Lessons from the Godfather
Rushika Bhatia
Industry Watch
Published:

Lessons from the Godfather

It’s not business, it’s personal. Now wait a minute, isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? “It’s not personal, it’s business” – this famous line from the Godfather is considered by many to be the foundation of success.

When you are mature enough to make decisions based purely on what is good business, when emotions and relationships don’t cloud your judgement – that is when you can nonchalantly shrug and blame it all on the bottom line. Whether that’s good or bad is debatable. Is it even possible? That’s the real question.

The Godfather movies are to business, what Yoda is to popular culture. If you strip them of their macabre subject, you’ll find enough pearls of wisdom. Here are some:
Michael Corleone – Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.
 
Michael Corleone – Your enemies always get strong on what you leave behind.
 
Michael Corleone – You can have my answer now, if you like. My final offer is this: nothing.
 
Frank Pentangeli – Your father did business with Hyman Roth, he respected Hyman Roth…but he never trusted Hyman Roth!
 
Don Corleone – I want to congratulate you on your new business…Especially since your interests don’t conflict with mine.
 
Don Corleone – A man that doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.
 
Archbishop Gilday – It seems in today’s world the power to absolve debt is greater than the power of forgiveness.
The beauty of the Godfather is that it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. It rubs shoulders with classics such as The Art of War – a Chinese military treatise by Sun Tzu, and Arthashastra and Nitishastra by Chanakya – a royal advisor in ancient India. None of these are strictly about business, though they teach what universities don’t.
It makes you wonder how much of what we really do in business is ever really JUST business. Think about it, and do write in. And here’s a very personal greeting from me to you: Happy New Year!
 
Ketaki Banga
Senior Editor