Believe it or not, by watching movies there are a few life lessons we can learn – and also lessons pertaining to business development. Who would’ve thought that sitting on the couch with a bucket of popcorn and a motion picture running on your LCD tv can turn into a classroom of self-growth.
Developing a Business is Demanding
I was watching a movie “The Intern” not too long ago. I am not sure how much truth there is to this movie when it comes to operating a startup but it’s portrayed as a very demanding endeavour. Let’s not forget the personal relationships that get strained too as a result of long work hours and barely any time left for family and friends.
The thing is, starting a business is not an easy path for people to take. Being your own boss as well as having to delegate tasks for others while at the same time trying to move the business in the right direction takes sacrifice. The movie portrayed it all rather well when it comes to the inner working of a new business.
Don’t Let Other People Doubt You
People will always be doubtful of others and their dreams. That doesn’t mean you need to give in to their negativity and roll over. With perseverance, hard work, and goals in mind many things can be achieved; in business or otherwise.
The movie “October Sky” had a clear message of not giving up on what you have your sights set on. In the movie, people didn’t believe that a young boy can go through and become a space engineer. Homer (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) overcome incredible odds – his family didn’t believe in him, his classmates shunned him.
With the support of few close friends and his teacher, he turned his dreams into a reality.
The takeaway here is to work hard to overcome the odds and don’t let others tell you what you can and can’t do. When it comes to business, having this positive outlook regardless of the perception of your peers can help you move mountains and achieve success.
Progress in Diversity
Diversity in the workplace can offer a wide range of perspectives when it comes to problem solving and cooperation. When I watched the film “The Internship” starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, there were quite a few challenges waiting for this dynamic duo.
I am going to avoid giving you the whole film synopsis and cut to the chase here. Vince and Owen were put in a team with the people that were outcasts, the most diverse group of them all.
In order to get the internship at Google they were presented with a variety of challenges that in the beginning they struggled to overcome. Once they realized that their strength comes from their diversity, they managed to smash all the hurdles that they encountered.
Sometimes opposing views and inability to find the right match can grant you new opportunities in the business world. The one thing that you thought was your weakness, may actually be your greatest strength.
Firing People May Pose Challenges
“Up in the Air” was a movie predominantly focused on an individual (actor was George Clooney) who was being flown around the country to fire people that were no longer needed. There was also an underlying romantic theme to it all but I will just skip that.
You encounter the human relationships that are greatly impacted during the firing process and how it affects the individuals whose life was greatly altered by this event.
Firing doesn’t come easy to a lot of companies. In the movie this job was outsourced to another agency that had to deal with these issues. It just goes to show that in a business environment strong bonds may be built between the employee and the company he or she finds themselves in.
That bond may be severed and the repercussions could be severe. Think hard before making these decisions that can negatively impact another person and even their family when going through these steps.
Unconventional Thinking May Solve Your Problems
There was a book written by one of my favorite authors, Michael Lewis called “Moneyball”. Perhaps you have heard of the movie too, by the same name. You guessed it, it’s based on the book.
The whole premise of the movie is that unconventional methods to thinking and strategy implementation can lead to great results. In the movie, they applied mathematics to scavenge a team with a limited budget that can go up against the best baseball team in the world.
Now regardless if you like baseball or not, this book, and the movie, offer some very sound business advice. You don’t always need to go on the beaten path to reach success. Sometimes you need to make a path for yourself to reach your goals.
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