Essential Business Lessons from the Movies

Business Lessons from the Movies - What's your favourite movie?

Here are two movies that I believe have lessons for entrepreneurs and business people.

1. "12 Angry Men"

This film is a splendid lesson in the art of persuasion and consensus building, which is vital for any business leader. Henry Fonda takes the lead in this 1950's courtroom drama as a juror at a murder trial. Fonda succeeds in getting each individual juror to examine their prejudices and objectively evaluate the veracity of the evidence put before them. Having initially found the defendant guilty, one by one the jurors change their minds as they are persuaded to understand the prosecution evidence before them is fundamentally flawed. For anyone carrying out any type of negotiation this film is a must, it is thoroughly gripping and Henry Fonda is masterful.

2. "Patton"

A brilliant movie on how not to be a business leader. George C Scott won an Oscar portraying the famous American World War 2 general who was an acknowledged strategic genius but was fundamentally flawed by his callous disregard for his subordinates and everyone else around him.