| Watch
That Movie!
By Daniel Theyagu
REEL life sometimes provides a great reference as
well as a source of inspiration for what constitutes
great leadership and effective management. There are
many memorable Hollywood movies that can teach organisations
a few things about what it takes to effectively manage
and lead people.
Here are six films from which you can gain useful
insights into what good management and leadership skills
entail.
Twelve O’clock High (1949)
This is truly the mother of all leadership movies.
Starring the late Gregory Peck, this classic is fundamentally
a study of transactional, transitional and transformational
leadership.
The movie revolves around the 918th American Bomber
group stationed in England during World War II. They
are suffering from heavy casualties, and although their
commander is an efficient leader, he does not have what
it takes to lead the team to victory.
He is soon replaced by another commander, played by
Peck, who effectively guides and leads the group to
become one of the best bombers in action. To achieve
this, he pushes his men to the limit to help them discover
their own strengths and give them a sense of empowerment
and pride in themselves.
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Harrison Ford plays a Russian submarine commander
who has to take extreme measures to prevent a leak in
the nuclear submarine cooling system, which might lead
to an explosion and radiation poisoning.
Although he is a hardened and task-oriented commander,
he is always where his men need him the most.
An interesting quote that he makes early in the movie
is: “Without me, you are nothing!”
The camera then turns on the crew, who are wondering
what kind of megalomaniac they have as their commander.
The next statement he makes shows a classic paradigm
shift when he adds: “Without you, I’m
nothing!”
This shows that a leader can only lead if he has people
who want to follow.
Bridge Over the River Kwai (1957)
The movie’s key protagonist is Colonel Nicholson,
played by Sir Alec Guinness (right). He and his battalion
are captured by the Japanese and are sent to a prisoner-of-war
(POW) camp in Northern Thailand. There he meets other
captured Allied soldiers living in squalid conditions.
They are forced by the Japanese to build the infamous
bridge over the Kwai River.
Nicholson realises that there is some sense in helping
the Japanese to build the bridge as it will give the
allied POWs a sense of purpose that will uplift them
from a state of defeat and also to instil a sense of
pride in their capabilities. The key intention is to
build an excellent bridge and then destroy it.
This movie offers insights into the importance of
having a clear vision to stay motivated and work towards
the common goal of an organisation.
Gung Ho (1986)
This one is a comedy, starring Michael Keaton, about
cross-cultural relationships and how people of different
cultural backgrounds have to work towards their common
goal by integrating one another’s work practices.
A Japanese car manufacturing company takes over a
Detroit car plant and employs American workers whose
attitudes clash with the Japanese style of management.
This results in some hilarious moments that make the
movie great to watch.
There are lessons here that one can learn about the
difficulties of getting people to change their work
practices and keep up with new ways of thinking and
new technology. It is a familiar mantra many workers
hear at the workplace the world over.
Braveheart (1995)
Mel Gibson plays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish
rebel who whips up his countrymen into a patriotic fervour
to oppose the oppressive English.
The learning element of this movie that audiences
today can relate to is building a shared vision. An
organisation will lose its sense of purpose without
one.
This was very much the situation in the 12th- and
13th-century Scotland, where the English were systematically
persecuting the Scots, who stood to lose their land,
families and, ultimately, their lives.
By showing that it was better to die a free man than
to live in constant persecution and fear, Wallace was
able to transform a poorly equipped army into an effective
fighting machine.
Modern Times (1936)
This is a gem of a movie that shows the struggle of
one man in a time of rapid change. Charlie Chaplin (left)
plays a factory worker who has to deal with constant
changes to work practices and meet incredible deadlines.
He is as unprepared as his supervisors, who are supposed
to oversee his performance. This leads to hilarious
consequences that have a chilling undertone for today’s
employers. It is a portrayal of what will happen if
you have dissatisfied and de-motivated employees, who
do not feel a sense of ownership of the organisation
they are working for.
Although there are many good movies that deal with
the themes of leadership and management, start by watching
these movies and, perhaps, pick up a tip or two on how
you can become a better manager in your own organisation.
About the author:
Daniel Theyagu is a keynote speaker and seminar leader
for conferences and training
programmes. He runs Lateral Solutions Consultancy which
designs and conducts
competency-based training for organizations He is also
an adjunct lecturer with
Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS)
.
For seminars and workshop enquiries:
E-mail: dtheyagu@singnet.com.sg; website: www.thinklaterally.com.
--> back
|
Achieving consistency in life