5 Leadership Movies You Need to Watch
In the mood to supplement your leadership learning with some movies? Today we wanted to do something a little different. As much as we love sharing a podcast or an article with you, there’s actually a wealth of incredible leadership lessons available just by cozying up on the couch with a great movie. Below are some of our favorite leadership movies! Would you add anything to our list? Write back and let us know.
Top 5 Movies with Important Leadership Lessons
Complementary Partnerships
There are so many important lessons to be learned- and applied - from the sweet animated short Piper about a mother bird trying to teach her little one how to find food by herself. If you haven’t watched it yet, the baby sandpiper quickly discovers that the world can be a daunting place and becomes terrified of the ocean waves that stand between her and her food buried in the sand. It is only when she meets an unlikely ally, in the form of a baby crab, that she's able to muster the courage to brave her fears and discover the skills she needs to fend for herself. We love this film so much, we wrote an entire post about it.
Growth Mindset
With 12 Oscar nominations, The King's Speech is among the most nominated films of all time. It's based on the true story of England's Prince Albert, who must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Not only does this movie teach us to have faith in our own voice, but it shows the power of persistence and what it means to believe in your ability to overcome any obstacle.
The Importance of Grit and Teamwork
Hidden Figures highlights the challenging journey and achievement of a trio of African-American women who played a vital role at NASA during the early years of the space program. The movie, which is based on a true story, is packed with lessons, from the importance of diversity and inclusion to the power of putting in work even when it feels like nobody's watching. The main character Katherine Johnson (portrayed by Taraji P. Henson) is also a stunning example of what it means to advocate for both yourself and your team.
Age is More Than a Number
I mean, who doesn't love a good Nancy Meyers movie? (Meyers is also responsible for box office hits like “It’s Complicated” and “Something’s Gotta Give”). But today let’s talk about her movie The Intern, which revolves around a widower (Robert De Niro) who realizes he’s not suited for retirement yet and applies to become an intern at an online fashion site. At first, the CEO and Founder of the site (played by Anne Hatheway) is reluctant to engage him because of his “outdated” approach. But quickly, he becomes an indispensable confidant, friend, and cherished member of her company. We love how this movie puts ageism front and center and encourages us to never stop learning from each other.
The Power of Positive Leadership
Ok, so this isn’t technically a movie, but we had to add it to our list nonetheless. We adore this show which follows small-time football coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) who is hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. In the show, Lasso uses his own strengths-based leadership approach (hello positivity!) as well as leans into the strengths of his team by taking an individual approach to each player and mentoring them accordingly. The result? You’ll have to watch to find out.
Gaining new leadership skills and growing as a new manager can be fun! At Leadology, we firmly believe in supplementing our knowledge base with different materials, including movies! Have you watched any – or all – of these? We would love to hear from you. Hop over to @getleadology and send us a message to join the discussion!
