The Godfather, released in 1972 was a Hollywood Masterpiece. Created by Francis Ford Coppola, based off of the novel written by Mario Puzo, The Godfather was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, taking home three. The Godfather was one of the first of many mob movies, but none compare to the drama, thrills and lessons you’ll get watching life unfold for the Corleone family.

I’m sure at this point you’re thinking to yourself… “Did he just say life lessons??” … I sure did.

As we navigate our lives we will undoubtedly find ourselves in situations much like character Sonny Corleone (James Caan) when he got the news of his new brother-in-law beating up his sister. The situation you find yourself in may be a cheating spouse, employee or partner theft, or a client issue. Regardless of the context, it’s never smart to face adversity with irrational emotion and haste. In Sonny’s case it resulted in him getting brutally murdered in a tollbooth. Don’t end up in that tollbooth.

I run my own business, but no matter what you do, every single day we’re faced with obstacles and challenges. How you react and overcome them defines who you are. Your success in life and in business directly relates to these reactions. During the Godfather movie you can see the paths of two very different personalities. Sonny (Caan) makes decisions and acts with emotion and fire, often irrationally. On the other hand his brother Michael (Pacino) acts much differently, he’s cold, calculated, and thoughtful. He seldom lets his emotions get the best of him, and through that he’s able to take control of his “family business.”

Shut up and Listen

The first, and most important step to achieving this goal is to always do more listening than speaking. Have you ever heard the line, the quietest person in the room is usually the most powerful. It’s true, shut it.

Whether you’re in a board meeting, trying to sell to a potential client, or having a discussion with your spouse you need to listen to what they’re saying. How many times have you had a discussion with someone and you feel like while you’re speaking they’re not listening to you, they’re only thinking about what they’re going to say next? Listen for what the person is telling you or asking you for, people will be more receptive to what you have to say if they feel like you’re actually listening to what they’re telling you.

Analyze what you’ve just heard

Now that you’ve taken the time to actually listen. Take the time to consider the results of your actions.

Careful consideration is key to making the right decision. In The Godfather, Michael takes the time to consider his actions prior to moving forward. That’s how he’s able to achieve his success.

If someone is asking you to do something, consider why? Also consider how your actions will ripple. If you’re angry because you feel that you’ve been cheated by a business partner, consider the repercussions of an emotional confrontation. Perhaps the better solution is a calm conversation followed by a call to your attorney. Maybe what you’re seeing as being cheated now is a misinterpretation of the situation all together and that emotional confrontation would be uncalled for and potentially damaging to your company.

Very seldom are things as black and white as they appear at first glance. Careful analysis is crucial.

Make a decision and execute

Clearly the definition of execute that I’m referring to is far different than that of Michael Corleone, but you get my point. Sometimes with careful analysis it makes it more difficult to make a decision. We’ve all been plagued by analysis paralysis, however, there’s a reason you’re faced with this decision and chances are this situation isn’t going to just fade away. So make your call.

If the decision you’re facing is whether to move forward with a new business, product, or service, always remember that ideas are nothing without action. You have to take comfort in the fact that you’ve taken the necessary steps to make the right decision.

Bottom Line

Next time you find yourself starting to get emotional about a decision, stop. The bottom line is reacting based on your emotions will expose a weakness. In the end that weakness may lead you to the unemployment office, out of business, or a tollbooth entering the causeway…

As you watch the Oscar’s tonight, do you think any of the movies up for awards this year have something we can take away and use during our everyday lives? Comment below.