The Business Lesson I Learned From The Breakfast Club

I’m one of three brothers and they didn’t know it, but one day they paid me a HUGE compliment. 

When I was in high school my brothers said, “Kenny you aren’t one of the characters in The Breakfast Club -- you’re a combo of all three males in that movie….the jock, the geek and the rebel.”

The truth was, I was. Without getting into too much detail about my time at Rockland High, to survive high school in 1985, you quickly realized I had to embrace your inner jock, geek, and rebel to navigate those chaotic hallways, smoking rooms, and gym classes. Mastering these three personas allowed me to make friends in different circles, connect with as amny as possible, and have a blast in academics and sports.

As I started my career, a mentor told me that there were three groups of people in business:

• the Champion,
• the Technical, and
• the Managerial, and that you would have to be able to win each of their support if you wanted to succeed.

My mind immediately went back to The Breakfast Club. With every day worked, every deal closed, and every milestone reached, I realized I needed to utilize the different parts of my personality that my brothers had pointed out to my advantage in order to create meaningful relationships in business. 

Here’s how The Breakfast Club taught me valuable lessons in the world of business:

To connect with the Champion, channel your inner Judd Nelson

The “champions” in business are the disruptors, the rebels. They’re the ones making names and reputations for themselves and are typically motivated by vision and passion. They can be your biggest supporters and most inspiring coaches. You need to get these people on your side. To do so, your inner rebel must come out to connect with these kinds of people. The champion wants someone who is willing to take a risk, be bold, and go for the goal. You have to be up for the challenge and go outside the box to impress the champion. They detest the establishment and the status quo and relish in the possibilities of the “to be” world. You MUST be able to convince the Champion to open doors for you and that the cost of not doing your project is more than complacency.

To win over the Technical, play the part of Anthony Michael Hall

The “technicals” of the business world are the logistical thinkers. They care more about knowing the “how” things work rather than the “why.” 

They are the behind the scenes masterminds of a business, the engineers, the strategists, and the analysts. To connect with them will require the “geek” side of yourself. Now, when I say “geek,” I don’t mean uncool or nerdy-- I mean the logical, the data-driven, and strategy-minded part of your personality. The technicals are driven by tech specs, whiteboard sessions, and product or service tech POCs and trials, and you need to understand their more methodical type of thinking to connect with them in business. Your system and design engineers are critical to connect with these qualifiers and use case references are their lifeblood.

To gain the support of the Managerial, think Emilio Estevez.

The next person in business is the “managerial” type… aka the executive. This person has the authority to make decisions, close deals, and spend money. The managerial person has insight that others in the business don’t: people who know how always work for the people who know why. Their focus is the bigger picture and the overall progress of the company. They want the company to win. To gain their support and trust, you have to release your inner jock. The jock is confident and just like the managerial, is playing the game to win. Scores in a sport are the equivalent to the ROI’s and impacts of an organization into their specific environment. An action item of connecting them with the appropriate executive on your side may be the best use of your time to advance the campaign.

Now, To Be Successful… Be all Three

When my brothers pointed out that I embodied all three characters from The Breakfast Club, I didn’t realize that these qualities would prove to be invaluable in my business career. Business is all about being able to connect with people from all walks of life AND being the shepherd who corrals all three kinds of characters. Running the fastest growing and #1 rated e-Signature solution, I’m constantly juggling roles, dealing with potential clients and communicating with our Engineering, Product Management, Support, Customer Success, and customer facing teams. It takes understanding all the different players in the game and knowing what they need in order to lead effectively. 

To win the day, the project, the deal, or anything in life, you need to access the different parts of yourself in order to succeed. Take a lesson from The Breakfast Club and see how your inner rebel, geek, and jock can work together to create the best you.