Discovering The Hidden Leadership Lessons In Movies

Toward the beginning of Joseph Lalonde’s new book, Reel Leadership, he shares, “We’re going to delve into the leaderships lessons we can find in movies. We’re going to discover that movies are a fantastic way to learn, grow, and engross yourself in leadership. So, sit back; get ready. We’re going to dive into some reel leadership.”

You are going to enjoy the journey Lalonde takes you on, by first setting the stage as he chronicles the history of film, the history of leadership, and the science of learning, and then while he shares some of the best leadership lessons from his vast catalogue of movie watching through the years.

“I want to encourage you to think of movies as visual fables. They are telling stories that move the mind, body, and soul. They can touch you emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. There is power in movies,” says Lalonde.

Toward the book’s end, Lalonde provides the framework for a five-step process of gaining leadership insights from the movies. “It will change the way you and your team views movies for the rest of your lives,” says Lalonde.

I agree with Nathan Magnuson who reviewed the book and said, “I don’t think I’ll ever watch a movie the same way again. In addition to viewing for entertainment value, I’ll be asking myself what I can learn, how I would handle the situations in the story, and how I can be a better leader in my own reality.”

And, in fact, after reading, Reel Leadership, you may now also want to watch again some of your favorite movies with a keen eye toward discovering the leadership lessons you’ll glean from your new perspective viewing.

Joseph Lalonde

Today, Lalonde shares these insights with us:

Question: What are your one or two favorite leadership quotes from movies?

Lalonde: It's always challenging to pick a favorite quote or movie. I'm going to provide three quotes that mean a lot to me and have helped me understand myself and leadership better. The first is by Director Dewey in, Jason Bourne. Dewey said, "You’re never going to find peace until you admit who you really are." So many of us are discontent because we don't know who we really are.

Another great quote is "All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you." by Gandalf in, Lord Of The Rings. It's a challenging quote because we don't know how much time we have left. However, if we begin making decisions, we can make the most of our time.

The last quote I want to share is "I'll be back." by the Terminator in the, Terminator, movie. This is such an iconic line and has proven to be true for the character. What would happen if, as leaders, we continue to show up and return?

Question: What is the most inspiring leadership lesson you've learned from a movie?

Lalonde: I want to go with something different here. I want to go back to the movie, We Bought A Zoo. In it, Benjamin Mee made a crazy decision. He and his children bought a zoo. Throughout the movie, Mee talked about needing 20 seconds of insane courage to do something amazing. I think we could take his lesson to heart and begin working through our issues in 20 seconds of courage at a time.

Question: What is your favorite movie of all time and why is it your favorite?

Lalonde: Once again, it's so hard to choose a favorite movie. I have such a love for Star Wars, Die Hard, and other movies. I often cite those as favorite movies. I think favorites ebb and flow as we age. It also depends on the type of mood I'm in. One movie that has really stuck with me is, Baby Driver. The cinematography was stunning. The music was top-notch. The story was engaging and entertaining. Let's go with, Baby Driver, for this one.

Question: In addition to your love of movies you have a passion for running. What leadership lessons have you learned from running?

Lalonde: Yes, running is definitely a passion of mine. I've been running for years after hearing Kevin Miller discuss his passion for running on his now defunct podcast Free Agent Academy. There are so many lessons that I have learned from running. Here are three of them:

Keep putting one foot in front of the other. This is how you make progress.

Stop comparing yourself to others. I found myself struggling to run because I compared myself to others. When I let go of that, I found myself enjoying running so much more. The same goes for leadership. Stop comparing yourself to your past leaders or leaders you respect. You're running your own race.

Have a finish line in mind. For every race you run, there's a finish line. Knowing and seeing your finish line not only gives you an ending point, but also it can encourage you to push harder, faster, and with more intensity than you had been running with.

BONUS: Lead for a cause. I run with Team World Vision to raise money for clean water for those who lack access to it. This consistently gives me a reason to lace up my shoes and run. Without this cause or reason to run, I would run a lot less.

In fact, I'm running the Metro Health Grand Rapids Half Marathon in October to continue the efforts of bringing clean water to those in need. I move my feet for those who need it. The same goes for your leadership. When you have a cause or a reason, you find the energy and desire to keep moving forward.

Question: What is the next leadership book you plan to read?

Lalonde: I just finished a great book called, Thursday Is The New Friday, by Joe Sanok. It helps us understand the changing ways of doing work. It was also interesting to hear how our workweeks came to be.

