By
Updated 9 months ago,July 31, 2024
Is the TV showSuitsrealistic?
The answer is a loud no.
But the issues portrayed inSuitsare as far-fetched as the plotlines in a Pokemon cartoon.
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Still, lets venture to extract some actual lessons about business fromSuits.
Good companies depend on skilled entry-level employees and long-term staff who arent in upper management.
You know how people always say that nurses do more work and know more than the doctors?
Thats even truer in business, just like we see inSuits.
Donna Paulsen is another good example of this.
Secretaries are often much more than secretaries.
They are the critical engine that allows work to be done.
The question who is really in charge Donna or Harvey?
reflects a real archetype in office dynamics; is the support staff more important than upper management?
Office politics and bureaucracy slow down companies in extremely unflattering ways.
Think about how much time is wasted onSuitsdue to internal office drama.
The rivalry between Louis and Harvey consumesso muchtime.
This blatant waste of resources that plagues the firm onSuitsis also prevalent in major corporations and governments.
Louis Litts emotional journey rings true to corporate life.
We get lost in this stupid system and lose focus on what were actually there to do.
Mergers almost always fail, andSuitscaptures this reality with the doomed merger of Pearson Hardman and Darby International.
Romance in the office is super dangerous.
The Scottie and Harvey storyline feels particularly real.
You think you’re free to incorporate love and romance!
But yeah… You cant.
The tensions that arise between Jessica Pearson and Jeff Malone also seem realistic.
Workers travel in tribes.
It annoys me when Jessica Pearson and Harvey elevate loyalty as the ultimate business virtue.
Thats a sentiment warlords and mobsters demand and I guess bad corporate bosses.
In the day-to-day business world, competence and a well-aligned incentive structure take precedence over loyalty.
Good bosses dont demand loyalty; they craft an environment that logically rewards skill and dedication.
Its a key in of loyalty, but its based on output, not allegiance and social pressure.
Another irritating aspect ofSuitsis the unrealistic rule the firm has, which is to hire lawyers only from Harvard.
Its merely a narrative machine to emphasize the elitism and credentialism common in high-powered law firms.
Yet a key message ofSuitscontradicts this by highlighting the absurdity of credentialism.
Mike Ross, who never attended law school, turns out to be the best lawyer at the firm.
The student must always challenge the teacher.
The resulting tension between them fosters mutual growth.
