Edge of Tomorrow is a science fiction action film featuring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and a bunch of scary aliens. The film tells of the story of Major William Cage, a public relations officer with zero combat experience, who is busted down to private, and then forced to participate in an ill-fated invasion effort to liberate mainland Europe from alien invaders. The invasion is a disaster, but after being infected by super alien blood, Cruise wakes up the previous day with the super power of living in a time loop where he re-experiences the massacre over and over again, along with the memories and learnings from previous experiences. It’s a super fun movie and like any great Tom Cruise flick, there’s a whole bunch of great professional lessons baked in. Here are three takeaways from Edge of Tomorrow.
Practice makes perfect
A central theme of the film is that a cowardly misfit of a soldier can, through rigorous and seemingly endless training, become a super soldier. The film neatly compresses this in an entertaining way. But the premise and morale of the story is pretty clear. If you seek to master something, nothing substitutes for training and experience. Want to learn a skill to put on a resume – find a way, be it volunteerism or within your current role to take it on. Do it again and again, whether it’s writing a news release, presenting to a group of colleagues or providing “radical candor” to a colleague until you become so pro. Practice again and again – just don’t die doing it like Private Cage.
Failure is a great teacher
Try, fail and try again. Ideally with input and pointers from a mentor like Emily Blunt’s character. It can be super frustrating (imagine how frustrating it was for Cage to die the 200th time), but you’ll eventually see the results of your efforts. If you have trouble embracing failure, consider having a look at these articles in INC.com and Forbes. Then consider how you can focus on your own grit. John has a great article on why grit is so critical to long-term success.
Don’t be cocky
One of the first things that gets Cage in big trouble is his arrogance. He ignores good common sense of reading the room. His arrogance is startling, and before he knows it, he’s been busted down to the rank of private and sent to Heathrow to be loaded in with the rest of the infantry as the depart for the big invasion. Being arrogant or cocky with a superior is just a terrible idea – particularly in a first-interaction. It will just about always betray, alienate potential allies and force you to make up some serious ground with future interactions if you get any.