What do all villains have in common? They are the reason ‘good’ exists. They challenge and question the status quo. They tend to shake things up a bit and after they’re through and done things have changed – usually for the better! Granted, sometimes sacrifices have to be made but as the saying goes, what is good doesn’t come easy. It is to say that the good which comes from a villain in the end is worth the cost of the sacrifices made. This doesn’t just apply to films or literature, it also applies to the work environment – especially those which deal in creative mediums.

Working in a creative medium is tough work. You are involved in a never-ending competition with not only every other studio out there, but yourself! Each project is about topping your previous work or someone else’s work. This is exactly why you need a villain. Someone who isn’t going to accept things for the way they are and question them at any cost – someone who isn’t afraid. Sure, you can think to yourself, “Aren’t they going to be a liability.” Yes, there is that possibility but, someone who questions, deters from the game-plan, who won’t take yes for an answer and will rebel is not someone who is apathetic. Quite the opposite, they breathe, sweat, and bleed the work they’re doing! They want to produce the best, not just for the integrity of their studio, but for their own ego. After all, we’re all just human and self preservation is human nature.

What this villain will provide to the studio or team is a constant breath  of fresh air. A new perspective on how to look at a problem allowing the entire team to explore ideas which might not have been thought of before. Someone who is a ‘rails’ worker, and simply is set on cruise control until they reach their destination will provide the team with zero constructive input. The other possibility is having an honest decent hard worker who does care about the project and is generally a nice person. They will make suggestions and do their best to make sure that their actions will benefit the team but they’re unwilling (or not ready) to make the sacrifices which are sometimes needed. They don’t know how to push hard enough. A villain isn’t fazed by these constraints. They will push as hard as possible to ensure that they’re heard, no matter what the cost. They’re on a mission and nothing but their agenda – which coincidently is to produce their best work – is the only agenda on their mind.

Even though a villain might drive the team crazy at times, with their ideas and thoughts or perhaps seems like a complete nightmare to a project manager / producer in the end they will be one of your best resources during the lifetime of a project. You can forget about bosses, managers, or executives, nothing will get in their way. These ‘villains’ will speak their mind and push the team, and project to it’s limits. Their passion and energy which you might have fought at the beginning will be the same passion and energy which will help the team reach it’s destination during the final stretch. So do yourself a favor and make sure you have a villain in your professional environment. After all, conflict does breed creativity.