Ford v Ferrari – best business movie since Moneyball

Finally watched Ford v Ferrari yesterday – should have done it earlier but was busy and dealing with bunch of issues. It’s a terrific movie overall, very relevant to today. Even though we’d like to see some things changing since 1960s, unfortunately it’s often not the case.

After discussing with my wife here are few thoughts (no spoilers):

  • People are not rational agents and most decisions in life, including business, are based on emotions more than on anything else. (Known mantra but a nice reminder from the movie)
  • No matter where you are, there is always a “Leo Beebe” guy around (and sometimes more than one)
  • People live compartmentalized lives – meaning that there may be a lot of drama in one organization, but a completely different type of drama in the other – and those 2 organizations would not overlap at all. Therefore, the importance of each drama lies mostly within the group involved and nobody else cares. So being inside a drama, it is then important to zoom out your prospective and make a conscious decision whether this fight is any important to you. If you’re a professional racer and have a chance at winning Le Mans – then probably it is. On the other hand, if you’re struggling in a small poorly managed company pitted against a “Leo Beebe” – then probably it is not. Life is short and the only scenario when dealing with a “Leo Beebe” makes sense is when there is something really important to you around it.

P.S. Other great movies and series I recommend can be found here.