Yesterday morning, my son and I got up at 4:30 AM to see the opening of the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight” on the big screen of IMAX. Besides answering the age old question of “What does popcorn taste like at 5:00 AM for breakfast?“, I learned a few things from Batman, The Joker and Harvey Dent. Strangely enough, I have always looked to super heroes for guidance. Many years ago, I wrote an article about what comic book heroes can teach us about business. So what did the movie, The Dark Knight teach me about business this time?

1. Some people are just insane. Like The Joker, sometimes people are just crazy. There is no reasoning with them. They do not make rational decisions. We have all seen this. Your prospect has the pain that your company can solve. They have the money. They don’t buy from you. It doesn’t make any logical sense and many times in business, it is just not logical. Stop looking for it and move on to the next client. It’s irrational but it is the right thing to do.

2. Sometimes, the good guys lose. Sometimes in business, the bad guys wins…alot. I don’t believe that what comes arounds goes around. That in the end, the person cheating in business or using bad tactics loses eventually. We should try to be the good guy and act with trust, honesty and integrity not because we think we will get rewarded, but that it is simply the right thing to do. Why would you want to live your life any other way? In the end, business is about being able to support your family while making a positive contribution to our economy and society.

3. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference between the good guys and bad guys. Without spoiling the end of the movie, in business, roles change constantly and sometimes it is hard to figure out if that other company is an ally or a competitor. Things can change quickly so just like in Gotham, it is many times hard to navigate and find your way….but you can’t stop trying.

4. We all need someone to believe in. We all have our business super heroes…Bill Gates, Michael Dell, William Buffett…while they may not always live up to our super expectations, it is important that we have them as a guide. But only as a guide. We should never be them or try to aspire to be them. We need to learn what we can from them and make our own path that meets our success goals.

5. There are consequences to upsetting the status quo. Alfred continuosly reminds Batman that there are conseqences for trying to shut down the ingrained system of mob crime. People die. In business, it perhaps isn’t so serious but the risk can be great. Your competitors that currently have the business will fight tooth and nail to keep the status quo. You can bet in it!

BTW: Heath Ledger gives probably one of the finest performances of any actor ever. Definitely worth the price of admission to see this Oscar performance!