, you won’t believe it... but when Rocky said it, it was the truth.”

— Sylvester Stallone

What needs to be said about Rocky? You have seen it. You love it. We all do.

Let’s explore the story behind the story.

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March 24th, 1975. Richfield Coliseum; Ohio.

Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner. Wepner—against all expectations—knocks down Ali. A virtual unknown goes the distance with The Champ, fighting with unexpected fire and passion.

Sylvester Stallone, an unknown actor in the crowd, is inspired. In only four days, the entire script for Rocky is written.

Stallone pushes onward through very hard times. Years roll by. Lacking the means to provide, he sells his dog. After a failed audition, Stallone shares his script with the producers—who are very interested.

Stallone has $106 dollars to his name. He has learned to function in poverty, sacrificing to succeed. He will not be stopped.

Finally, the tipping point: the studio offers $360,000 for the script. Success within grasp. Enough money to solve everything.

But the price is too high; the offer contingent on Stallone not playing Rocky. The studio views the script as a vehicle for Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, Ryan O’neal, or James Caan. Not an unproven. Not an unknown.

Stallone says no.

It is his work—an extension of himself. He is Rocky. No other.

Finally the studio agrees. The role is his.

Yet the studio is only partially vested in Rocky’s success. The film is made on a $1,075,000 budget—absurdly low at the time. To compensate, friends and family play the cast. Handheld cameras are used. Most scenes are shot in one take.

To low expectations, Rocky is released.

________

Results.

$225 million globally. Three Oscars, including best picture. Seven sequels yielding $1.4 billion.

Stallone’s story:

The fighter. The underdog. The relentless will to win.

Rocky’s story:

The fighter. The underdog. The relentless will to win.

________

Own your work.

Rocky is everything it is because the man behind it lived the experience; as much a biography as a work of fiction. The film: an extension of Stallone himself.

Own your work.

Employees:

Make every task an extension of your values. Of your work ethic. Of you.

The energy this creates is magnetic. Others are drawn to you. Everyone notices. Opportunities abound when you invest yourself fully.

If this simply isn’t possible in your current position, get a different job. Find a cause worthy of your best.

Leaders:

Give those in your charge room to own their work.

Assign the right person to the task and set them to it. Get out of the way.

There is a powerful upside to this.

A relationship exists between micromanagement and mediocre results. Colleagues given room to display their skill set, knowledge, and passion create impossible results.

Step back. Let them.

________

Rocky isn’t just a film—it’s a mirror.

Watch again.

Do you see yourself there?

We all do.

Rocky represents the very best in all of us.

His lesson is this:

There is nothing you are incapable of accomplishing.

And you are the hero of this story.

The first step:

Own your work.