Everyone amongst us has had a secret fascination for heroes – those who come in at exactly the right moment to prevent injustice, save the oppressed and battle the fates. There’s something about muscled, caped heroes that makes us want to emulate them… eliminating the bad guys, battling evil and siding with the truth. And, of course, winning. There is of course, the aura of mystery that surrounds them, but it is their strength and fundamental values that builds the mystique. Heroes are seen as morally sound, with strong fundamental values that prove what our parents have always taught is – that truth triumphs over untruth and the right side always wins. Planned, shaped story-telling has helped shape these beliefs and create the hugely popular superheroes like Batman.
(1) Select the right Mentor
There are very few successful startup founders today who would have succeeded without their great mentors to guide, advice and motivate them. You need to trust and pick the right mentor. Some may find the mentorship in father. In the movie Batman Begins, Batman’s mentor Ras’ Ghul turns out to be an evil unprincipled villain who plans to destroy the city of Gotham. Founders must realize that people’s agendas differ and might not be in tune with their own. They may have their own motives for joining up with you. Sometimes a potential investor may want to introduce new elements into your business or foray into new markets and you may not be comfortable with that. Hence as a Founder, take your time and pick your mentor wisely.
(2) Action your Idea
Perhaps there would be a lot more entrepreneurs if everyone had acted on their ideas and implemented them. But unfortunately that has not been the case – I am sure that a lot of people get ideas, but not everyone acts on them. Starting out is the single most important thing you can do – even if it is just 1 single basic thing, start. It is important to make a beginning. Batman wanted to battle evil – he was not very sure how he would do it, but that did not stop him. But he acted on his instincts and made a start. Hence, once you have an idea, like Batman – just start. Parallely, keep on researching, seeing how things can be made better. Eventually things will work out, if you keep at it – you do not need to have all the answers when you begin.
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(3) Invest in your Health
Are you fit? If you are Batman fan, you will know how Batman is dedicated to total fitness. He keeps himself fully occupied with martial arts, exercise and is very active. He is also into meditation. As a result, he is not only equipped to fully devote himself to fighting crime, but also does it rather well! He has both a healthy mind and a healthy body, and this helps. It is a matter of record as to how both Ben Affleck and Christian Bale went through grueling PT & fitness regimes to prepare them.
So get moving – start small and keep at it. Remember to also exercise your mind and you will soon have a healthier body & a healthier mind. Together, they will equip you to work harder at your goal and most importantly, will not let you down when required.
(4) Study the Competition
Just working away at your idea in a cocoon will not make you a success – far from it. Forget this whole concept of walking fast and far, alone – you need to exist in the real world and interact with people, know what the trends are, and know what is going on.
Whether it’s the Joker or the Penguin planning a strike somewhere, the Batman is active and involved in fighting the crime. He studies the competition and knows their patterns, their hangouts, their ways of operating. And so he is able to foil those evil plans and stop the crime. In market terms, this translates into being well-informed and about the market and the customer.
(5) Leverage Technology & keep innovating
Who can forget the Batmobile or Batman’s wide-tyred bike? Batman is very famous for his gadgets and he uses technology to its fullest. Remember Morgan Freeman playing Lucius Fox, the scientist, who invents the new Batsuit or a fancy glider? How well they help build the Batman brand and myth? Leverage technology, leverage the advantages it gives you – embrace it. And it may reward you by helping you get nearer to your goals.
Remember – batman was not (unlike the other heroes) born super or special. Nor does he have any special abilities – he leverages technology and training to defeat crime. This is an agile approach to constantly search for improvement & optimize one’s output.
