Business Movie Review: The Maiden Heist (2009)

What can the movie, “The Maiden Heist” (2009) teach us about business?

This 2009 movie provides great laughter and intrigues as you learn what motivates each main character (Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy) and witness how it propels them to do something illogical and potentially quite rewarding. FYI: This is a PG-13 Movie.

“The Maiden Heist” BUSINESS STRATEGY #1
PLANNING: Having a plan assists you in accomplishing your objectives

The 3 thieves, who aren’t “bad guys” just guys with an obsession, create a plan to attain some artwork which they have been employed to protect for years. Now that the artwork is to be transferred out of the country, they don’t know how they can possibly live without being with “their beloved artwork”. It is a mixture of strategy and “feeling in the dark” as these three, who barely know each other, begin to plan their heist.

Do you have strong enough objectives/goals that you want to accomplish and maybe even do some illogical things to be successful? If so, have you developed a plan to assist you and/or your team so you can accomplish it?

“The Maiden Heist” BUSINESS STRATEGY #2
ADAPTABILITY: Supporting success through improvising

This is one of those realistic “whatever can happen, will happen” comedies. You will laugh and gasp as you see the three learn to shift their plan, and roles to fulfill their goals, as unknown circumstances appear. Curious? Like a loving but meddling wife who is lead to believe she is going on a vacation with her husband,  OR what do you do when you can’t find all your clothes, OR when there is a major mix up!

Have you developed a contingency plan or are you open to improvising when necessary? Most things are not accomplished exactly as planned (think about a family holiday gathering for a moment), but if you have a good discussion about the plan adapting as things arise aren’t as difficult … well, unless you are trying to steal artwork!

“The Maiden Heist” BUSINESS STRATEGY#3
TEAMWORK: Trust everyone to do their part well

When the three thieves gather, no one would be able to guess which one of them was a US Marine, nor would anyone be able to guess how the trust between three very different men could come together to …. oh, yeah, I’m not going to spoil it here if they did or didn’t accomplish their objective.  Yet, they had to trust each other to do the best they possibly could with their part of the plan and trust that if everyone did, they would complete their mission with great satisfaction. To assure the team’s success, the Marine trains the other two with certain skills which may, or may not, be beneficial throughout the heist (this is a great couple scenes).

Have you trained yourself and your team members to be successful? If you have, you probably trust them. If you don’t trust them, this may be a clue that there is still more training required! Tip: Before you look at any other member on your team, start with yourself!

NOTE: If you are trying to find some great movies to watch during the Holidays, look at the right hand column on this site and click on the category titled “Movie Reviews”. There are almost 20 movies (of all sorts) to scout out 🙂 

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Brought to you by:
The Business Rescue Coach, Maggie Mongan
of Brilliant Breakthroughs, Inc.
www.BrilliantBreakthroughs.com