6 Business Lessons from “Ugly Betty”

Recognize this face?

The best lessons in life can come from TV.  That’s if you’re paying attention.  Very seldom do I watch television.  In fact, if a TV and I are in the same room together, chances are that it’s watching me.  But I do have a few shows that I don’t ever miss.  And Ugly Betty is one of them.  ABC is airing reruns of the show through January (whatever will I do with my Thursday nights when I’m not on the road???) and for some reason, I started thinking “why do I like this show so much?”  The reason is that it is chocked full of business lessons.

I went to college in New York City and planned to get a great job after graduation.  My goal was to live in New York for the rest of my life and move up the corporate ladder.  But as life would have it, I found myself right back in my hometown of Prince George, Virginia.  Why, you may ask.  Have you ever heard the statement, “your calling is calling”?  So just by watching Ugly Betty, I’ve learned so much about a world that is totally foreign to me.  The world called Corporate America.  It may sound silly, but I take lessons from every show.  Lessons about how to sharpen my communication, how to deal with tough issues and how not to get taken.  I’d like to share 6 of these lessons with you:

1.  You can make an impact from anywhere in your organization.  Sure you may be working a job that isn’t the best fit for you.  Or you may have reached a glass ceiling.  But the truth is you have the power to make a change even if you don’t have the power to make changes.  Betty touches the lives of everyone at Mode Magazine from Mark the assistant to Alexis the CEO.  You can add value to your business even if you’re not at the top of the ladder.

2.  Kindness kills…all the bad stuff, that is.  Killing people with kindness is not the answer – wrong motive.  People generally want to do a good job and want to the be the best.  Personality conflicts, unappreciation and shady dealings are the issues that hinder their progress.  But kindness mixed with a little persistence will help to kill alot of the issues.  As Betty shows us, kindness will at least smooth things over until you can come up with a more lasting solution.

3.  Keep going even when people laugh at you.  Betty fashions herself as a moving target.  Literally.  And when it comes to Betty’s appearance, the fashion police hit the bulls eye every time.  Her style is very unconventional.  But so are entrepreneurial ideas.  Just because a gunslinger tries to shatter your vision doesn’t mean you should stop thinking outside the box.  Stay focused and keep moving forward. 

4.  Family keeps you grounded.  A few episodes ago, Betty’s boss, Daniel Meade was engaged in a conversation with his mother, Claire, regarding his flirtatious behavior with his colleague’s fiancee.  Claire became so concerned about Daniel’s involvement with the young lady that she slapped him…twice…in quick succession.  I’ve found that my family always knows how to give me a reality check.  Without the physical contact, of course.

5.  Even sharks have a heart.  Vanessa Williams plays the grinch-like vixen, Wilhemina Slater.  Typical situation.  She works her way up the corporate ladder at Mode.  And when she’s not rewarded for her hard work and contribution, she cooks up a plan to marry Daniel’s father and take over the Meade empire.  But here lately, Wilhemina has been getting to the root of her issues (or foolishness, as I like to call it).  And little by little, we see her become more vulnerable and less devious, even revealing secrets from her past. 

6.  Let your leader buy your lessons.  Lessons are expensive.  Ask Betty.  When she plagarized a bear-mauling story for her creative writing class, the original writer showed up at Mode threatening to sue the company.  Of course, Betty had no idea what to do and Daniel came to her rescue.  As her boss, Daniel negotiated with the writer and bought Betty’s lesson at a bargain-basement price.

If you have learned any lessons from watching “Ugly Betty”, I’d love to hear about them.

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Picture of Ugly Betty courtesy of StarPulse