CareerTOOLBOX #33: 10 Business Lessons Mad Men Taught Us

What Women and Men Can Learn from Don Draper and Team

April 13 commences the seventh and final season of Mad Men, the iconic 1960s period drama that first took our breaths away back in 2007. The clothes, the style, the affairs, oh my!

At the heart of all the intrigue and the betrayals of this award-winning series is the office. At this office we’ve witnessed the iconic Kodak carrousel pitch, full of reference to Don’s happy marriage and the birth of his first two kids.

And we also watched, with great shock, the Hershey’s pitch where Don discloses to the client that he grew up in a whore house. These two presentations demonstrate Don Draper’s arc as a man, a husband, a father and an ad executive. This arc, and everything that happens within it, teaches those of us who have been in one business setting or another the behaviors, consequences and lessons of what success and failure looks like, feels like and even smells like.

I asked Anita Myers, a licensed Life Coach who also spent a couple of decades in Corporate America, to chime in and offer her observations. We both adore this show and here’s our list of lessons — some very hard lessons — carefully observed and deconstructed from one of the best television shows in American history:

1. Dress the Part. Yes, you can argue all you want that it’s what’s inside that matters. But, the reality is that a good suit and the right tight dress will get you further up the ladder than any amount of personality ever will. Looking good and looking like success breeds more success. So if you want a promotion, invest in the uniform, the good hair, the right manicure and the expensive shoes. Don, Peggy, Pete and Joan all know this.

2. Be Prepared. Per Anita, “Don does the needed research and leans upon the perspective of personal connection and longevity of consumer appreciation when pitching the concept.” Again, watch his pitches on YouTube. Even when he’s hungover or going on no sleep, Don still knows his client often better than the client knows itself.

3. Prepare to Sacrifice. Whether Peggy giving up a baby or Joan giving it up to a client in order to earn firm partnership, each woman knew what she had to give up in order to get a seat at the big boy’s table. In no way are their extreme choices something that one would advocate today. But, they are extreme for a reason, as they question our own set of beliefs and morals — what are we each willing to do, to lose, to gain something we want more than anything else?

4. Know Your Self-Worth. Anita observes, “Don doesn’t need an introduction. He doesn’t even sweat his name not being on the company door. He is fully aware of his abilities; his appearance, demeanor and delivery naturally introduce any prospect a man who is ready to come to the table to inform and convince the idea that wins.” Because when you know yourself, really know yourself, others will know you, too.

5. Lead The Team. Or Be Led. Every character on Mad Men has a chance to shine in the spotlight. And makes room for others to shine, too. It took Peggy several seasons to prove herself. It took Pete several, too. But, ultimately, each had to win a big account in order to earn the respect of those around them. Because the accounts pay the bills. There’s no grey here. Win the deal or lose your power.

6. It’s Your Personal Life. Or Your Work Life. You Choose. Most characters on Mad Men — at least those who have to earn their own keep, so neither of Don’s wives apply here — have had to put boundaries around their own personal needs or their family in order to deliver at work. I can’t even recount how many dinners I’ve had to cancel or weekends that were cut short in order to research, rally, prepare and finalize a presentation. Thinking that companies work otherwise is being naive on what companies today demand.

7. Be Loyal. Or Be Done. Per Anita, “This is something that Don Draper exudes brilliantly in business through his actions and opinions. He builds loyalty through selling experiences instead of the simple product as it is. He would rather keep the clients who went with his agency when they were struggling (Heinz Beans over Heinz Ketchup). ‘Sometimes you’ve got to dance with the one who brung ya.’ That kind of thinking and execution can be the difference between staying power and going under.”

8. Get Thick Skin. Or Get Out of the Game. There’s a lot of inappropriate conversation that happens in the offices of Mad Men. There’s also a lot of drinking. And smoking. And petting. And other things that we would all scoff at in today’s PC times. By no means am I advocating sexual harassment. What I am saying is if you’re easily offended and like to complain often about how others treat you, the Business World will have you for lunch. So find another way to earn a living.

9. “The Times They Are a Changing.” From the time we first meet the cast of Mad Men, in the early ’60s, the show continues to signal to us how America grew during that tumultuous yet fiscally thriving time and how the staff evolves, too. It moves from white men to including women and minorities. It’s reflected in the open discussions about music and politics and culture. In what’s acceptable and what no longer is. Not one season of Mad Men ever rests on its laurels or gives you the ‘ol, “This is how we do things” kiss of death. Certain corporations can learn from this.

10. Your Coworkers Are Your Friends. Even when they are at each other’s throats most, even when they don’t know who they can really trust, Don, Peggy, Joan, Pete and Roger continue to rely on each other and lean on one another to get through not just the office politics, but, also, their day, their families and their lives.

Thank you, Mad Men, for showing us the truth of things. We can’t wait for Season 7.

[Poster (detail): IMBd.com]