Harrison Ford may have headlined 1993’s Oscar-nominated thriller The Fugitive, but it was Tommy Lee Jones who stole the show with his portrayal of grizzled US Marshal Samuel Gerard. Such was his impact that Jones got his own spin-off five years later in US Marshals. Gerard exhibits many impressive leadership… Read More »Great movie leaders: Samuel Gerard, The Fugitive
In my last blog post, I looked at how The King’s Speech could help leaders conquer a common fear: presentations and public speaking. But this isn’t just a film about public speaking: there are many other valid lessons for leaders too. It’s still not uncommon for people to be promoted into… Read More »More lessons from The King’s Speech: humility and trust
For many people promoted into management roles, one of the toughest challenges is to build confidence and capability in public speaking: in business, often represented by the dreaded presentation. It’s a situation explored at length in The King’s Speech, the unlikely but fascinating tale of how King George VI –… Read More »Why The King’s Speech can help your public speaking
War is the most unforgiving environment for a leader, with every decision affecting both your own life and that of others. It’s an environment vividly painted in Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott’s re-telling of the US military’s ill-fated incursion into Mogadishu in 1993. Based on Mark Bowden’s absorbing book, Black… Read More »Leading under pressure: Black Hawk Down
Lessons from Moneyball and Up in the Air When I organised management training, one of the key challenges identified by delegates was how to handle difficult conversations. And no wonder. Communicating bad news or addressing difficult issues is one of the toughest parts of leadership. Many leaders feel ill-equipped to deal… Read More »The secrets of communicating bad news
Advisers who can’t be trusted. Threats from more powerful competitors. A divided organisation who have no faith in your ability to lead, and are deeply suspicious of your motives Oh, and potential assassins at every turn. That’s the scenario confronting the new monarch in Elizabeth, Shekhar Kapur’s fascinating film on… Read More »Baptism of fire: how Elizabeth stabilised her nation
Organisations with a strong sense of tradition and history can sometimes close the door to new approaches that might yield better results. In Moneyball, Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) shakes up one such establishment: professional baseball. Dispensing with traditional player scouting techniques, Beane uses statistical measurement of… Read More »Three major league leadership lessons from Moneyball
Creativity is usually considered a prized asset. But according to recent research reported on Lifehacker.com, many of us tend to reject creative ideas out of hand. The research showed the novelty of new ideas can make people feel uncomfortable, leading them to reject them in favour of the tried and tested. This… Read More »Why we reject creative ideas: lessons from A Bug’s Life