I recently re-watched The Incredibles and realized that there’s a lot we can learn from their attributes that can help us as entrepreneurs. Yes, the Incredibles are fictional animated characters, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn a thing or two about how to apply their powers in our businesses.
1. Be a good Leader
In a competitive business environment, effective leadership is an essential requirement in order to achieve success. To do this, you must be able to provide inspiration, motivation and clear direction to your team. Leaders are invaluable when it comes to formulating and communicating new strategic directions, as well as communicating with and motivating employees to increase dedication to organizational goals. In the movie, Mr. Incredible is an Expert Strategist: He doesn’t exhibit superhuman intelligence, but his years of super-heroic experience allow him to rapidly formulate effective strategies to deal with opponents who cannot be bested by his strength alone.
2. Be Flexible
Flexibility is crucial because the world is changing rapidly and it isn’t going to ever stop changing. A flexible business is always ready for whatever happens in the market, and is able to turn new situations into opportunities by adjusting accordingly. Flexibility is also about setting necessary parameters, and encouraging employees to think and propose new solutions that enable them to get the job done better. In the movie, Elastigirl has elastic and shape shifting powers which enabled her to rescue her children by transforming into a boat in the middle of the ocean and getting them safely to the shore.
3. Think on your feet
With the pace at which society progresses, companies need to do whatever it takes to stay relevant or they will be left behind. Speed of implementation of new products and services is what separates the top players from everyone else. Sometimes, businesses take long making decisions and they end up losing out; think Blockbuster or even Microsoft with Smartphones. In order to be successful you need to adapt and implement what is required in the shortest time possible. Once in a while, a quick implementation may lead to failure but always remember; The faster you fail, the faster you learn! In the movie, Dash has one superhero power, which is the ability to run as fast as lighting, as his name suggests.
4. Protect your business
There are always forces working for and against your business’ progress. It is important to put in place structures that create a force-field against any internal or external factors that can stunt your growth. This can range from patenting an idea to creating a company culture that encourages employees to communicate honestly and not hold back. You need to constantly be on a look out for any threats to your business and quickly implement preventative measures against them. In the movie, Violet can generate a near-indestructible, purple-tinged force field around herself or other targets, which she has used defensively.
5. Encourage Teamwork
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordan. When running a business, you need to understand all your individual strengths and weaknesses as a team. Teamwork helps everyone become more familiar with each other and learn how to work together. This enables team leaders and members to become proficient at dividing up tasks to be done by the most qualified people. In the movie, The Incredibles each have unique and powerful abilities, but its only when they worked together as a team that they were able to defeat the villain.
What’s your Entrepreneurial super power? Let me know in the comments.
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