This week Iron Man comes out and I cannot begin to describe how stoked the office is. In anticipation, we decided to discuss what you can learn from the superheroes and how it’s applicable to the business world.
Case 1: CounterBalance
Tony Stark is in charge of Stark Industries and is a multi-millionaire, if not billionaire. His line of work is arms-dealing, but through the breakthrough technology that his company makes in that industry it allows for funding & research in other areas of our lives. I’ve seen a few bits and peices, and there is a part where he tells an Interviewer about how the funding from the goverment allows them to make strides in the health industry.
Lesson: Since the nature of their business is not necessarily the best morally or ethically, they try to counterbalance it with positive attributes. Not only is it a karma thing, but it is also an opportunity to provide positive press.
Current companies employing similar strategies: After the Movie “Super Size Me” McDonalds was put in a very bad light. They were now associated to heart disease, increased heart attack rates, and all in all anything that could kill you. They’ve recently been changing their menus, offering salads, adding apple wedges, milk, etc.
Case 2: Man Up to the Consequences
Tony Stark let his company be ran by business people and he stuck to research. He trusted Obadiah to make all the business decisions, and because of this, Stark Industries begins to double deal. This is also the beginning of the whole story for the movie, because now Stark must go and make amends for the troubles his company has caused.
Lesson: One, you can’t really trust people. Or you can, but make sure that you really can trust them. Two, when its your fault (even inadvertently) that something is not done correctly or something goes amiss, its your job to fix things and make it right.
Current companies employing similar strategies: EA, they use to have an amazing game lineup. Recently though, the things they’ve been putting out have been crap. However, they realized this, and then decided to only release quality titles (Battlefield: Bad Company and Spore for example).
