Leadership in Action (it’s the classics)

Seeing leadership in action is a great way to learn lessons, even if the situations and characters are fictional.  Below are questions to ponder gleaned from some of my favorite leadership moments from full movies, interesting, complex characters, to scenes from TV.  

ghandi (1982)

As we meet Ghandi, what are your impressions of him? What do we know about him that sets him apart from other characters immediately? “You have much to learn about the ways of men.” Within a few shots Ghandi goes from naïve interactor to “He has become quite good at this.” What facilitates Ghandi’s development as a influencer? What do you think are the most important character traits to learn about “the ways of men?” What is the role of the people surrounding Ghandi?
What made Ghandi into the leader he became?
Who were Ghandi’s mentors? How did they help him?
How does Ghandi respond to difficult situations? How does it differ than those around him? What are the leadership differences between Ghandi and Jinnah? What is the arc of Ghandi’s leadership journey? After all Ghandi accomplished, did he make a lasting impact? On whom? In the end, Ghandi believed he had failed. Why? What do you think? Jinnah has led his people to a new country as well – Pakistan. Did he do a better job of leading? Would he believe he succeeded? What influence did Ghandi have that he never intended or could have predicted? What does this mean about our view of leadership? 

invictus (2010)

What are Mandela’s first acts that cement his role as change agent? What is the change Mandela sees? Is it the same as those around him? What motivates Mandela to seek this change? What makes Mandela think he can accomplish this change? What allowed Mandela the optimism that carried him through the change process? At the beginning of Mandela’s tenure as President, he gathers the staff together and relays his vision of the future. “Change starts here.” What was the importance or impact of starting with his staff? The Springboks represent the apartheid system. What drove Mandela to use the rugby team? What symbols are most important to change? How does Mandela use symbols in his quest for change? When seeking change, when do you want to transform what exists and when do you need to start over? “The day I am afraid to risk my future as a leader is the day I am no longer fit to lead.” What does risk of oneself have to do with leadership? How does Mandela use tools like songs and poems to help him lead? Mandela asks, “how do we inspire ourselves and everyone around us to greatness?” How does this statement impact you? What do you think of Mandela as a leader? What leadership qualities are present in that statement? Mandela uses the phrase “I am the captain of my soul.” In what ways are we steering our own destinies? How does the sense of self‐responsibility feed into our leadership abilities? What does the movie say about expectations? What are the limitations of change? 

drumline (2002)

Should people blessed with incredible natural talent get a fast‐pass up the ranks of teams or organizations? What is Devon’s real challenge? The band plays EW&F under Dr. Lee. What is he educating them about? What is the purpose of making Devon polish the drums? Does it work? When Devon takes the spotlight with his solo – How was this helpful? How was it not? Was it “good“ for him? Was it “good” for the team? When are codes of conduct important to success? When do they get in the way of success? The coach of Morris says “lots of folks can’t read the word ‘toilet’, doesn’t mean they don’t know how to use one.” How does this attitude help people? How could it hurt them? If Devon already had talent, what did he have to learn that would make him a better musician? What did Dr. Lee learn that helped him lead the band to victory? Is it true that leaders should “like the sound of the line more than the sound of your drum.” When could this belief hinder a leader? 

shrek (2001)

What qualities draw you in to Shrek and cause you to immediately recognize him as a leader What do people fear about Shrek? What does it mean that the only one who could save Fiona was described as “true” (her one true love)? After Shrek insults Donkey trying to get rid of him, Donkey says “only a true friend would so cruel.” What does he mean? What causes Shrek to become a leader of the fairy creatures? How do Shrek and Donkey become a team? What is important about teamwork? How do they complement each other? How are they different/similar? What do you think the writers were trying to say when they called DuLoc the “perfect place”? Farquaad says, “some of you may die, but it’s a sacrifice I am willing to make.” What kind of leadership is this? Is it effective? Can it be? When might you employ this type of leadership? Shrek claims that ogres are like onions – they have layers. How does this apply to you? What about the people around you? How does this affect how we deal with people? Shrek leads Donkey across the dangerous bridge even though Donkey is afraid to go. What tools does Shrek use to get him across? “You were expecting Prince Charming?” How do our expectations get in the way of recognizing truth? Donkey is constantly panicking. Do you know people like this? How do you deal with them? What do Fiona and Shrek do? What causes Shrek to go back to his old way of relating to people? How and when do we retreat or revert to our “default”? How can we stop ourselves in our retreat? How can we help others stop? When does Shrek face his real fear? When does Fiona? What helps them confront their fear? How does facing their fears help them find true love? What does the spell really unlock? What are the differences between Shrek’s true self and Farquaad’s? Now that their true forms are revealed – do you feel that you knew their true selves even at the movie’s beginning? What allows other people to recognize truths about people even before the person themselves? 

