As we continue to focus on our development throughout the year we’re bringing you another example of how one of our colleagues focuses on theirs. Here’s Flavio’s story…
Flavio Diolaiti – Entertainment Technical Operations Manager
“I live and breathe entertainment and I’ve always been a bit of a geek!
Ever since I went to concerts as a teenager, I was fascinated by ‘the people dressed in black that play with mixing desks’.
I started at Carnival UK as a Deputy Production Manager – Sound Engineer on Oceana in 2013.I then spent the next few years managing teams on board as the Production Manager.
It was always my dream to progress my career and work shoreside but sadly there were no roles available, so I left to work for another cruise line. I was gutted to leave but it was a brilliant opportunity to take me towards my next career step.
A couple of years later a role became available at CUK, so I applied straightaway and here I am again! I’m now an Entertainment Technical Operations Manager. Day-to-day I manage our Production teams across the whole of our P&O Cruises fleet. I look after the entire technical delivery of entertainment on board as well as the Health & Safety of our performers and production crew in the performing areas on board.
Building and balancing my skills
When I moved into a management position I made full use of all the training available on board. Real life experience has also taught me a lot throughout my career. During my time at sea, one of my biggest challenges was having to constantly re-adjust to new teams and new managers.
I learnt that empowering, training and tracking performance with my team was key. I always made sure my team members had regular performance reviews and I made sure I did the same with my own manager. Tracking your performance is essential – write it down or lose all your hard work!
Learning from others
I’m the kind of person that naturally asks a million questions, so you’ll often find me asking for advice and ‘what would you do?’ to other managers and technical experts. I also strongly believe in mentoring. When I started my role shoreside I built a mentoring relationship with someone who was in an established management position and I learned a lot from them.
I’m always looking for ways to grow. At the end of each project I do a ‘wash-up’ to review any lessons learned and understand how my behaviour has affected the project or the work of my teams.
Building my technical skills
Technology is always evolving, especially in the entertainment business, so technical skills are equally important in my role. I’m always looking for new ways to enhance our entertainment product, so I spend a lot of time researching as well as attending events and product releases. Talking to other professionals in the industry is illuminating and I’m often in contact with other brands across Carnival Corporation to share ideas.
My invaluable on board experience
Working on board helped me develop a range of skills and insight that I’ve been able to bring shoreside and pass to my teams. On board I learned important operational skills as well as how to react to urgent changes and issues, like technical faults or programme changes. My experience has helped me pre-empt challenges the teams might face so I can take corrective action before things happen.
My biggest learning curve
Going from managing one ship to the whole fleet, as well as broadening my responsibilities, has been a big learning curve. As well as mentoring I’ve focused on my prioritisation and time management skills, as well as focusing on how I can better empower my teams on board.
My top tips
- Always validate your assumptions. Never assume anything – during my career, I’ve made my biggest mistakes every time I’ve ‘assumed’ something.
- Live by the five Ps – Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!
- And finally, for anyone starting as an entertainment technician, remember lift your head up every now and then and look at the stage: it will help you remember that you do the best job in the world.”
Thanks Flavio!
As Flavio mentions, learning from others who are more experienced is a great way to build your skills.
– Have you thought about asking someone to mentor you? You don’t need a formal mentoring programme. Read these top tips for successful mentoring here. You can read this article by signing up with your Carnival UK email address.
– Are you a new or aspiring people manager? Take yourself through My Best Me: People manager and work out your strengths and development areas on The Cove here.