Why the antagonist usually has the better business model

When I watch movies, documentaries or TV shows about business, I’ve noticed that I don’t always watch them the way everybody else does.

Most of us are trained to root for the underdog. I do it too. We want the good person to win. We want the scrappy little company to beat the giant. We want the founder with heart to prove everybody wrong.

But then my business brain kicks in. And sometimes I find myself looking at the person we’re not supposed to like and thinking: wait a minute. Their business is actually better run.

They know exactly who their customer is. They know what they charge. They know what they expect from their people. They have systems. They make decisions. And they are perfectly comfortable saying no.

Now I’m sitting there thinking: I don’t necessarily like you—but I see what you’re doing.

Discipline is not the same as villainy

Movies need heroes and villains. Business is usually more complicated. Sometimes what looks cold on screen is simply decisiveness.

Knowing which customers you don’t serve isn’t mean. Pricing according to the value you provide isn’t greedy. Expecting people to perform isn’t automatically unreasonable. Declining work that doesn’t fit your business isn’t arrogance.

There are operators who have:

• A clearly defined customer they don’t apologize for
• Pricing based on value instead of anxiety
• Systems that don’t require somebody to save the day every week
• Clear performance expectations
• The willingness to say no when something doesn’t fit

And sometimes the character we’re rooting for has wonderful intentions, works incredibly hard, treats everybody well—and is quietly undercharging for excellent work while trying to be everything to everybody.

That’s when we need to separate the business lesson from the character.

You can borrow the discipline without borrowing the ethics.

My husband, Michael Jordan and the grocery store

I was talking to my husband one day as we were leaving the grocery store. He’s a sports fan, so I started asking him about Michael Jordan. I wanted to understand what Jordan was like with his team.

My husband basically told me—and with quite a bit of energy, I might add—that Jordan expected everybody to bring their A-game. If you’re going to be on the court with him, come ready to play.

And if you’re not? Well… my husband made it pretty clear that you might need to go somewhere else.

I remember thinking: well, dang. Okay, I didn’t actually say dang.

But then I thought: you know what? That’s how I like to play. Full court. Let’s go.

And that’s where this gets uncomfortable.

What does it actually take to win?

Sometimes we’re watching a business movie and thinking: “Why are they pushing everybody so hard?” “People have lives.” “Why does everything have to be about winning?”

Those are legitimate questions. People do have lives. People need families, rest, boundaries and lives outside of work. Burning people out isn’t a sustainable business strategy, and treating employees badly isn’t somehow justified because you want to win.

But there’s another side of the conversation that we don’t always like talking about. Businesses also have to perform.

Because while you’re trying to figure things out, another company may be getting better. While you’re afraid to raise your prices, somebody else is pricing for the value they provide. While you’re accepting every customer because you don’t want to disappoint anybody, your competitor may be concentrating on the customers they serve best.

And when a company continually doesn’t perform, eventually there are consequences. Revenue disappears. Margins shrink. Investment stops. Opportunities go somewhere else. And yes, sometimes jobs disappear too.

So I’ve started asking a different question.

What’s the balance between winning and just making it?

I don’t think the answer is becoming ruthless. And I don’t think the answer is building a company where everybody has to sacrifice their lives to prove they’re committed. But I also don’t believe the answer is pretending performance doesn’t matter.

There’s a space somewhere between “win at all costs” and “let’s just hope everything works out.” That’s the space I want to understand.

I think we can. But it requires us to stop treating kindness and discipline as opposites.

Take the lesson. Leave the behavior.

The next time you’re watching a business movie, documentary or TV show, try something different. Don’t only study the person you’re supposed to root for. Study the person you’re supposed to dislike. Ask: what are they doing well from a business standpoint?

Maybe their ethics are terrible. Leave those. Maybe their leadership style is awful. Leave that too.

But maybe they understand positioning. Take the lesson. Maybe they protect their margins. Take the lesson. Maybe they know exactly what they will and won’t do. Take the lesson. Maybe they have systems that allow the company to perform consistently. Take the lesson.

Sometimes the best lesson isn’t sitting with the character you’re cheering for. Sometimes it’s sitting across the table.

Five things to look at in your own business

1. Look at where you’re undercharging.
Are you pricing based on the value you deliver, or based on what feels comfortable asking someone to pay?

2. Define who you don’t serve.
Trying to serve everybody usually makes it harder to serve your best customers exceptionally well.

3. Examine your standards.
Does your team actually know what excellent performance looks like, or are you expecting them to read your mind?

4. Find one place where you need to say no.
A customer, project, discount, product or opportunity can generate revenue and still be wrong for the business.

5. Ask yourself the uncomfortable question.
Am I avoiding a necessary business decision because I want everybody to like me?

Strong enough to win

Being a good person and running a disciplined business are not mutually exclusive. You don’t have to become the villain. But you also don’t have to build a business where being liked becomes more important than being sustainable.

Being the hero of the story doesn’t pay the invoices.

So maybe the question isn’t whether we choose humanity or performance. Maybe it’s: how do we build businesses strong enough to win without becoming people we wouldn’t want to work for?

That’s a business story worth watching.