I'm currently reading, What The Heck Is EOS, by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer. Our leadership team at work is going through this book to help everyone align.

The book I plan on reading or, probably more correctly, listen to is, Hero On A Mission, by Donald Miller. I loved his memoirs, Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. I thought, Building A Story Brand, was a valuable business tool. And now he has, Hero On A Mission. It's on my to-read/listen list!

___

Finally, discover some of the best leadership lessons from a vast variety of movies by reading Reel Leadership, delivered by Lalonde in a conversational style as though you are his best friend with a shared passion for movies and learning about leadership.

Learn more from Lalonde via his website where he helps to empower leaders with the tools to thrive in a hectic world.

Comments

How To Build A High Performing Sales Team

Based on Stephanie Friedman 's 20 years of sales experience, her new book, Built to Grow: A Handbook For High-Performance Sales Teams , is the perfect step-by-step, go-to-market field guide for startup founders. Friedman offers readers a structured and repeatable methodology for building a high-performing sales function from a company’s earliest days. The book is divided into three phases of startup growth— Experiment, Build, and Scale. Within each of the three phases, Friedman covers: Sales Playbook Hiring Revenue Management Customer Success Compensations Culture Internal Collaboration Some of my favorite takeaway tips from the book include: No matter how experienced your salespeople are, any high-performing sales organization should follow one simple but important rule: No call without an agenda. This helps reinforce the necessary discipline around call preparation and ensures your customers have the best possible experience when talking to your...

How To Improve The Way Teams Think, Collaborate And Make Decisions Under Pressure

“Great decisions don’t happen by accident—they happen by design,” shares Dr. Ricardo Valerdi , author of the new book, The Five-Tool Team: Bringing Out The Best In People To Make Better Decisions . This book is not about finding perfect answers. It is about building a framework that allows you to make good decisions repeatedly, even when conditions are imperfect, information is incomplete, and outcomes are uncertain. More specifically, Valerdi reveals a practical framework for improving the way individuals and teams think, collaborate, and make decisions under pressure. Drawing on lessons from sports, business, engineering, and real-world experience, Valerdi shows how the most effective leaders build teams that question assumptions, analyze consequences, and make choices grounded in clarity rather than instinct or urgency. “Writing this book has been a phenomenal journey that started in 2018 when I was a visiting professor at the United States Military Ac...

Six-pillar Roadmap For How To Move From Merely Surviving To Truly Mattering

In the new book, The Mattering Effect: Creating A Life Of Meaning And Worth , podcaster and author John R. Miles reframes today’s most common struggles and empowers individuals and institutions alike to break bad habits and reclaim a sense of worth and belonging. “Organizations have spent the last decade chasing 'engagement' and 'psychological safety,' yet global productivity is stalling and 60% of employees report they do not feel valued in the places where they spend their days,” shares Miles. He calls this “The Great Erasure”—a condition where high-achievers become highly visible to the organization while becoming invisible to themselves. In addition, Miles argues that many of today’s most common struggles—burnout, anxiety, loneliness, and disengagement—are not personal failures or mindset problems. They are the result of unmattering: the gradual erosion of felt significance within modern systems that reward performance while overlooking presence. Fortu...

High-Performing Teams Are Made Of This

According to Ron Ricci and Carl Wiese, authors of the book, The Collaboration Imperative , high-performing teams have the following characteristics: People have solid and deep trust in each other and in the team's purpose--they feel free to express feelings and ideas. Everybody is working toward the same goals. Team members are clear on how to work together and how to accomplish tasks. Everyone understands both team and individual performance goals and knows what is expected. Team members actively diffuse tension and friction in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The team engages in extensive discussion, and everyone gets a chance to contribute--even the introverts. Disagreement is viewed as a good thing and conflicts are managed. Criticism is constructive and is oriented toward problem solving and removing obstacles. The team makes decisions when there is natural agreement--in the cases where agreement is elusive, a decision is made by the team lead or executiv...

3 Things To Avoid When You Give Your Next Speech

If you don't want to get your speech off to a bad start, the communications experts at Speechworks suggest you: Don't apologize (particularly about your anxiety or lack of preparation. Apologies put your audience on the defensive. Don't start by telling a joke (which may not be all that funny, or is irrelevant, or that may even be offensive to someone in your audience). Don't beat around the bush (including, don't list off a lot of people you want to thank. Don't waste your audience's valuable time) Instead: If you need to deal with your anxiety, practice like crazy . Rehearse particularly your first line over and over. Start your presentation by laying out for your audience a key issue that they are facing in their business . If you must thank someone, do it at the end, or thank your introducer briefly, pause, and then start right into the meat of your message .

