The Cranky Middle Manager Show #312 The Future of the MBA Ken Starkey
300 is Not a Training Film
Posted on 20. Mar, 2007 by Wayne in General
Okay, you know how sometimes you do something and think it’s a good thing but creates another issue? Well, you know I love to share historical tidbits that have relevance to our world today. Sometimes, though, people draw the wrong lessons.
I’ve spoken before about King Leonidas and the Spartans at Thermopylae. It’s the theme for the new movie 300. Unfortunately, business leaders are drawing the wrong lessons from it- to paraphrase Santayana…. those who don’t remember the past are free to make it up as they go…. or something like that.
I have written an article on Management Issues about the movie and its lessons. Read
“300 is NOT a training film” here.
Gosh, Wayne, if I’d known that you wrote that piece, I’d have read it on Management-Issues, but I tend to avoid commentary in a place where commentators seem to think it requires three 1500 word articles to cover the basics of motivation. But I digress.
Great piece with good points about the training and culture of the Spartans. The Spartans, like the US Marines or Wellington’s infantry won battles because they had a culture that rewarded loyalty to each other and training that made execution details jot-and-tittle perfect under high stress conditions. There aren’t many companies out there providing that kind of training or culture.