Deadpool: Business Strategist?

Let’s get this out of the way – I watched Deadpool for the first time last week. Yes, it was released to massive acclaim a few years ago; yes, I realize that most of the world has watched not only the original film, but also the sequel, not to mention the PG-13 re-release… I’m late to the party, I get it, but big budget superhero movies aren’t always my thing. (Deadpool was hilarious, Black Panther was exceptional, the Avengers storyline makes no logical sense, Superman will always beat a rich guy with toys, and Michael Keaton is still the best Batman.)

I’d say “spoiler alert” for the sections below but, let’s face it, I was probably the only person left for whom the movie could be spoiled.

Deadpool strikes a unique tone. Unlike its peer films, the title character, played by Ryan Reynolds, breaks the fourth wall and talks directly with the audience. Not only do we gain access to his inner thoughts but Reynolds pokes fun at the superhero genre more broadly, even directly mocking actors who play title characters in the Marvel cinematic universe.

Breaking the fourth wall can not only be a successful strategy in entertainment, but in business as well. It cultivates trust by demonstrating a connected sense of transparency between two parties. On film, this connection is between actor and audience, at the office, this connection can manifest between leadership and team members.

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that United Airlines significantly altered its approach to navigating the Covid-19 pandemic. At first, the company tried desperately to estimate and make projections about how things would pan out, relying on industry experts, statistical modeling, management consultants, and so on. None of these avenues house fortune tellers, however, and with something as disruptive as a once-in-a-century pandemic, it was impossible to make even an educated guess as to how the airline might endure the pandemic. There was no playbook for Covid, so United decided to stop pretending as though it had one.

As reported in the Journal, “the airline couldn’t foresee when travel would rebound.” Instead, it opted to form “a bounceback team to map out slow, medium and fast rebound scenarios.” In the words of CEO Scott Kirby, “We’re not going to pretend we know what demand will be.”

This kind of transparency, of breaking the fourth wall with team members, can work wonders when it comes to building trust at a time when most organizations were being lambasted by employees for failing to do the same.

Covid-19 presented a stressful challenge to organizations, sure, but it presented an even greater challenge to the individuals who comprise these organizations. Fear and uncertainty has affected each and every one of us these past couple of years. But by embracing and acknowledging this fear and uncertainty – by breaking the fourth wall – United can form a deeper and more meaningful connection with its team members.

As we now emerge into our post-Covid landscape, I look forward to once again “flying the friendly skies.” Maybe I’ll be able to watch a superhero movie onboard.

Co-authored by David Brendel and Ryan Stelzer, Think Talk Create: Building Workplaces Fit for Humans was published by the Hachette Book Group under the PublicAffairs imprint on September 21, 2021. Now available to order!