Book Review: The Elephant In The Room

Diana McLain Smith's new book, The Elephant in the Room , explains how relationships make or break the success of leaders and organizations. It's not a light right. For those who really want to understand relationships, however, this book, based on Smith's clinical research and a wealth of in-depth observational studies, is both insightful and worth the effort. Smith explains that when people click or clash, we typically chalk it up to chemistry and leave it at that. But, she knows there are many dynamics within that relationship that need understanding by a leader to create success. In fact, she says it's possible to identify and analyze the seemingly mysterious ingredients that go into the makings of a relationship. And, given the right tools, it's possible to understand what happens when a relationship forms, and then to actually anticipate what might happen next . That anticipation is critical, claims Smith. Smith also shows read...

How To Be A Tough Enough Leader

Tomorrow brings a compelling and timely book about how tough enough you need to be as a leader to lead your team to greatness without being a jerk. The book is Tough Enough , by leadership coaches John Baird and Matt Hunter . The authors explain that building a high-performing team requires a new form of toughness―not based on bullying and bravado, but rather pushing for exceptional results in a way that is firm, fair, and respectful. Drawing on decades of coaching top CEOs, elite founders, and ambitious leaders, Baird and Hunter break down seven specific habits that define the strongest, most effective leaders, from being clear about the company culture to strategically unleashing emotional thunder. They set the record straight on when to prioritize understanding and empathy, when it’s time to be direct―and, most importantly, how to do both at the same time. Their no-nonsense approach gives readers the tools to calibrate their toughness and compassion in a ...

How To Become A Catalyst CEO

Catalyst leaders are individuals who accelerate decision-making, empower teams, and spark innovation. To improve your catalyst leadership skills, you’ll want to read the new book by Constantine G. Alexandrakis , which provides a hands-on guide for building leadership teams and cultures that ignite business transformation. The book is The Catalyst CEO: Why CEOs Can’t Lead Transformation Alone―And What The Best Do Instead . Drawing on decades of experience advising world-leading companies, Alexandrakis challenges the cult of the hero CEO and offers a powerful new paradigm on what it truly takes to make business transformation happen―and stick. Alexandrakis defines transformation as more than change. “It’s a deliberate reinvention of how a company creates value through its people, its business model, and its place in the world.” He adds that “Real transformation depends on teams that are willing to argue clearly, and directly, while still finding a way to decide and move ...

10 Disciplines To Help You Stay Sharp And Energetic

The new book, Shine , is a transformative guide that illustrates how looking inward is the key to unlocking true entrepreneurial freedom. Certainly, Shine is a book for entrepreneurs, however, it is bound to benefit any business leader. “Entrepreneurs often have a burning need to succeed. But that same relentless brilliance that propels you in your career can take a toll on your teams, personal relationships, and even your health,” explain author Gino Wickman and coauthor Rob Dube . “Our book will help you strike a crucial balance between those inner and outer worlds while taking your success to new heights.” In Shine , Gino shares 10 disciplines to help you stay sharp and energetic without burning out. The 10 Disciplines teach you how they can lay a foundation that creates space in your busy life for you to consistently and optimally perform and achieve your inner peace. “I have helped tens of thousands of entrepreneurs achieve significant business succ...

Proven Strategies For Keeping Teams Focused During Times Of Uncertainty

“Crisis leadership is not only about operational efficiency—it is fundamentally human-centered. Leaders who communicate openly, prioritize safety, listen empathetically, and empower teams can sustain trust, engagement, and performance, even in life-threatening circumstances. Organizations that maintain this balance are not only surviving—they are building for the future,” explain the authors of the new book Against The Storm: How True Leaders Prevail When The World Shakes . The authors and leadership experts Tom Kolditz and Mariana Khomitska share in their book a practical framework that can be applied across industries and roles. “One of the primary purposes of our book is to pass along leadership tools for crisis management,” explain the authors. “Effective crisis management is fundamentally about reducing uncertainty to restore a sense of control and stability." Key strategies focusing on minimizing the effects of uncertainty a...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog