Wow, this was an exciting episode. So many repercussions occurred from various decisions during this episode that reverberate across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Phase 4 is sure to be thrilling.
Let’s just get to the ending: Sylvie kills He Who Remains, and the multiverse returns. Bring on Phase 4.
There were a couple of discussions that occurred during this episode that really stuck out to me. Let’s dive in.
Autonomy and free will
Ravonna says to Mobius “Only one person gets free will, the one in charge.” I thought this was a fascinating quote because it made me think about being a leader and manager at my own firm. Yes, at the end of the day, me and my partner get to make the decisions. That is absolutely true, until we need to delegate and allow others to decide. I think it’s important to give your team members autonomy and free will to do their jobs. Give them parameters to work within and then get the work done.
If you’re a micromanager, you’re going to find it difficult to get the best out of your team. Tons of psychology studies have proven this. Here are some studies that show how micromanaging can poorly affect teamwork:
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Manoj-P-K/publication/280147805_PROSPECTS_OF_RESPONSIBLE_TOURISM_IN_KERALA_EVIDENCE_FROM_KUMARAKAM_IN_KOTTAYAM_DISTRICT/links/55acc4a708aea9946727c21c/PROSPECTS-OF-RESPONSIBLE-TOURISM-IN-KERALA-EVIDENCE-FROM-KUMARAKAM-IN-KOTTAYAM-DISTRICT.pdf#page=42
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12510608/
Give your people the autonomy to do their jobs and you’ll create a better culture and work environment for them.
Succession planning
He Who Remains presents Sylvie and Loki with an option: take over from him and maintain the timeline so that the multiverse doesn’t happen again. In the business world, this is what we call succession planning. He Who Remains is old and tired and wants to move on. That’ll happen to you and your firm. Getting older is inevitable so it’s a good thought to consider what it takes to create a succession plan for your business.
Autonomy and free will play a big part in succession planning. If you have a family business and an heir(ess) to pass it down to, then that can be your succession plan. If not, you’ll want to build up your team members to the point where someone can take over as the leader of your business. The more opportunities you provide to your team members to prove themselves, the easier it will be to find your successor.
I’m obviously simplifying this idea, but at a high-level, that’s how this can work for you and your business. Build up your team to help you grow to the point where you can step back, and they can continue with your vision.
If we look back at this series, some of the topics that came up across all episodes were:
- Episode 1: onboarding and the IPO model
- Episode 2: new employee training, after-action reviews, testing your theories
- Episode 3: chaos and how to manage it
- Episode 4: 1:1 meetings, feedback, celebrating wins
- Episode 5: teamwork
- Episode 6: autonomy and succession planning
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these Loki blogs as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. As a small business owner, I’ve come to learn that there are valuable business lessons hidden everywhere – all we have to do is look for them. I can’t wait to uncover the next lessons Marvel has to offer!
If you want to learn more about Blueprint and how we can work together, reach out to us here.