Funny Thing’s I've learned in Drama Movies

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Spoiler alert! You won’t be pickin any cheesy lines in here pal!

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For this post, I am giving credits to the Men in Black (most of them wearing jacket), with their deadly and cold dialogues that will make you smile, smirk or even laugh. If it does, then it’s funny because you're affected by it!  

If you’re presently working your way up the corporate ladder, or simply just like dramatic movies under these genre; #business or #strategy, then you will love this! 

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Fishy Metaphor | Movie Title: A Most Wanted Man (2014)

Director: Anton Corbijn
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R.I.P. to Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of my all-time favorite actors. In this scene, Günther Bachmann used a Fishy Metaphor to explain the nature of their tactic. He explains that for each target, there will always be a perfect bait, no matter what the size is.

Lesson Learned: Sometimes, you need to use humor and metaphor (not necessarily fishy) for emphasis. Your delivery may be imaginative and creative, but your audience must understand that behind the logic, attainable result must be the focus of the agenda.

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Motivation after the Storm |  Movie Title: Margin Call (2011)

Director:  J. C. Chandor

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Being the head of Sales & Trading, Sam Rogers (Kevin Spacey), huddled his team to re-align their mindset after a massive layoff, sending almost half of the entire building back home for good. Words like; "This is Your Opportunity", "You are Better" are more than enough to Motivate and Fired Up all his people to work and continue their function in their job as if nothing happened!

Lesson Learned: As a leader or manager, it is your sole responsibility to motivate your workforce. You are expected at this. So, train and craft your words properly.

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Psychology and Pricing | Movie Title: Middle Men (2010)

Director:  George Gallo

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If you have time, I suggest you to watch this film where it explains the history of Pornography (as online business of course). Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), a former NASA technician (and the brains behind the so-called-first-online-system that allow credit card transactions), is suggesting to change the price from a flat 10 bucks to $9.99 as a Pricing Strategy.

Lesson Learned: Price setting is a mental game. I know that every cents count. However, you need to put into consideration the feeling of a person before or after purchase. If you really want to create sales and at the same time to satisfy your customer, then make sure they feel they are the winner in every purchase!

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Effective Delegation | Movie Title: The Devil's Advocate (film) (1997)

Director: Taylor Hackford

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Played by another favorite actor of mine, Al Pacino who plays as John Milton, being the Devil and disguise himself as the owner of a big corporate law firm. In this scene, he is mentoring his young apprentice played by Keanu Reeves on Basic Management.

Lesson Learned: To become an effective Manager, you need to understand the Science of Effective Delegation. I've heard this line many times in my work career life as my bosses knew me well for being too hands-on. It’s good in their eyes, but they prefer me to back-off a bit and give the little work to the right person.

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Simplify | Movie Title: Margin Call (2011)

Director:  J. C. Chandor

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John Tuld (Jeremy Irons), a CEO and Chairman of the Board, we're being called to attend an urgent Seniors Partner's meeting at 4:00 am. Everyone was present to assess the damage and fix it at any cost. Tuld, being the Alpha and The Omega of the company is asking for clues to address the problem. He believes that time is of the essence and there is no need for technical reasons. 

When he ask someone to explain the degree of the situation, this is what he told to his subordinates; "Maybe you could tell me in here what's going on. And please. Speak as you might to a young child or to a golden retriever. It wasn't brains to get me here. I assure you that". 

Lesson Learned: This particular scene reminds me of my 3 ex-bosses. Although they never use the word dog or thought of them as dogs, but the word "child" resonates. In times of crisis, short, simple and concise answer matters. Quick fix is important, but make sure no loose ends. 

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Stay Positive | Movie Title: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

Director: Oliver Stone

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Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas), is a business tycoon both influential and cunning. In this particular scene, he is giving a piece of advice to a friend on not to give up.  

He said, "Hey Hey. Stay Positive Pal." Most people, they lose, they whine and quit. But you got to be there for the turns. Everybody's got good luck, everybody's got bad luck. Don't run when you lose. Don't whine when it hurts. It's like the first grade… Nobody likes a crybaby."

Lesson Learned: In the corporate world, there will be winners and losers. You need to listen to the music and dance with tune correctly. If you want to raise the bar and climb the ladder, then watch the game like a hawk. Opportunity will rise without even noticing it.

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Be Calm | Movie Title: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film)

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

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For Mark Hanna, (played by Matthew McConaughey as a real-life trader and colleague of Belfort’s), Business is about constant transactions, uninterrupted numbers and endless analyzation. His simple advice to his Apprentice is to loosen up a little bit. He needs Belfort to stay Relax and Calm to perform his duty, so that he can "Put Meat to the Table." 

Lesson Learned: I agree with Hanna. Never ever make a decision when you are Sad and Happy (vice versa). There is a big chance of mistake there and good entrepreneurs are no rookie on this. You need to stay Relax and Focus on the job. In this way, you can perform on top of your game.


Thank you for reading and I hope you learned something.