If you ask me if I am a movie lover, I am not sure I would answer you in the affirmative. But as an entrepreneur who is always open to learning, I will attest to the fact that I don’t take for granted any opportunity to learn, especially as it relates to business growth and development. In this case, watching the movie, Eye in the Sky, I learnt quite a few things. And I know the lessons I learnt (which I will be sharing in this post) will remain invaluable to my business growth.
Also, any aspiring or newbie entrepreneur who is pro-learning will find this post relevant to their business success too. For the benefit of the doubt, let me quickly take you through the plot of the movie. That will enhance your understanding of the lesson I will be sharing.
A U.K.-based military officer (Colonel Katherine Powell) was commissioned to head a top secret drone operation to capture the Number 2, 3, and 5 terrorists on the American list of most wanted terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya. Amongst the group they hope to arrest are British nationals Susan Helen Danford, now known as Ayesha Al-Hady her husband, and a recently radicalized young man who just arrived from the U.K. The rule of engagement was to capture. Not to kill. However, through remote surveillance and on-the-ground intel, Powell discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing mission. That automatically altered her mission from “capture” to “kill”. But she needed permission to proceed. There was a dilemma about the collateral damage that the attack would have on the innocent citizens/residents in that neighbourhood where the terrorists were living and planning their mayhem.Also, as American pilot Lieutenant Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) was about to engage, a nine-year-old girl enters the kill zone. And that triggered an international dispute, reaching the highest levels of the U.S. and British governments, over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare. She tries to explain to her team, the implication of wasting that opportunity to attack as well as the long-term consequences if the terrorists succeed with their suicide bombing mission. But her proposition seems not to make sense to her superiors who had emotional or personal biases. What can we learn from this plot, as entrepreneurs or newbie entrepreneurs?
First, for every key strategy you have marshaled out towards achieving your goal, always ensure you have an alternative plan called plan B. This is because the only thing that is constant in life is change. Every other thing is variable. Things are bound to change. For instance, government policy can change. The interest rate can change. And other indices in the business environment that you don’t have control over can change. Your plan B may be to downsize or merge some of your operations to adapt to the change. And you have to engage it.
Second, just as the military officer, Colonel Katherine Powell was quick to understand that there was a need to change the rule of engagement of their operation, it is the same way that as business leaders, we must be proactive in identifying and responding to environmental and situational changes. Let me stop here while I continue in the next post. Please, keep a date with me. Nkem Adenuga EMBA 28
