The world of business and management is a curious place where one can find geniuses like Rocket Singh, Harvey S and legends like Richard Branson. We can learn from academics, geniuses, entrepreneurs, ‘hustlers’ and even from Chandler Bing. While the media industry gives us saucy entertainment, it also gives us insights into our minds, teaching us new skills and life lessons as we sit munching from a bucket of popcorn.
Here's an unexpected curated list of management lessons that PR Professionals can learn from some of the most popular web series. Disclaimer: Some characters mentioned may not be ideal or apt role models in their respective shows, but they do serve as good examples.
Crisis Management – Made In Heaven
Wedding planners Tara Khanna and Karan Mehra do a lot more than just plan weddings for “crazy, rich Indians”. In a bid to gain their first client, they succumb to intervening into the private lives of the bridal couple. This leads them to be crisis managers to almost all weddings they plan thereon. From saving the day at the Mann-Sethi wedding to marrying off the daughter of an influential political leader to the love of her life, the two protagonists ethically tackle tricky and difficult situations with a strong mind. The duo had displayed great poise while dealing with the Punjabi wedding by targeting apt social media tactics and spreading positive news about the newly married couple. Despite facing multiple personal challenges, with grace and confidence, they are professional when it comes to business and embody the role of what a crisis manager should be.
The Art of Storytelling – How I Met Your Mother
This legen – (wait for it) - dary show that aired for nine years, revolves around how the lead character, Ted Mosby met the love of this life, also the mother of his children. One of the most unique sitcoms ever produced, HIMYM is unlike any other story told through a T.V. series. The story is crafted in a manner that doesn’t bore the viewer, or Ted’s children who are glued to the couch for nine years. Taking a first-person narration approach, the show is a mix of humour, sarcasm and flashbacks, keeping the viewer engaged and hooked onto what is anticipated next. With spot-on dialogues, punchlines and character build-up, the writers of the show truly excelled in the art of storytelling.
Resilience – Delhi Crime
Vartika, the protagonist, is one that fights for justice and combats bureaucracy, tackling sexism and leading a male-dominating team; while juggling the role of a wife and a mother. When she was assigned to the case, she soon realized that with the details provided to her, hunting down the perpetrators was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But she didn’t let any of the drawbacks stop her. It took grit, resilience and strong leadership to find the culprits in just 72 hours. She is an epitome of being a boss lady and acting as a shield for her team by extending solutions and providing valuable solutions. It takes a lot of gut to stand before the media when the Delhi police was accused of their inappropriate management across the city.
Resilient and result-oriented, she is the perfect example of how to achieve what seems to be impossible. Her drive and never-give-up attitude is truly commendable, and a quality one requires to be in the PR industry.
Managing Relations – Game Of Thrones
One of the most famous T.V. series of all time that recently came to a shocking end. One can learn a lot from Game of Thrones. Be it strategic thinking, choosing your allies, learning to lead and manage better and building relations, the series definitely is one with multiple life lessons. Rob Stark knew how to gain the trust of House Mormont even after their alliance took a downfall under his father, Ned Stark’s rule. Similarly, when the Starks needed reinforcements at the Battle of the Bastards, Sansa Stark took responsibility. She tactfully managed to get the House of Arryn to help them in their fight even after they maintained neutrality during Rob Stark’s rebellion against the crown. It’s clear to see that the House of Stark has people who have powerful communicating skills. It takes qualities like competent leadership, tactics in maintaining positive relationships and creative problem-solving approaches to know how to perfectly manage relations.
It’s A Never-Ending Cycle
We live in a world that educates us in schools and entertains us through fictitious characters featured in Web/T.V. series. Yet, there is a lot to learn even when we inverse the scales. There are powerful dialogues and underlying messages in the reel world that we often overlook. But then, there are blogs like this to remind you of it. Happy Binging!