2. The Spanish Netflix series, Money Heist, has taken the world by
storm, with its final season being watched by over 69 million viewers
globally.
The show revolves around a mysterious ‘Professor’ and his crew of 8
thieves, who aim to break into the Royal Mint of Spain and mint 240
billion Euros.
But apart from its thrilling storyline and complex but captivating
characters, the show also has some essential workplace management
and team-building lessons hidden within it.
MONEY HEIST
3. 5 team-building and management lessons from Money Heist:
1) Recruit Right
The Professor spent painstaking years trying to create the right team,
each of them having mastery in one key element of the plan. He
chose ambitious individuals who had little to lose in life and would
give their all to the plan.
The crew had unique strengths: for example, Nairobi was an expert
counterfeiter who was in charge of minting, Moscow brought in his
mining expertise to dig the tunnel, and Rio was a master hacker.
But not only in their skill sets, the crew also had diversity in gender
and sexuality, bringing different perspectives to the table.
4. 2) Training &Team-building
Simply hiring the right team is not enough! They also
need to be able to work together smoothly as well as be
trained in their specific task.
The Professor knew this well, and thus spent 5 months
training his recruits.
During this time, they also got closer together and
began to work in cohesion, while the Professor did his
best to address the differences between them in a calm
manner.
5. 3) The Manager Makes the Team
The Professor knew each member of his team in and out; in fact, he
recruited Tokyo by winning her trust.
He built a good coordination and rapport with the members and had their
utmost respect. Because of the implicit trust his team had in him, they were
willing to follow through in his often fatal plans talking about planning, the
Professor envisioned all scenarios and trained his crew to be ready for
unexpected situations.
Indeed, the first step for a successful project is end-to-end planning with
each member of the team aware of their role.
Finally, as the leader, he was constantly supportive and protective of his
team, as is seen in his desperation to help Berlin recover.
6. 4) Shared Values & Purpose
The team, however different in their talents and
personalities, are united by a common mission—to
carry out the greatest heist in history. Moreover, by
minting money, they are not stealing the public’s
money.
The main goal was priority over any one member. This
is how strongly employees should feel about the
organization's goal as well. Having shared purpose and
values is key for employee engagement.
7. 5) Autonomy
While the Professor outlined the greater plan, he also gave his crew
enough freedom to make decisions and adapt the plan accordingly
during critical moments.
These included Tokyo taking over as a leader when the Professor
was caught, and Denver saving both his and Monica’s life by
deviating from the script. However, at the heart of this autonomy
were the values of the team—simply make the money and avoid
bloodshed.
This shows how the Professor, as a manager, not only had his
team’s trust but also trusted them, and was able to inculcate the
right culture in his team.
8. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Sergio Marquina a.k.a. The Professor
The outwardly nerdy and socially awkward Professor is the last
person anyone would suspect of masterminding a heist. Afflicted
with illness, Sergio spent most of his childhood in a hospital bed. His
mother died of a degenerative disease called Helmers myopathy, and
his father was killed during an attempted bank robbery.
This backstory is where Money Heist Professor developed his
motive: Sergio then spent the rest of his life refining a plan for the
perfect heist that his father had dreamed up: laying siege to the Royal
Mint and printing his own money, so that technically he would be
stealing from no one and harming no one after the success of this
initial heist, the Professor goes on to plan the higher-stakes Bank of
Spain job in Money Heist seasons 2 and 3, in which he also comes
out on top in the end.
9. Silene Oliveira a.k.a Tokyo
● An incurable thrill seeker, Tokyo suffered the tragic loss of the
love of her life when he was shot dead during their robbery of an
armoured truck. Unfortunately, her story doesn't end any less
tragically, as Money
● Heist season 5 kills Tokyo off in a shocking moment from episode
5 in which she sacrifices herself to save Denver and Manila.
● Little is known about Tokyo’s childhood, but her mother took part
in a sting operation in the hopes that she would be brought in
unscathed by the police.
● The Professor intervened, telling Tokyo that the cops planned to
shoot her on sight. Tokyo's mother then died during the preparation
for the Royal Mint heist.
● Hot-headed and daring, Tokyo has a tendency to be a ticking time
bomb during robberies, which is also what makes her one of the
most compelling Money Heist characters.
10. Andrés de Fonollosa a.k.a. Berlin
● A suave jewel thief, its revealed before Berlin’s
death in Money Heist season 1 part 2 that the
character, played by Pedro Alonso, is actually the
Professor’s older brother.
● Like their mother, he suffers from Helmer's
myopathy.
● He uses drugs to control the pain and tremors, but
the disease has left him with merely three years
left to live
11. Ágata Jiménez a.k.a. Nairobi
● A former drug dealer and expert forger, Nairobi’s backstory is
focused on how she lost custody of her son, Axel, when he was
three years old.
● After Nairobi left him alone for a few minutes to go and collect
some pills, Axel went onto the balcony to call for her.
● In Money Heist season 1 Nairobi’s plan is to get rich and then
● take Axel back, but she later accepts that he’s better off in his
new home and sets her sights on becoming a mother for a
second time, so that she can do things right.
● Sadly, Nairobi’s second chance is cut short when she is fatally
shot in the head in Money Heist season 4.
12. Aníbal Cortés a.k.a. Rio
● The youngest member of the team, Rio (Miguel
Herrán) was still a teenager during the Royal Mint
heist. He’s a skilled hacker who got started in the
world of crime committing cyber attacks, and was
recruited by the Professor for his talent with
computers.
● Rio is one of few original gang members to
survive all the way until the successful completion
of the Bank of Spain heist.
