Last night I watched L.A. Ink for the first time in awhile. I see Kat Von D has had some facial plastic done, as her face has that weirdly frozen above the upper lip line look.  She used to have a beautiful fluid smile.  In tonight’s episodes, Kat hires a new employee and Liz Friedman comes in with no background in the business, and with all sorts of ideas.  She opens by telling the camera that she’s smarter than most people she knows.  She sees herself as the new shop manager, when it appears she’s been hired to help out.  The first two days Liz reminds everyone that she comes from a corporate background, that she’s used to running the show.  She’s a wise ass, she’s sarcastic and her humor revolves around cutting people down. 

Not that she doesn’t have good ideas, but she’s gone into the job thinking she has to find problems to fix.  That doesn’t sit well with the L.A. Ink family.  As she complains to Kat, Kat tells her that she needs to train for 3 days before she can move on to other duties.  But that doesn’t shut Liz up for long.  She’s young. She makes the classic mistake of coming into something new and, instead of sitting back and listening to what everyone has to say so she can get a grasp of the situation first, she talks.

She has ideas for marketing and merchandising and organization, and wants them all heard right away. Her ideas make you wonder if she has any business experience at all. She wants everyone to punch a time clock and wear uniforms.  She wants an Employee Of The Month Contest based on sales.  Kat and the family aren’t really into the competition aspect of that, and let her know it.  It’s not about how many tattoos you can crank out in a day and how many tatts and teeshirts they can sell; it’s a creative art form.  You can’t tie that to a time clock and sales contests with everyone wearing uniforms.

She’s young. She doesn’t get that you can’t just fit any business into a cookie cutter formula. She’s very much New York style Jewish American Princess, while the rest of the family is laid back L.A. rock and roll.  Of course the show is edited to exaggerate that.  She’s a solid 7 on the cuteness scale, but seems to rely on that a little too much.  It appears she wanted to walk into the already successful show, uh, shop and be the one to do a big makeover. As a model/actress, no doubt her agent hooked her up with this gig, hoping someone would see Liz and contract her.

During the show, Liz repeats to the camera that she wants to get on Kat’s good side. She’s really trying too hard with this chill crowd.  She suggests everyone get together outside the office, so Kat invites everyone to come to her home for a barbeque. Kat got sober in 2008 which I think put a crink in Liz’s plans.  Liz had other ideas about the party anyway, so she goes off to a pricey hotel to get a quote for the kind of party she wants.  “I want oysters, champagne, caviar” and “I want Kat to pay for it”.

Liz goes back to the office and shows the proposal for her party idea to Kat.  It’s a no go.  They have the barbeque at Kat’s home, where she has a big area for entertaining, cooking, sports, games.  Liz complains they “had to have the party in Kat’s back yard“.

Liz’s redeeming gesture was to name shop manager Adrienne as employee of the Month, not based on sales, but because she works so hard. I think everyone saw through that one, especially Kat’s bud Adrienne, with whom Liz has knocked heads from day one.

I remember when I was young and knew everything.  I didn’t want to listen to anyone, but I wanted everyone to listen to me.  I thought I was so smart and so clever.  I didn’t have a clue.

Now I know.  Now I listen more and talk less in a new situation.  Now I get to know about the people around me, and see what I can do to help them achieve what they’d like to achieve, rather than giving my own ideas about what their life should be.  Especially in a field I am unfamiliar with.

I learn a lot by listening. Which do you do more of, talking or listening?