Management Lessons from the Sopranos

CIO — Many companies try to promote a family atmosphere, but there are families and there are “families,” as fans of The Sopranos know quite well. As a corporate manager, particularly in the information technology arena, you can probably learn quite a bit from the hands-on style of the Sopranos’ Godfather, Tony—both in terms of what to do and what not to do.

First of all, as Tony likes to say, “Let’s get one thing straight.” Or as my own father said, “Don’t screw around with Uncle Sam.” The overt and the more subtle illegality of much of the Sopranos’ business and the way it is carried out is not meant to be a model for information managers. The fact is that most of Tony’s DiMeo crime family has done time, along with the members of the family’s chief rival, the Lupertazzis. Others are under indictment, and as most viewers know, many are under surveillance. Nor is it this article’s intention to suggest that Tony’s chief information strategy be adopted by reputable businesses: namely, destroying and shredding any possible paper trail at the first whiff of investigation, unless you want to be invited to visit a grand jury.

Leadership Style
Still, it doesn’t take an org chart to admire Tony’s leadership style. He is very much “hands on.” His underlings, from captains on down, know exactly where they stand. Tony likes to be loved and admired, but he has no trouble being feared and respected.

If you watch the show regularly, you have to marvel at how Tony keeps a warm personal relationship with his cohorts and yet also keeps his professional distance. All of his subordinates know there is a line that is not to be crossed. Tony can be extremely generous with his colleagues—as he was with his pal Artie Bucco, who owns Nuovo Vesuvio, the Italian restaurant where the family has its “meetings.” But when the business was threatened, everything became “strictly business,” as when the restaurant was burned down.

You could do well to emulate Tony’s ability to be a pal to his colleagues when it’s appropriate—he throws lavish parties and is warm and friendly unless threatened. On the other hand, he is ruthless and calculating if something or someone threatens the bottom line.

Tolerance for Personal Differences—Up to a Point
How Tony handles the personal foibles of others is also revealing. When one of his “best performers” and a family man on the surface turned out to be a closet homosexual, Tony was willing to look the other way, partly because of a long personal relationship with the man’s family. But again, when the man’s sexual preferences became public knowledge and a threat to the business itself—because it ran so counter to the grain of the “culture” of the mob families and threatened the DiMeo family’s reputation—Tony realized that he had to cut his losses.

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