In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, there is a scene that has become iconic: two men face each other in the Sad Hill Cemetery. One is armed and the other is digging. In that moment, the world is reduced in a brutal, almost caricatured way to two simple categories: those who hold power and those who have no choice but to obey.
In reality, those who have a choice… and those who do not.
Of course, life most often consigns us to one category or the other. Breaking free from a given condition is often difficult, and sometimes quite simply impossible, depending on personal history and family, social or even geographical origins.
In the film, the two men nevertheless share a similar context. At the outset, there was nothing that predetermined which side they would end up on. But a single element shifts the balance: a loaded Colt in Blondie’s hand. From that moment on, the order of things is clear.
This Colt deserves closer attention. Whether physical or symbolic, it embodies power. The power to decide, to impose, to compel. When used well, it creates structure. When misused, it crushes. And this is how our world becomes segmented and hierarchical.
Power takes many forms: organisational, parental, political, economic… the list goes on.
The company stands precisely at the intersection of these forms of power. A true Venn diagram that calls for specific skills to navigate, sometimes even a certain talent.
So, would you rather work for Blondie, Tuco or Sentenza?
The real question may not be a matter of preference, but rather the capacity to work with a Good, a Bad or an Ugly.
The managerial Colt nevertheless leaves damage in its wake. It is often wielded by fearful managers, unsure of themselves and their abilities. More rarely, though it does happen, some leaders act with ill intent. By contrast, what kind of Colt do you wield?
These lines do not advocate taking up arms to escape power. Rather, they invite an uncomfortable reflection on the power we endure and exert over others.
Because, whether we like it or not, we are all someone’s Good, Bad or Ugly at some point.
