🚨 Season 2 | Episode 24 of the Hard Knock University Podcast 🎧 Hosted by Mark Caples & Seth Caples 🎓 Sponsored by SMG Academy

What do Elvis Presley, Colonel Tom Parker, and a suspiciously long contract have to do with your busted project timeline?

In this episode, we sit down with Mark Sebby, founder of SMG Academy (our Season 2 sponsor!), to talk about the leadership fails and lessons in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic. From manipulation masked as mentorship to why poor leadership decisions cost more than just money—this episode is packed with grit, laughter, and some seriously uncomfortable truths.

🎬 We break down:

• What the Elvis movie teaches us about toxic management

• The myth of loyalty over logic

• How to lead when the spotlight’s on someone else

• Project management lessons from rock and roll history

💡 Spoiler alert: If your Colonel's taking 50%, it ain’t a partnership—it’s a prison.

👊 This one’s for the leaders trying to build something epic without selling their soul—or their schedule.

📚 Check out the book: https://leadershipknocks.com/book 🎥 Watch more: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadershipKnocks 📩 Subscribe to the Substack: www.LeadershipKnocks.com

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In this hilarious and brutally honest episode of the Hard Knock University Podcast, host Mark Caples breaks down The Devil Wears Prada — not as a fashion drama, but as a masterclass in toxic leadership, stakeholder management, and surviving executive egos.

👠 What can Miranda Priestly teach us about authority, decision fatigue, and burnout? 📋 How does Andy Sachs mirror the journey of every entry-level project manager trying to survive corporate chaos? 💼 And what’s the cost of delivering excellence in a dysfunctional system?

Mark dishes out #HardKnockLessons from this iconic film with grit, humor, and real-world takeaways from the trenches of construction and leadership.

💥 Subscribe to the podcast → https://www.youtube.com/@LeadershipKnocks 📚 Grab the book → https://leadershipknocks.com/book 📰 Read the Substack Dispatch → www.LeadershipKnocks.com

Join Mark Caples, Seth Caples, and Chris Day as they break down the 1997 thriller "The Devil's Advocate" through the lens of leadership and project management. Discover how Al Pacino's Satan character demonstrates both brilliant strategic planning and catastrophic leadership failures.

In this episode, we explore:

• Kevin Lomax's moral descent and ethical compromises
• John Milton's manipulative leadership tactics
• Free will vs. determinism in decision-making
• Project management lessons from the devil himself
• Biblical and theological discussions on good vs. evil
• Behind-the-scenes facts about the film

We rate Satan's performance as both a project manager (4.5/5) and leader (2.5/5), analyzing his strengths in vision and motivation against his weaknesses in empathy and humility.

Whether you're interested in leadership development, project management, or philosophical discussions about morality and choice, this deep dive offers unique insights into one of the 90s' most thought-provoking films.

📚 Mentioned Resources:

• "The Hard Knock School of Project Management" by Mark Caples
• "The Devil and Philosophy" by Robert Arc
• Chris Day's theological writings at ChristopherCDay.com

🎯 Subscribe for more movie breakdowns through the leadership lens!