Marvel’s new “Black Panther” superhero movie is a 101 on teamwork.
While there are several themes that the movie embraces—equality, the environment, technology—it’s teamwork that gets the job done. Here are three lessons from T’Challa (the Black Panther) that can easily be woven into the meetings mix.
Power in Numbers Is Real
T’Challa’s all-female bodyguards are there to protect him, even when he returns to fight Killmonger who has taken over as ruler of the African nation of Wakanda. While T’Challa has obvious superpowers, he still needs power in numbers. Similarly, meeting planners should remember that the more staff members on hand at an event or the even more that can be there to help at a moment’s notice, the better the event team will be at handling an emergency. It also helps to have a list of emergency contacts for local support services distributed to all events staff and attendees, especially if the event is not being held locally.
Don’t Fear the Competition
M’Baku is the leader of Wakanda’s mountain tribe, and he protests T’Challa being the new king at the beginning of the movie. Because T’Challa spares his life in ritual combat, M’Baku later saves T’Challa’s life and even orders his tribe to help defeat Killmonger. For meeting planners, the lesson learned is not to fear the competition because you’ll never know what kind of partnerships they might bring. A similar event that competes with yours for attendees may be worth partnering with to get sponsors or marketing coverage.
Connect with Your Spiritual Side
T’Challa ingests a heart-shaped herb to get the superhuman abilities that make him the Black Panther. In doing so, he visits his father and other Wakanda elders in the afterlife to get their advice. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, in times of stress, it’s important to take some time to meditate and listen to your own intuition because the relationship with yourself can sometimes be the most influential.
