I love movies. I love that feeling when the lights go down and there's a world of possibility in front of me. Am I going to cry? Laugh? Walk out in disgust? There have been a lot of movies that have impacted me personally and professionally, but here's a selection that I think address some serious business issues.
"Do or do not. There is no try." Yoda, of course. He's a Jedi Master, and he knows that in business, you have to believe absolutely in the inevitability of your success. If you stop and think too much about how hard it is to achieve your goal, you'll never make it.
"There's no crying in baseball." Tom Hanks, in A League of Their Own. He was exasperated with one of his players, who didn't appreciate this key point---there's no crying in business. Do what you need to do, and move on. No crying (or whining) allowed.
"Sometimes I dance around in my underwear. Doesn't make me Madonna. Never will." Tess McGill's sister (played by Joan Cusack) in Working Girl. This is a big one. Applying the trappings of good business without an underlying authenticity won't work. You can go to Six Sigma conferences, promise 100% uptime, and have nine MBA's on your team, but if your business isn't grounded in common sense, you'll never succeed. What makes Tess succeed ultimately is her actual business acumen, not her stolen wardrobe or phony accent.
"Don't. Call. Me. Stupid." The awesome Kevin Kline as Otto in A Fish Called Wanda. Don't treat your customers, vendors, or colleagues as if they're stupid. Treat everyone you deal with as if they're Mensa candidates, and you'll be surprised how they respond. A touch of respect goes a long way, no matter who you're dealing with.
"Blessed are the cheesemakers." Okay, they were really talking about Peacemakers, but this nugget of wisdom from Life of Brian could apply to people who actually contribute something. People who put forth their ideas, concepts, blogs, advice into the air for free, making cheese for everyone.
"I will go with you!" Talk about taking a risk! When Renee Zellwegger's character says this in Jerry Maguire, she's putting her livelihood (and her young son) on the line. This whole movie is a gold mine of wisdom, but this particular line really resonates with me whenever I'm considering taking a leap of faith...that's something you MUST do if you want to have a successful business.
"A guy don't walk on the lot lest he wants to buy." This is from Glengarry Glenross, a low-down dirty look at real estate salesmen. Alec Baldwin says this in the movie, during his "pep talk" to the sales team. I take this as a reminder to make sure that my "lot," my "website," doesn't suck. To make sure that we make it easy if the guy wants to buy.
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother." One of my all-time faves. Henry V's speech on the battlefield on St. Crispian's Day, as penned by Shakespeare. Heavily outnumbered, weary, ragtag and ill-equipped, his small army defeated the French anyway. Care for the people you work with. They are with you in battle every day, and you never know when you're going to need them to defeat the French.
This is a fun game...anyone want to add their own quotes?
"Do or do not. There is no try." Yoda, of course. He's a Jedi Master, and he knows that in business, you have to believe absolutely in the inevitability of your success. If you stop and think too much about how hard it is to achieve your goal, you'll never make it.
"There's no crying in baseball." Tom Hanks, in A League of Their Own. He was exasperated with one of his players, who didn't appreciate this key point---there's no crying in business. Do what you need to do, and move on. No crying (or whining) allowed.
"Sometimes I dance around in my underwear. Doesn't make me Madonna. Never will." Tess McGill's sister (played by Joan Cusack) in Working Girl. This is a big one. Applying the trappings of good business without an underlying authenticity won't work. You can go to Six Sigma conferences, promise 100% uptime, and have nine MBA's on your team, but if your business isn't grounded in common sense, you'll never succeed. What makes Tess succeed ultimately is her actual business acumen, not her stolen wardrobe or phony accent.
"Don't. Call. Me. Stupid." The awesome Kevin Kline as Otto in A Fish Called Wanda. Don't treat your customers, vendors, or colleagues as if they're stupid. Treat everyone you deal with as if they're Mensa candidates, and you'll be surprised how they respond. A touch of respect goes a long way, no matter who you're dealing with.
"Blessed are the cheesemakers." Okay, they were really talking about Peacemakers, but this nugget of wisdom from Life of Brian could apply to people who actually contribute something. People who put forth their ideas, concepts, blogs, advice into the air for free, making cheese for everyone.
"I will go with you!" Talk about taking a risk! When Renee Zellwegger's character says this in Jerry Maguire, she's putting her livelihood (and her young son) on the line. This whole movie is a gold mine of wisdom, but this particular line really resonates with me whenever I'm considering taking a leap of faith...that's something you MUST do if you want to have a successful business.
"A guy don't walk on the lot lest he wants to buy." This is from Glengarry Glenross, a low-down dirty look at real estate salesmen. Alec Baldwin says this in the movie, during his "pep talk" to the sales team. I take this as a reminder to make sure that my "lot," my "website," doesn't suck. To make sure that we make it easy if the guy wants to buy.
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother." One of my all-time faves. Henry V's speech on the battlefield on St. Crispian's Day, as penned by Shakespeare. Heavily outnumbered, weary, ragtag and ill-equipped, his small army defeated the French anyway. Care for the people you work with. They are with you in battle every day, and you never know when you're going to need them to defeat the French.
This is a fun game...anyone want to add their own quotes?
Comments (1)