Leadership lessons from pop culture
The BIG Takeaway™
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March 14, 2022

​What leaders can learn from TV, sports and movies this week

Hello current and aspiring leaders!

This week let's talk about decision making.
  • The NCAA men's and women's tournament selection committees met this weekend to decide who was in and who was out. Lots on the line.

    I have included an article in our deep dive section at the end of this newsletter that provides amazing insights on the selection process.

Amazing stat:
  • Wallethub notes your chances of selecting every winner in an NCAA tournament bracket is 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808.

  • My research shows that this is about the same odds as being able to mimic that crazy accent on "Inventing Anna;" SNL's Chloe Fineman comes close.
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Let's go to the video tape!

Rich Trombetta
@trombettarich
March 14, 2022
Watch and learn
This week's BIG lesson
Image: Warner Bros.
NCAA brackets
Navigating a matrix of possibilities

The context: 
  • In the movie "The Matrix" Keanu Reeves is presented with a choice; take a blue pill and forget everything or take a red pill and learn about the matrix.

  • The movie tells the story of machines versus humans with data and algorithms playing an integral part of a new existence.

  • There have been three sequels, most recently "The Matrix Resurrections" that premiered in theaters in Dec. 2021.

Watch this clip: 2 minutes
  • Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) presents Neo (Keanu Reeves) with a choice of two pills.

  • "You take the blue pill, the story ends. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."

  • Personally I think the thunder and lightning are a little dramatic when Neo swallows the pill. But that's just me.

What we can learn: Don't fall into the trap of a false dilemma (sometimes called a false choice)
  • "When you reason from an either-or position and you haven't considered all relevant possibilities you commit the fallacy of false dilemma." (Texas State University, Department of Philosophy)

  • For example, what if instead of an "either-or" scenario (red or blue) Neo looked for "both-and" options and took the red pill AND the blue pill?
    Stay with me Matrix fans; this is just to illustrate a point.

  • A false dilemma constrains a person's thinking and can lead to poor decision making. 

​My take: Have a "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup" perspective
  • Someone once told me that when given a choice, choose both; move from "either-or" to "both-and."

  • Yes, the movie is predicated on Neo choosing one pill, so I get that's part of what makes "The Matrix" series legendary and this scene iconic.

  • But be honest. Now that the option of Neo taking both pills is on the table, you have to admit it could be quite the story line for a fifth film. It seems there is a legion of people who have already considered this.

Connect the dots to the NCAA basketball tournament:
  • The expansion of conferences and the increase in the number of good teams led to issues selecting the final colleges to be in the tournament.

  • Rather than using an "either-or proposition" (this team is in, and that team is out) to keep the tournament at 64 teams, the NCAA used a "choose both" approach (let them both in and have a play-in game).

  • The First Four was created and the problem was solved. Eight teams now battle two days before the official start of the tournament for the last four spots.

What you can do to practice this skill:
  • ONE: Whenever you are presented with an either-or choice, STOP. This is the cue that you might be approaching a false choice.

  • TWO: Do what is known as "flipping the cube." A cube has six sides. "Flip the cube" around in your head and force yourself to look at your options from a different perspective.

  • THREE: Bring in others BUT DON'T ASK THEM TO MAKE A CHOICE. Simply pose the problem or ask probing questions. This will help prevent you from becoming Morpheus ("choose from these two options") and the other folks from becoming Neo ("I choose red").

    With that said, how cool would it be to be one of them, even if just for the leather jackets and hip shades?

What they are saying: 
  • "Sometimes the fault lies not in the decision-making process but rather in the mind of the decision maker. The way the human brain works can sabotage our decisions." - Harvard Business Review​

THE BIG TAKEAWAY: 
  • ​Be wary of either-or situations.
Did you know we can design a custom leadership program based on topics like the one above? Click the button to learn more.
30 seconds on the clock
Commercials - from nuisance to learning opportunity
Amazing insights in less than a minute
Image: LBC9
Serena or "The Matrix?" How about both?

Watch this commercial (and sorry for the pre-commercial).

  • I love DIRECTV's message: Why choose Serena OR "The Matrix" when you can have both.
 
  • My favorite moment: The ball kid bangs a blue tennis ball and a red tennis ball together to form one yellow tennis ball. Brilliant message.
​
THE BIG TAKEAWAY: 
  • Let's stress it again: "Either-or" can limit decision making; look for "both-and" options.
Tune in
What to watch this week through a leadership lens
The flood of shows keeps coming. There's a lot on this week that I suspect will provide some great leadership lessons.

March 15: The NCAA men's basketball tournament begins with the First Four. The women's tournament begins the next day. Can't wait to see the games and all the great leadership lessons.

​March 18: "WeCrashed" - Another show about dysfunction. I think I am seeing a pattern.

March 18: "Life & Beth" - Amy Schumer's new show looks like it could provide some great lessons on priorities, resiliency and self-awareness.

March 20: "Winning Time" - The first two episodes of the story about the 1980s LA Lakers have been entertaining. I am reading the book "Showtime" to help know how accurate a depiction the show really is.
Social distortion
The amazing world of the web
Here are some quick links to follow and view
  • Learn: Read this article from McKinsey & Co. on decision making.
  • A business life hack: A site to help with collaboration and decision making.
  • Inspiration: There's a side to Keanu Reeves you may not know about.
  • Smile: Our weekly dog video - ENJOY! 
Deep dive
For those who have a little more time
Image: JumpStory
This week I would like to share a story from Bleacher Report that goes behind the scenes of how the NCAA men's selection committee creates its brackets.
​
THE BIG TAKEAWAY FROM THE STORY:
  • Data can only take you so far on your decision making path; note this statement about "the eye test."

    "Another executive said computer numbers—especially RPI (rating percentage index)—are nothing short of critical, but the eye test is just as big of a factor, which is something the committee has claimed for years."
That's all for now

What a week it has been and what a week coming up. I will be doing an Oscar's preview next week from a leadership perspective and will also begin to unpack what we can learn from Major League Baseball's return to action.

Please remember:
  • We archive our stories and put them here for the world to read so feel free to have a look.
  • If you have any ideas or feedback Contact me with your thoughts.
  • We can create a custom newsletters​ and training on the topics we write about.

Good luck with your brackets,

Rich Trombetta
​@trombettarich

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