Oscar-Worthy Management Advice from Al Pacino

Pacino has words for you in "Glengarry Glen Ross"

As Oscar winner Al Pacino makes his return to the stage in Glengarry Glen Ross, we combed through his filmography for the best (and loudest) managerial words of wisdom.

Dick Tracy (1990)

Big Boy Caprice, Prohibition-era gangster

Lesson: Give back to the community.

“A big boss must have a vision,” Caprice explains. “We gotta town with thousands of small stores and businesses. People are working real hard. I think they should be working real hard. For us. Because we are for the people.”

Any Given Sunday (1999)

Tony D’Amato, head football coach of the Miami Sharks

Lesson: Motivational speeches don’t have to be lame.

In a rousing locker room monologue, D’Amato inspires his millionaire players and earns their respect. “You find out life’s this game of inches; so is football,” he says. “Because in either game—life or football—the margin for error is so small.”

The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

John Milton, morally corrupt lawyer (he’s also Satan)

Lesson: Keep a low profile.

“Don’t get too cocky my boy,” Milton tells overachieving defense attorney Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves). “No matter how good you are, don’t ever let them see you coming. That’s the gaffe my friend. You gotta keep yourself small. Innocuous. Be the little guy. You know, the nerd, the leper, s—-kickin’ surfer.”

The Godfather trilogy (1972, 1974, 1990)

Michael Corleone, mob boss and youngest son of Don Vito Corleone

Lesson: Keep an open dialogue with your competition.

“There are many things my father taught me here in this room,” Michael says, “He taught me: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

Scarface (1983)

Tony Montana, cartel boss

Lesson: Don’t wait for the perfect job to come along.

As he tells Elvira Hancock (Michelle Pfeiffer): “You know what your problem is? You don’t got nothing to do with your life. Why don’t you get a job? Work with lepers. Blind kids. Anything’s gotta be better than lying around all day.”

The Insider (1999)

Lowell Bergman, TV producer for 60 Minutes

Lesson: Value your clients.

When biologist Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), is a hesitant whistleblower at a major American tobacco company, Bergman reassures him: “To a network—probably—we’re all commodities. To me? You are not a commodity. What you are is important.”