Are you in the “Game of Business”?
– Business Tactics to Learn From Game of Thrones
You might have already come by numerous posts, fan theories and spoilers on Game of Thrones. For the series’s fans out of there, it is obvious for your social account feeds to be flooded with posts, memes, articles on the show. Unlike other series where the most honorable and noble leading figure tends to win, GoT has a much more realistic approach to determining the victor in a scenario.
The reasons why this show has become so popular is because of various strategic approach by each character. Below I have tried to break down the strategies and how they can be applied in modern business.
Pay your debts.
“A Lannister always pays his debts.”
-House Lannister
The phrase that pops up, referring to the richest kingdom’s credo is “a Lannister always pays his debts”. There will be times, when you will need help.The most obvious ones are financial, but it can also be something as small as introduction to an important person. Be it a favour from a partner or a loan from a bank, it’s important that you pay back your debts as soon as possible
Kill with kindness
“The occasional kindness will spare you all sorts of trouble down the road.”
-Cersei Lannister
Certainly, The scenes in HBO series are violent and highly graphical. In between there are times of sacrifice and kindness. Showing kindness to business partner or customer/employee might seem unnecessary, but it will pay long-term dividends. “The occasional kindness will spare you all sorts of trouble down the road”-Cersei Lannister to his son-Joffrey
Let your competitors destroy themselves.
“Your enemies hate each other as much as they hate you.”
-Tyrion Lannister
Letting your “combatants” fight each other through marketing campaigns gives you a chance to build up your own storehouse, and attract more customers. As Tyrion Lannister-The dwarf-prince says,”your enemies hate each other as much as they hate you.
Unity builds power.
“Choose people that are passionate and focused on a singular goal–your goal,”
-Robert Baratheon
A united team is always more powerful than a group of individuals working independently. The King of Seven Kingdoms – Robert Baratheon, once explained how power of an army can work. He held up one finger, and then held up five fingers; asing the queen which number is greater. She guessed it wrong – Power comes in one unified approach
Don’t be afraid of failure
“Every flight begins with a fall.”
Everybody gets knocked down but it’s how each of us react to that failure or blow that determines the outcome, Like Three-eyed raven and Arya. Fall down. Get back up. This is the only way to make it in the business world.
Know who to Trust
“You don’t need to make formal alliances with people you trust.”
Knowing who to trust is critical, especially when a company first launches. Eddard Stark chooses to trust Littlefinger and gets his head chopped off for his efforts. If he had trusted Renly instead, things would have turned out differently.
Sound a little dramatic? Sure–but a good lesson for anyone trying to build a company.
It’s about the Journey
“Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some, are given a chance to climb. They refuse, they cling to the realm or the gods or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.”
-Petyr Baelish
Petyr Baelish – One of the most cunning characters of GOT, keeps most of his wishes to himself. However, with this rare advice, we see real motivation of his character. When there is chaos, he is always looking for how he can advance himself.
So if you’re a Game of Thrones fan I hope you enjoyed this blog and I hope you’re enjoying the latest series as I certainly am! I have a question for you now……
Which character in Game of Thrones would make the best sales person in your opinion? Add it into the comments box below and let’s see who would be King or Queen in the Game of Business!