3 Lessons for Managers from "Horrible Bosses"
The characters in Horrible Bosses are upfront about where they got the idea. Their plan to trade murders to get rid of each other's problems is inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock classic thriller Strangers on a Train and the not-so classic Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal comedy Throw Momma From the Train.
But there is more than an absence of trains in the title or plot that separates this film from its predecessors. In the earlier movies, it was family members the characters were trying to bump off. In this recession-era outrageous comedy, the resentment and fury is all directed at the boss.
The film has deft performances, a solid structure, and some funny moments, but if anything will make it memorable it will be as a period piece reflecting the bitterness of the post-meltdown era. This isn't Take This Job and Shove It. This is work, literally, as murder.
The three heroes, buddies since high school, love their jobs but hate their supervisors. Jason Batemen tolerates his manipulative bully of a boss (Kevin Spacey) because he wants a promotion to VP of sales. Dental assistant Charlie Day puts up with his boss (Jennifer Aniston), despite constant humiliating sexual harassment, because no one else would hire him due to his criminal record. And Jason Sudeikis is loyal to his company but works for a nunchuck-wielding cokehead (Colin Farrell).
There have been horrible bosses in movies since the silent days. Spacey has played at least two others already and Aniston worked for one, played by screenwriter Mike Judge in the cult classic, Office Space. Meryl Streep, Gary Cole, Sandra Bullock, Dabney Coleman, and Sigourney Weaver have all played bosses who made the lives of their employees miserable until they had the tables turned by their hard-working staff in time for a happy ending. This latest trio of bad bosses may be wildly exaggerated, but the film has some important reminders for real-life managers.
- Succession planning is essential. When the movie begins, Sudeikis has a wonderful boss (Donald Sutherland), who is wise, warm-hearted, and committed to ethical operation of the business. Then he dies and his son takes over, telling Sudeikis that all the company is to him is an ATM and bringing drugs and hookers into the office. Later on, another succession decision is made almost arbitrarily. Every company should have long- and short-term succession plans in place for every key member of the staff, starting at the top.
- You cannot outsource your thinking. "We don't clean our apartments or cut our hair," one character reasons. So why not hire someone to do the murders? But the guys go very wrong when they try to rely on consultants, first because of poor due diligence but ultimately because consultants may bring important insights and skills but they cannot make the final judgment calls for you.
- Incentive compensation should tie pay to performance, not job titles. Spacey's character decides that instead of filling the VP of sales position, he will take the title, office space, and pay for himself. If his company aligned the incentives properly, that would not be possible. If his pay was tied in part to his achievement in cultivating and promoting top talent, including his own successors, it would be in his interest to promote a hard-working, dedicated, and capable staffer.
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