13. Agustín Ramos a.k.a. Moscow
● The original Money Heist job, the Royal Mint of
Spain, wouldn’t have succeeded without Moscow.
● A veteran robber, Moscow (Paco Tous) spent much
of his life in and out of prison.
● His main talent is for digging through walls, so the
Professor recruits him to be in charge of digging the
tunnel out of the Royal Mint.
14. Daniel Ramos a.k.a. Denver
• Though he has Money Heist’s most annoying laugh,
Denver (Jaime Lorente) is also a largely likable
character.
• He had a rough start in life, born to a drug-addicted
mother and a criminal father.
• Denver spent most of his childhood getting into fights
with anyone who tried to mess with him, and as he
entered adulthood he soon fell into the same criminal
lifestyle as his parents.
15. Mirko Dragic a.k.a. Helsinki
● Helsinki survives Money Heist season 5 part’s
ending. Though he’s often affectionately called
’teddy bear’ Helsinki (Darko Perić) has a dark
backstory that’s little spoken about. Born in Serbia,
he was a soldier in the Yugoslav Wars and has been
described as a war criminal.
● Following his time in the army, Helsinki turned to a
life of crime along with other members of his family
and was recruited by the Professor for his combat
skills
16. ● Mónica Gaztambide a.k.a. Stockholm
● Stockholm (Esther Acebo) was the secretary and
secret lover of the Royal Mint’s director,
● Arturo Román (Enrique Arce), and became pregnant
with his child.
● During the first heist in Money Heist she attempted
to smuggle a phone for Arturo and was caught.
● Berlin ordered Denver to kill her, but he was unable
to do so, and he instead shot her in the leg to make it
look like she’d been killed.
● Stockholm eventually became a collaborator in La
Casa de Papel’s Royal Mint heist and escaped with
the rest of the gang.
17. Raquel Murillo a.k.a. Lisbon
● Like Stockholm, Lisbon (Itziar Ituño) didn’t start out on
out on the robber’s side of the fence.
● She was the inspector who led the negotiations on the
on the Royal Mint heist, but ultimately fell in love with
with the Professor and started a new life with him,
joining the Money Heist season 4 Bank of Spain plan as
plan as his accomplice on the outside. She and the
the Professor both survive Money Heist season 5 and
and end up together.
18. Martín Berrote a.k.a. Palermo
● Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Palermo (Rodrigo de
(Rodrigo de la Serna) masterminded the plan
● for Money Heist’s Bank of Spain heist alongside Berlin.
Berlin.
● A heated exchange with Gandia (JoséManuel Poga)
19. STRATEGY & STRONG NETWORK BUILDING
Professor not only plan for the moves which law enforcing agencies will take but also studies
how they would react and protocol they will follow. In case they do not follow a protocol,
what should be his next move? In our corporate world, we are sometime biased and think that
things will move as we plan. But it is not the case. We have to understand and take into
consideration how our customer thinks, what our internal team thinks, partner thinks and chalk
out strategy to move forward and winning business and conduct smooth operations.
● Professor doesn’t depend only on "A-team", but also involves other people which would
help him at different stages.
● We, in corporate life, often work with a limited set of people. The final product is always
collaborative effort of the organization as whole. It is always good to know other people
outside our function and daily routine. Develop a network and relationship, within and
outside the company, and you never know, when you can help each other mutually,
probably in most difficult times.
20. Define role clearly along with 'critical to quality' skills to make a
good team
El Professor identified and hired all the team members of the robbery based upon their
strength. He laid down the CTQs in three parameters technical /function, behavioral
and emotional. He also invested for a couple of years to identify people based on the
skills required for the different roles fitting the CTQs and started preparing the talent
hunt well in advance rather than just in time for hiring. He hired people who were
passionate and who had nothing to lose in life. The team he hired was all high headed,
strong, and intelligent people and not who is comfortable to work with. For example,
Moscow was recruited into the team for his mining skills while Nairobi was in charge
of printing money and overseeing the melting of gold because she was an expert
counterfeiter and forger. He made a diverse team with a presence of 3 women, one from
LGBTQ and other members.
21. Succession planning & decision empowerment is important
El Professor anticipated that the Spanish army and police won't keep quiet during the
heist. Therefore, the professor has identified each team member's strengths and
weaknesses and has delegated the task and decision authority accordingly. Most
importantly, he envisaged surprises and shocks; therefore, to manage it, he has
identified successors for each person in case of any casualties. He did person-to-person
marking and devolution of power for the role and people adhering it. When Police
officer Alicia caught the professor, the robbers in the bank didn't hear from him;
however, they continued to work towards their mission and following orders of Tokyo
and Palermo. The message was clear to all of them; everything was part of the plan.
22. CONCLUSION
Like that famous quote says, “As in war, so in life.” Life is a battlefield, so show
up and battle the elements every single day. For this group of thieves, it’s them
against the authorities, and them against their own personal demons. The clock is
ticking, and it’s a battle to stay alive.
Sometimes, we’ll have to make tough sacrifices. Other times, the losing streak
will seem unending. But even when the chips are down, there will always be a
lucky break, a glimmer of hope, or a fortunate coincidence. Never lose faith―life
has a funny way of working itself out.
23. Final Thoughts
We’re wired to hate the bad guys in movies and TV shows. But with Money Heist, you
can’t help but root for The Professor and his masked, jumpsuit-wearing, and gun-toting
crew. The show is just a perfect blend of action, emotion, and brilliance with plenty of
Money Heist lessons on money and life dished out in each episode.
If you’ve been living under a rock and have not heard of this show, now’s the perfect
time to binge-watch! The Money Heist finale just aired, so try to avoid spoilers. Whether
you watch Money Heist in Spanish or English, you’re in for a treat!
