Mirabel’s gift is management.
Appreciation post for all the great managers out there whose many gifts may be going unnoticed (Warning: lots of Encanto spoilers and screenshots)
As a kid who spent a lot of time drawing, I figured this meant my “gift” was art, and I should grow up to be an artist. Like how if you’re good at writing, you become a writer; if you’re good at sports, you become an athlete; and if you’re good at cooking, you become a chef. I thought visible “gifts” eventually became an obvious career with some tangible output.
I learned “managers” also existed at some point, but I didn’t understand what they did. I assumed they were all like Dilbert’s pointy-haired boss and just told people what to do while not producing anything tangible. It wasn’t until I started working that I met all sorts of managers,¹ noticed the difference it makes when a team has a good one and saw how much of their invisible work can go unnoticed in the process.²
Ten of Mirabel’s many gifts
There are lots of great things about Encanto. The animation, the music, the diversity and representation, the family dynamics, etc. But the first thing I said to Shawn once the credits started rolling was, “Mirabel’s gift is management.” Then I spent the next few days thinking way too much about how Mirabel does many things my favorite managers have done over the years.
[WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!]
1. Celebrating the team
She recognizes everyone’s gifts, celebrates their accomplishments, and sings praises of the team to others, even when they’re not around.
2. Mentoring
She helps the younger and less experienced ones find their gift and supports them when unsure of themselves.
3. Problem Solving
She spots problems that will affect her team before everyone else and set out to try and fix the issue. Even when others dismiss her concerns, she’s determined to find a solution.
4. Alleviating Pressure Points
She sees and understands the pressure people are under, empathizes with them, and helps them find a healthy balance instead of expecting them to continue to shoulder everything.
5. Encouraging transparency
She gets people talking aloud about the difficult things that just get swept under the rug or gossiped about. She unpacks the hearsay. She finds out the truth about what’s going on, even if she doesn’t like the answer in the end.
6. Acting as a multiplier
She knows who is the best fit for the specific job at hand. She helps others use their gifts and amplifies their vision, allowing them to see things they might not have seen themselves.
7. Inspiring experimentation and growth
She gets people outside their comfort zone and to try something new. She gets them excited about making things that might not be perfect and helps them grow in new ways.
8. Standing up to the higher-ups
When the higher-ups put unfair pressure on the team, she stands up for them and is unafraid to confront them for their unreasonable expectations and misplaced blame.
9. Appreciating the whole person
She appreciates that people are more than just their gifts and understands them personally. She helps them see that their identity and worth are not tied to what they can deliver.
10. Facilitating collaboration
She gets people working together towards a common goal instead of just individually, and when it’s too much to handle, she brings in outside help to get the job done.
Thanks
So, thank you to all of you out there doing some or all of this stuff behind the scenes. I appreciate you and your many gifts. I’m working on growing up to be more like you someday. ♥️
- I’m using “managers” as a sort of catch-all title for the people who do all the cat herding and tending to the team’s overall well-being, the ones who wrangle Individual Contributors (IC). Like Producers, Project Managers, Product Managers, Directors, etc. I thought about saying “leaders” or “coaches” because the manager job title sometimes seems very short-term task-focused rather than people-focused. But I believe ICs are often leading and coaching as well. And “managers” seems broad enough to cover the non-IC roles, so we’ll stick with that for simplicity.
- “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.” — Futurama.
