Anyone who has worked retail for an extended period of time knows the terror, the horror of working Black Friday. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. For retail workers, it means long hours, upset customers, and exhaustion. Maybe even horror.
When I saw there was a horror/comedy film called Black Friday, I had to watch it. Especially since it stars one of my favorite actors, Bruce Campbell.
In Black Friday, toy store employees must look out for one another as an alien parasite has infected Black Friday customers. The parasite turns people into aliens/zombies set on building something and destruction.
With lives on the line, We Love Toys (think Toys R’ Us) employees must protect themselves and escape the massacre. It’s a scary time for these employees.
It’s also a time for leaders to grow. Watching Black Friday, you’ll notice situations, actions, and quotes that can inspire you, frustrate you, and become a better leader.
Let’s look at those in today’s Reel Leadership article.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Black Friday
1. It’s easy to get frustrated by your customers:
Monty (Lonnie Farmer) was an employee at We Love Toys. He was preparing the shelves for Black Friday when an alien meteorite broke through the store’s roof.
Prior to this, he asked a fellow employee how early shoppers had arrived in years past. This year, they arrived earlier than usual. This frustrated Monty. It seemed as if customers could never be pleased.
He soon discovers the meteorite contained an alien parasite. The parasite attaches itself to Monty, and we don’t know what happens to him after this.
We feel the customer should always be treated with respect, understanding they’re paying wages, material costs, etc… There’s no reason to be frustrated, right?
I’d say wrong.
There’s a difference between good customers and bad customers. The bad customers make it easy to become frustrated with their actions, demands, and payments (or failure to pay).
Know that you may not be wrong to be frustrated by your customers. But, even if you’re frustrated, it’s no reason to treat them disrespectfully.
2. Ken (Devon Sawa):
Heroes work on the holidays.
Ken was a single father. He had two daughters, Gracie (Matea Thibeault) and Lyla (Ripley Thibeault).
It was Thanksgiving Day and he had to drop his daughters off to his ex-wife Andria Blackman) and her new beau (Mike Murphy). The kids were upset that they couldn’t stay with Ken. They liked their time with him.
Ken reminded his daughters that he had to work. He listed off professions such as police officers, medics, and more who had to work on the holidays. He included store employees as well.
Then he said, “Heroes work on the holidays.”
This is true to an extent. Leaders must be willing to go above and beyond for their team members and organization. That may mean pulling a shift on a holiday such as Thanksgiving. It may mean giving up their time to help someone else.
Be willing to be the hero.
3. Marnie (Ivana Baquero):
Thanks, Lou. Your work is appreciated.
Lou (Christopher Mikael) was a truck driver for a toy manufacturer. He delivered a truckload of toys to We Love Toys to ensure they were ready for Black Friday.
Lou was doing his job, but Marnie knew he needed to be shown appreciation. So, she thanked him. She let him know she saw his hard work.
You have employees who are doing their jobs day in and day out. Many of those employees don’t feel seen. They don’t feel appreciated.
Learn how to appreciate your employees. Tell them, “Thank you.” Let them know you see the work they’re doing.
In doing so, you’ll encourage and empower your team.
4. Unmotivated employees will be less than enthusiastic:
Jonathan (Bruce Campbell) plugs into the intercom system. He asks the employees at We Love Toys what they love.
The response he gets is less than exciting. One employee, Brian (Stephen Peck), shouts Toys!!! The other employees look disinterested, frustrated, and checked out.
That was their reality. They couldn’t care less about Black Friday shopping and the customers coming in. They didn’t care about the toys and action figures they would sell. It was about the paycheck.
We know it’s hard to motivate employees. Some would say it’s not your job to motivate them.
However, we also know that unmotivated employees create a bad working environment. Their lack of enthusiasm can kill the motivation of other employees.
Do your best to create an environment people are excited to come to. The more excited they are, the more effort they’ll put into their position.
5. Corporations can get things messed up:
After the store employees realize there’s an alien invasion happening, Jonathan tells them what corporate expects from him. Corporate wants him to sell, sell, sell on Black Friday. It’s his job.
Wrong…
Marnie speaks up. She tells Jonathan his job as the store manager is to protect his employees.
She laid down the gauntlet. She also laid down truth.
Leaders are there to get things done. However, they’re also there to protect, guide, and lead their employees. They have a responsibility to care for those under them.
Are you doing your job or are you tending to the needs of your people? When you tend to the needs of your people, you’re doing your job.
6. Archie (Michael Jai White):
Follow me!
Archie is a big dude. He’s someone you wouldn’t want to meet in an ally. Yet, he was a kind and gentle person to those in the store.
He leads two of his coworkers, Brian and Chris (Ryan Lee), through the store while avoiding infected shoppers. Brian steps on a ballon, which pops. The infected notice them.
Archie tells them to cut it out. They need to follow him.
Leaders know when and where to tell those they’re leading to follow. They see opportunities to get their team in line and moving.
Be willing to speak up, command, and lead your people. Without your voice, they will wander.
7. People will wonder what’s next:
Archie gets to the door that had been left open. The open door had let the infected into the store.
Whew, they’re safe. For now.
Another store employee, Ruth (Ellen Cotton), wonders to Marnie, “What’s next?”
Your team can get through a lot. They have the willpower, wisdom, and strength to do so.
However, after getting through challenging situations, they will wonder. They’ll wonder what’s next.
Give them the best answers you can. You may not have all the answers but you can calm some of the fear or anxiety by sharing what you do know.
8. When you think things can’t get worse, they can:
The We Love Toys employees have lost a few of their coworkers to the invasion. They lost Ruth to a dead police officer who crashed his car through the store windows.
Marnie ponders whether or not the night could get any worse. Big mistake.
As soon as she says this, the power goes out at the store. Things could get worse.
While we like to have pie-in-the-sky thoughts about the possibilities of our organization, the reality is that sometimes things will get worse before they get better.
More challenges. Stronger opposition. Frustrated people.
These all pile up. Eventually, things reach a tipping point, and the dam breaks open. Things get worse.
Even when things get worse, you can continue to move forward. You must think on your feet for your next move. Take things one action at a time until you’ve overcome the next worst thing.
9. Lonely people can become horrible leaders:
Jonathan shares he’s been with We Love Toys for 27 years. He’d become an employee because he was lonely. Then, he became a manager because of the power.
He believed the women he led would have to laugh at his jokes. The men he led would have to submit to his whims.
Jonathan wasn’t a good leader. It all stemmed from his loneliness.
Know the reason you’re getting into a leadership position. Loneliness and power are not great reasons.
They’ll actually lead you down a path where people despise you and the work they do.
10. Jonathan:
Customers aren’t always right. They just want to think they are.
While Jonathan was a pretty bad boss, he did understand customers. He knew the customer wasn’t always right. He also knew customers wanted to feel or think they were right.
This was one of the trappings of Black Friday. The low prices would suck the people in. The store may lose money on some products. But then they would get customers to spend on accessories. This was where the real money was.
We love customers. They’re great. They’re what helps us employ people, increase wages, and make a profit.
However, customers aren’t always right but like to think they are. If you can grasp this concept, you can help your customers understand their flawed reasoning.
Be willing to work with customers to help them see where they’re missing the mark. You can help customers correct their mindset and actually become right.
