Worklife Lessons from ‘Roadhouse’
My son is halfway through his 16th year existing a human in the United States of America, so he was far overdue to watch the classic 1989 action film, “Roadhouse”, starring Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliot. Think of it as a Generation-X-dad-having bar mitzvah to inaugurate a boy into manhood.
All joking aside, and as ridiculous as this film might be, it surprised me how many lessons it had to teach the lad. I hadn’t seen the movie in years, but when we watched “Roadhouse” together recently, his many awesome questions within the first 20 minutes of the film intrigued me. Here are five of those questions, and what Dalton’s endeavor to clean up the Double Deuce bar can teach us about effective management.
How does he get to name his price?
When Frank Tilghman accosts Dalton at his current place of employment in New York City to ask for Dalton’s services as a “cooler”, Dalton unambiguously names his price and benefits: $5,000 up front, $500 a night, and all medical expenses paid. Frank agrees without question. My son was surprised that Dalton could name his price and make demands like that. We paused the film, and I explained a few things about Dalton:
Firstly, Dalton has unique skills. He isn’t only a martial artist who kicks ass. Dalton is a business change management professional, specializing in bars and clubs.
Secondly, Dalton has a lot of experience doing what he does. He is the best, trained by the best, and has worked hard to become so. His reputation precedes him.
So, if you study hard, work hard, take constructive criticism from mentors, and become really, really good at what you do, you can name your price. This doesn’t apply only to “cooler” gigs. This applies for consulting contracts or salary negotiations.
Become really good at something, and you can name your price.
Owner Frank Tilghman likes what he sees. Thieving bartender… not so much.
Why is he standing there watching all the chaos?
When Dalton arrives at the Double Deuce, there’s a lot of shady stuff going on including illegal gambling, drug dealing, prostitution, and fighting to name a few. However, Dalton stood at the bar on his first night and merely observed the carnage. Nothing more. “Why is he just standing there?” my son asked. “Shouldn’t he be doing something?”
Nope.
Again, I paused the movie and explained: When you are coming into a change management endeavor, the first thing you want to do is carefully observe and understand the current state of affairs. One cannot solve problems if they do not know what the problems are.
I’ve discerned a number of consultants and managers who come into an operation to change for the better without knowing one thing about it. These people are arrogant narcissists who only make things worse. They are either trying to make some quick cash from their victims or are on their management job hopping tour. Either way, the enterprise would do better without them.
Someone like Dalton makes astute observations, pinpoints the most severe issues, then acts. That’s why Dalton makes $500 a night (which is around $1,200 in today’s money!).
Dalton observing and taking mental notes.
Can he really fire those people?
You think you work with bad employees? During Dalton’s initial observation, he noted employees engaged in violence, drug dealing, stealing, and “inappropriate behavior” in the breakroom. How did Dalton handle this? He fired them all, each one, the same night.
As a 21st century teen, my son was baffled Dalton could do that. Afterall, doesn’t he have to do a PIP and go through HR?
Dalton was HR.
He made it crystal clear to everyone it was, “my way or the highway” and secured full backing of the owner.
Dalton was smart to bag bad employees immediately. Nothing can bring a team, group, or even a whole company down like tolerating bad employees, especially those engaged in inappropriate or illicit behavior.
Moreover, Dalton fired bad customers by having clearly defined criteria and a process for removing unruly patrons. One must remember not all customers are good customers. Sometimes you have to fire a customer for the benefit of your own business.
Dalton takes out the trash. Bad employees not happy about being fired.
Why does he want people to be nice?
Dalton’s there to intimidate and not be nice right?
Wrong.
Dalton want’s his employees to remember they are doing a job. “It’s nothing personal,” he tells them. Even if a bad patron makes unflattering remarks about your grandmother… “be nice”.
What Dalton is really instilling in his staff is professionalism. Professionals don’t let things get to them. They do their job, do it well, and do it professionally.
As professionals, Dalton can also rely on his team to handle tough situations. Dalton let’s his other coolers handle situations. Dalton only gets involved as an escalation point. This builds confidence among his team. They know they are empowered to oversee problems. His crew follows Dalton’s three-part mantra:
Never underestimate your opponent, and expect the unexpected.
Take it outside.
Be nice.
Be nice, even when you're not doing particularly nice but necessary things. Be professional.
Dalton is a pro and “takes it outside”. Rule #2 of Dalton’s mantra.
Why is he not angry about people trashing his car?
Another surprise to any American teen boy is the nonchalant attitude Dalton has over the repeated vandalization of his car. Why does he brush it off? Does he even care?
Remember, Dalton hid his nice Mercedes-Benz in a barn and bought an old piece of junk to drive to work. This wasn’t his first gig, and he foresaw the animosity and negative reactions to the changes he was making. Dalton knew that “it will get worse before it gets better.”
The fact is, whether you are cleaning up a seedy roadhouse, or improving operations in a tech firm, there will be those who will resist change and vandalize your 1965 Buick Riviera. That’s fine. Remember how you’re paying for that 1987 Mercedes 560SEC in the barn.
Dalton always has spare tires in his junker Buick.
After the first 20 minutes or so following Dalton’s successful bar rescue, the film takes a strange, albeit entertaining turn. But I’m convinced that the most valuable lessons are at the beginning. In fact, business schools should show “Roadhouse” as part of the curriculum! What do you think? What other lessons does 1989’s Roadhouse teach? Let me know in the comments. With that, I leave you with this quote:
I want you to be nice... until it's time... to not be nice.
— James Dalton, ‘Roadhouse’ (1989)
Taking a stroll down late-night tv, we’re joined by Katie of the Retromade podcast to discuss our memories of USA Up All Night.