This idea came to me while watching a show where the villain achieved a great coordinated strikes against his enemy while enjoying a nice dinner with a new lady friend.
Okay, maybe not super villains who have powers and fight heros and just want to steal stuff, but maybe them too. I’m still working this out.
Lots of villains, especially the ones who rely on their intellect (Luthor, King Pin, Syndrome) accomplish incredible coordinated attacks and magnificent accomplishments with perfect accuracy. I’m sure lots of bad guys have delusions of being able to accomplish these kinds of atrocities. But it’s the ones who are really organized that make it happen. Not only do they have vision (like a CEO or company president might), they have the power to lead a team with precision and complexity that really points to Project Management on a grand scale.
CEOs and company presidents, in my experience, can drive the direction of a company, but they rely on management to help carry out their directives and goals. Good CEOs inspire and can be good leaders, of course. The thing that sets the best ones apart is that they can help layout a plan of attack.
While watching the above mentioned series (I’m not going to say exactly what it is because I don’t want anyone to spoil it for me, please) the villain works in a very removed, behind the scenes type way. I almost have to wonder what makes him so bad. I know he’s the bad guy. But all I’ve seen of him is some clumsy attempts to woo a lady and a vicious murder. The murder shows that he’s ruthless and unforgiving. That makes him a monster, but not a super villain.
Then, while having dinner with his new lady-friend, he coordinates a way for his former partners to rally together, gathering their strength for a huge attack, then he blows them all to smithereens.
Strategically, this was a power move on his part that took some obstacles out of his way and finally established him as the force to be reckoned with that I was waiting for.
As a project manager I couldn’t help but thing about all the work that must have gone into that strike. Of course, he had a good reliable team. He also had foresight and means to accomplish his goals.
I doubt he had a prepared statement of work, but he might have had a communication plan and a risk analysis.
This is his “super” power. Not only is he ruthless and powerful, he’s also organized. Behind the scenes his vision is being carried out because he knows how to accomplish his goals on time.