I, like a lot of other middle-aged men who grew up with the originals, am excited about the new Superman movie. A lifetime of Hollywood screwing it up after a good start might – just might – be turning around with the new vision. DC Studios brought in a safe pair of hands in James Gunn, hopefully, a proven visionary who can finally give us (and, more importantly, the kids that are really the audience) a splendid 10-year extravaganza of superhero fun now that the folks at Marvel have lost their way.
Made me think. The last 10 years of dark and broody Superman, inconsistent Wonder Woman, disappointing Flash and unfortunate Aquaman (let’s not mention Blue Beetle) could not be saved by Batman… whose dark and brooding early success really caused this whole mess. Success can be a dangerous thing.
The Springboks, under Harry Viljoen/Heyneke Meyer/Alister Coetzee/Peter de Villiers all started with BIG! BOLD! EXCITING! New visions to play like the All Blacks, their more fancied rivals. It never worked, and all of them either quit/got fired/withdrew into a conservative lager with average results. Peter de Villiers I hold most responsible: Early success made him over-reliant on key players, and he didn’t use his foundation to build a solid base for continued success. But back to the Comic Book movies!
If you find an approach that works, the temptation is to assume it’s the formula. Instead of treating success as the result of thoughtful decisions and deliberate execution, you start believing it’s about a single ingredient – the tone, the strategy, or even just the people involved.
That’s exactly what happened to Warner Bros. with the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
After the Dark Knight trilogy’s massive success, Warner Bros. had every reason to believe that dark and gritty was the future of superhero films. And for Batman, it was. But then they applied that same approach to Superman, a character built on hope and optimism, and suddenly, things didn’t feel right.
Then came another misstep – rushing to replicate Marvel’s integrated universe strategy without laying the foundation first. Instead of giving characters time to develop in their own films, Warner Bros. jumped straight to Justice League, hoping that if they just put all the heroes in one movie, they’d get the same billion-dollar results as The Avengers.
It didn’t work. Because while Marvel built its cinematic universe with patience and clear priorities – what EOS would call Rocks – DC kept chasing shortcuts and trends without focusing on what truly mattered.
It’s a lesson for every business. If you focus only on the outcome and not the process, you’re setting yourself up to fail.
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was a masterpiece. It worked because Nolan understood Batman. His world is built on shadows, moral ambiguity, and internal conflict. A grounded, realistic take fits perfectly.
But when Zack Snyder applied the same dark, brooding aesthetic to Man of Steel, the reception was mixed. Superman is not Batman. He’s not driven by trauma or vengeance – he’s a beacon of hope. By trying to force him into a darker, grittier mould, they put the wrong character in the wrong seat.
This is a mistake many companies make. They find something that works in one context and assume it’s universal. However, not every leader should be a visionary CEO. Not every great salesperson makes a great manager. Not every team thrives under the same leadership style.
Before assigning a key role – or assuming one strategy works for everything – ask yourself: is this the right person in the right seat? Or are you forcing Superman to act like Batman?
Instead of following Marvel’s approach – establishing individual characters with standalone movies before bringing them together – Warner Bros. tried to skip steps. They rushed from Man of Steel to Batman v Superman to Justice League without properly developing their characters or stories.
Marvel, on the other hand, spent years building up to The Avengers. They introduced Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk in their own films. By the time they came together, audiences knew them, understood their dynamics, and cared.
DC’s approach was like a business trying to scale before it had a solid foundation. Imagine launching a massive product expansion without testing the market, training the team, or refining the core offer. It’s a recipe for disaster.
How to Apply This in Your Business
If your leadership meetings feel unstructured or reactionary – where you’re discussing the same problems over and over instead of solving them – it’s time to implement Level 10 Meetings.
👉 Prompt for ChatGPT:
"I want to implement the EOS Level 10 Meeting structure with my leadership team. Help me create a step-by-step guide for running these meetings, including a sample agenda, time breakdowns, best practices for keeping discussions focused, and a checklist to ensure accountability and follow-through after each meeting."
Marvel’s success wasn’t an accident. They didn’t just throw characters together and hope for the best. They had a long-term plan, with clear priorities at every stage.
They built individual stories first.
They adjusted tone depending on the character (Iron Man was witty and modern, Thor leaned into mythic fantasy, Captain America was patriotic and earnest).
They committed to a consistent universe while allowing creative flexibility within it.
Compare that to DC, where each movie seemed to react to the last failure (Justice League was re-edited to be lighter after Batman v Superman was criticised for being too dark). Instead of sticking to a clear vision and executing deliberately, they kept shifting direction, never allowing anything to fully develop.
It’s the same in business. If you don’t set clear Rocks – your top priorities – every quarter, you’ll end up reacting to whatever happens instead of executing with focus. The core vision needs to be cascaded down, and clear accountabilities need to be defined within the team for the components of executing that vision. Otherwise, external pressures can quickly cause problems, especially if the “powers that be” want to start chasing the next trend.
If your team isn’t crystal clear on who is responsible for what, you need to implement a FACe (Function Accountability Chart). Just like Marvel made sure every character had a unique role within their cinematic universe, your company needs defined functions, an accountable person for each, and a lag metric to measure success.
👉 Prompt for ChatGPT:
"I want to implement a Function Accountability Chart (FACe) in my business to clarify roles, ensure accountability, and align each function with a measurable lag metric. Help me create a template for defining functions, assigning accountable leaders, and setting the right lag metrics. Also, provide guidance on how to roll this out to my leadership team and use it in ongoing strategy discussions."
One of DC’s biggest failures was setting big-picture goals (build a cinematic universe!) without breaking them into lead actions – the daily and weekly steps that actually get you there. A 90-day Rock needs clear execution steps.
👉 Prompt for ChatGPT:
"I have set my 90-day Rocks, but my team struggles with translating them into actionable steps. Help me break a Rock into measurable lead actions, define key milestones, and set up a tracking system to ensure we stay on course. Include a template for weekly check-ins and ways to adjust if we fall behind."
PG’s PRO TIP: Build Before You Scale
DC tried to copy Marvel’s success without putting in the work. They wanted The Avengers without the years of groundwork. That’s like trying to build a skyscraper without a foundation – it will collapse under its own weight.
The same applies to business. You can’t skip steps. You can’t force a strategy that doesn’t fit your strengths. And you can’t expect to scale successfully if you haven’t built something stable first.
The companies that win – just like the teams that win – are the ones that take the time to get it right. So before you chase the big moment, ask yourself:
Are you setting the right Rocks? Do you have the right people in the right seats? Are you solving issues at their root – or just reacting to problems as they come?
The best results come from patience, clarity, and execution. Build first. Then win.
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