What could be better than watching a good movie? Watching the movie and, on top of that, improving our performance at work!
With that in mind we made a list of 5 unmissable movies for the shopping professional’s routine – and that can be seen in good company, making better use of your time at home.
Prepare your popcorn, have fun and expand your knowledge!
1. 12 Angry Men (1957)
A classic movie with Henry Fonda as the lead character. It tells the story of a young Puerto Rican who goes on trial accused of killing his own father. After the evidence is presented, twelve jurors meet to decide the sentence, which must be unanimous.
In the first round to reach the decision, eleven jurors – each based on their own convictions – decide on charging him as guilty. But the 12th, Mr. Davis (Fonda), is not convinced of the boy’s guilt and starts a process where he will try to get the other members of the jury to review their decision.
Reflections provoked by the film
Even though he is a minority, Mr. Davis persists in presenting his point of view to the other participants in the group.
Controlling his emotions even when harassed by other people participating in the “negotiation” and using arguments to guide his point of view, he does not try to impose his opinion. His tactic is to get other people to consider other options in addition to the idea originally conceived.
Another point that deserves to be highlighted is that the protagonist is open to consider other opinions, as long as they are accompanied by good arguments. In other words, he has no intention of making his own prevail, but defends it in a respectful and intelligent way.
To have more details of the negotiation techniques used by the character and, mainly, to know the verdict, check out the film – it is certainly an excellent tool for the purchasing professional to evaluate his way of negotiating and even improve it to get better results.
2. Up in the Air (2009)
It tells the story of an executive, lived by George Clooney, who travels around the United States with the task of firing employees of multinational companies.
Ryan Bingham, Clooney’s character name, loves his work. However, his professional routine is put on the spot when his company hires the young Natalie Keener (played by Anna Kendrick), who has developed a dismissal process through videoconference, without the need for expensive travel.
Reflections provoked by the film
The clash between traditional and new management is represented very well by the protagonist’s struggle to defend his way of working, in some aspects already outdated, from the changes provided by technological transformation.
As the procurement sector is often guided by more traditional work models, the procurement professional has the opportunity to reflect on the importance of remaining open to change, reaping the benefits that transformation provides.
The difficulty of teamwork and communication are also explored in the film, where both characters wish to impose their point of view. Only when one starts to try to see the situation from the other’s perspective, do they start to respect each other and learn from each other’s experience.
3. Bridge of Spies (2015)
Based on a true story, the film features Tom Hanks and English actor Mark Rylance (Oscar-winning supporting actor for this role).
In 1957, in the midst of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, lawyer James Donovan (Hanks) is in charge of defending Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Rylance) in an American court and convinces the judge to leave him alive to serve as a bargaining chip, should any American be arrested in Soviet territory.
A few years later, the lawyer is invited to negotiate the exchange between the Russian spy and an American and to top it off, try to free an American student, imprisoned in East Berlin.
Reflections provoked by the film
When the lawyer was invited to defend the spy from the enemy country, everyone believed he would make a symbolic defense. However, he prepared himself for the clash and was able to identify an argument strong enough to have a turn at the “negotiating table”.
Not only did he surprise the others involved, who were so confident in winning they didn’t prepare themselves to negotiate, but he also demonstrated his negotiating value to the point of being called to an even more important and complex negotiation (because of the conflicts involved) in the future.
The movie portairs the perfect negotiation planning class, including listening to other people in the team to outline the ideal strategy and to have a “plan B”, always aiming for the best possible result.
4. Invictus (2009)
Another film based on facts. It touches on the power of leadership to solve conflicts and unite a team.
After the end of Apartheid, newly elected President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) needs to find ways to lead a South Africa that remains racially and economically divided.
To do this, he chooses the universal language of sports and joins forces with Rugby Captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to unite all South Africans in favor of the national team at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Reflections provoked by the film
After successive governments in which the rights of the black population have been repressed, the great leader Mandela does not think about revenge. Even under pressure from some members of his team, he opts for the path of pacification.
Often it is necessary to coexist, within the team itself, with individuals who have different ideas and even different behaviors. A leader is not afraid to keep at his side people with opposing points of view, he takes the best from each one, always aiming at a greater and collective good.
The film reinforces the importance of loyalty and commitment, revealing that in order for you to create a good team, including professionals in the purchasing sector, good leadership is needed.
Another very interesting aspect is the presence of two types of leaders: the born leader (Mandela) and one who is being molded to face a complex situation – in this case, the rugby captain.
5. The Social Network (2010)
It reveals what happened behind-the-scenes of the creation of Facebook, in 2003, by computer genius Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), with the help of Brazilian Eduardo Saverin – making the American the world’s youngest billionaire.
The film also shows the personal and legal complications that occurred during the process that transformed the social network into one of the largest on the planet.
Reflections provoked by the film
The new media, which emerged with the digital transformation, has changed the way people interact, communicate and even work – working from home has proven to be a good option for many companies.
It’s a good way to understand the impact of powerful social networks today and how they can be used to benefit business – such as researching a supplier’s reputation and improving internal communication, for example.
So, did you like the suggested stories? Did you miss any movies you’ve watched and that have contributed to your training as a procurement professional? Send us your suggestion and we’ll expand our list!
