‘Power’: 5 Basic Business Lessons We Can Glean From the Show
Without a concrete date set for Power Book II: Ghost, fans have time to muse over the first chapter in the burgeoning franchise until September. What went right? What went wrong? Which characters deserved to live? If you’re a Power fan, then you know we could go on with more questions.
In that vein, here’s a look at how the show also offered an opportunity to analyze ways to move — and not move — in the business world.
Partnering with friends isn’t always a good idea
The two prime examples here are Tasha and LaKeisha and Tommy and Ghost. In the first case, Tasha looped Keisha into a money-laundering operation without her knowledge. Keisha learned after eavesdropping when Milan came to the salon.
But let’s not forget Keisha gave her a friend a job at the salon, thinking she was helping Tasha out. Tasha kept putting Keisha in bad positions until her death.
Do we really need to count the ways Tommy and Ghost didn’t work well together? Let’s give them credit for making money, taking out Lobos, and for getting Tariq back from Vincent.
Once upon a time, they ran a tight operation, but everything went left once Ghost decided he wanted a different path. The business messed with their brotherhood.
Sometimes you have to play nice with your competitors/enemies
Ghost and Tommy constantly indebted themselves to crime bosses, making it a necessity to work with their enemies to get out of sticky situations. They had to work with Ruiz, Vladimir, Kanan, and a few other people to deal with Lobos. Once he was out of the way, there was Milan.
Petar, one of Milan’s guys, helped them get rid of Milan. It’s true that created a new problem in the form of Jason, but let’s skip to a different alliance. After Ghost tried to kill Kanan and he retaliated by using Tariq as a pawn, Kanan still helped Ghost rescue Tariq from Jukebox.
There are other examples of enemies playing nice, but the agreement between Angela and Tasha to cover Tariq’s tracks had them watching each other’s backs. Jobs still had to get done and money still needed to be made.
Keep records of everything
It’s easy to become comfortable when engaging in day-to-day operations and interactions, but the characters in Power sometimes slipped up. You know who didn’t? Joe Proctor.
He represented the power of keeping meticulous records and evidence just in case you need to back up your statements. He also reminds us to have insurance in the even someone tries to destroy you.
Vet everyone you hire
How many times have those with hidden agendas infiltrated someone’s circle on Power? Milan pretended to be someone named Dean. Dre was disloyal and no one knew he ruined things from the inside until it was too late.
Traitors and double-crossing associates came in all forms, proving that vetting is important before you start letting people know your trade secrets and where you stash things. It’s sloppy.
Humility is good for leadership
Ghost’s ego got the best of him more than once, but if he heeded some of the warnings, verbal threats, and wise advice he was given, his plans might have succeeded. At times, he didn’t value the people around him or their contributions. In that way, he undermined himself.
This also applies to Tommy, Tate, Tariq, Dre, and Jason.
When Power Book II: Ghost comes out, Tariq will have to learn his own lessons about how to move in business and life, but fans will see if he learned anything from his father’s wins or mistakes.
