Lessons From The Condemned: 10 Convicts, A Greedy Rich Man and Business lessons
I saw yet another movie and there are few more lessons for us. I happened to watch this movie called “The Condemned” which is all about 10 convicts awaiting execution for various big-ticket crimes. However, a ruthless, greedy multi-millionaire who runs a TV show wishes to put 10 of these convicts together on an Island and sets a simple game about – kill or die. The lone survivor after 30 hours will be set-free and released.
The movie does have its share of fast-paced action sequences but this isn’t a blog where I discuss movie reviews. This is a business blog and there are lessons for business from the movie. Here’s what I gleaned from it:
- It’s always about survival: One underlying aspect of the entire movie was about survival. That movie had each of the contestants playing it out against each other and killing each other. A constant rush to outdo the rest – it was, it is and it will always be about survival. Your business is going to be just like one of those convicts, doing all it can to survive in tight, dense, island ridden with blind spots. Will you be the one to survive or will you bite the dust?
- Give people what they want: Even though Ian, the multi-millionaire behind the show, and the entire crew pays for the show with their lives, one thing that stands out is the fact that Ian gave people what they would like to see. An astounding 40 million viewers latch on to the live streaming on the world wide web. The lesson for businesses is here not to do something as heinous as this, but to understand that good businesses make money by giving value to their customers; by giving exactly what thousands of people want.
- Do business but don’t bullshit for money: Finally, on a moral note, never do business at the cost of your soul. Don’t try to bring in money by digging it out of someone else’s pocket by cruel, dishonest means. You might succeed in the short term but you will pay for it just like Ian does — he bites the bomb he creates to kill others. Don’t let greed take over you and possess. You don’t have to be a maniac to run a business and earn money; you just need to be enterprising.
Did you watch the movie? What do you think? Anything else you could learn from “The condemned”?