the help (2009)

Right off the bat we encounter a leader in the book. Who is it? What sets her apart as a leader? Aibileen paints quite a picture of the women of Jackson. Their lives are split between public personas and private truths. What complications arise through this duality? Are the public faces hiding a reality? Can you be true to your authentic self and maintain a “public” face? How does the circle of white women operate? What rules do they follow? How does the circle of black women operate? Do they follow the same rules? In each women’s group there are leaders and followers. Can you identify each? How do the leaders within each group differ? What effect does the dynamic between black and white have within the circle of black women? Clearly throughout the book the white women have the traditional power. Given that this was the dynamic of the time, how do the women subjugated to them react to this power? There are those who misuse the power and those who don’t. What is the difference between them and what do you believe causes the differences? Miss Hilly is portrayed as horrible in many ways yet still the only wonderful mother. How do you think you can be wonderful in one area but still be a flawed person? How does this affect the way you see Miss Hilly? The central plot twist is the shift of control from the white employers to the black help. What facilitates this shift? Could it have occurred earlier? Courage is a central theme throughout the book. What examples illustrate each character’s courage? What does it mean to have real courage? The black women put themselves at tremendous risk helping Miss Skeeter. As a leader, how do you assess risk? How did the women look at risk and what did they conclude? A leader is someone who has followers. Miss Hilly has followers. Is she a leader? Does Miss Skeeter have followers? What is the difference in their leadership tactics (ways to ensure followers) and how does that make you think about your leadership when you are in the powerful position?  Ms. Stockett talks about the conflict of writing as a black woman when she is white. Her character Miss Skeeter wrestles with a similar problem that she is white but wants to bring the black women’s stories to light. What if you could tell a story that could facilitate change but it is not your story. There would be someone “better” to tell it, but they will or cannot come forward. Should you share their story? Was it courageous for Ms. Stockett to write this book or was it as Gretchen put it “another white woman trying to make a buck off of colored people”? 

the social network (2010)

Is the ruthlessness that Mark Zuckerberg exhibits a necessary trait in being a successful leader? Does Zuckerberg's willingness to hurt others for the sake of reaching his goals make him a bad leader or just a bad friend? It is important to Mark that The Facebook be labeled a “Mark Zuckerberg Production” so that he receives recognition for his creation? Could Mark have recognized the contributions of the Winklevoss twins and their partner Divya, or Eduardo and Dustin, without diminishing his own accomplishments? It took international attention to The Facebook for the Winkelvoss twins to aggressively pursue legal action, disregarding their reputation as “men of Harvard.” As a leader, when do you change strategies to engage naysayers? Do you think Eduardo’s “animal cruelty” incident reflected poorly on The Facebook enterprise or its leadership? How do leaders control the image of their organization when their organization consists of multiple people? Does Mark seek to promote himself, or his product? In whose best interest is he acting? As a leader, how do you balance your needs with the needs of your organization? Who are the bystanders in this saga? What is Eduardo’s responsibility? What is the university’s role? Can you work with people you’re friends with? What conditions must be put in place, or what factors need to be taken into consideration? What is Mark’s ultimate motivation portrayed in the film? Have you ever experienced a web of motivations? Are Mark’s achievements worth his sacrifices? Do his mistakes outweigh any successes? When you think of Facebook, prior to seeing this film, would you have thought of Mark Zuckerberg? Is he associated with his product in the same way as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs? How influential is he as a leader? 

whale rider (2002)

“Everyone was waiting for the first born boy to lead us, but he died and I didn’t.” What does this opening statement set up about the leadership of the Maori? Koro describes the rope as the tribe’s ancestors woven together all the way back to the whale. When the string breaks Paikea is able to retie the string and get the motor to work. Koro says that she should stop ‐ it is “too dangerous.” What danger is he referring to? Koro tells his son, Porourongi, “you’ve got all the privileges but you also have the obligations. I know who you are meant to be‐ who you are born to be.” Was Porourongi a leader? What did Koro’s expectations do to him? Paikea recognizes her grandfather’s disappointment with her. She says sadly, “I can’t be who he wants.” What does she mean? How do we affect people when we place our dreams upon them? When Paikea returns she says, “Papa, I’m back.” What does she mean – back to what? Koro refuses to see the role Paikea is playing. What do we do to ourselves and those that follow us when we lock ourselves into one way of thinking? “He’s not ready yet.” The grandmother recognizes that Koro is still holding to his original beliefs. What do we need to be ready for change? How do we stay true to our destiny even when everyone else turns their backs on it? What does Paikea do to “prove” herself as leader? What is the role of the supernatural or nature in Paikea’s destiny?