Unlimited movies: into my third year

Christmas 2013, my lovely wife gave me a year's unlimited movie going to Cineworld. Since renewing my card at the end of 2014, I have seen 137 movies.

After each film I write a two paragraph review of film followed by two paragraphs on the leadership theme hiding between the frames of the movie. And I have done this with every film I have seen at the cinema (but not the ones on TV: because that would be too silly/much!)

I have just renewed it for my third year so I have all of 2016 to look forward too: lots of great movies coming out soon. The Danish Girl will probably be the next one I see.

So to note this milestone, I thought I would list all the closing leadership questions from my #filmsinleadership blogs of 2015. You can find the original blog by clicking on each question.

Happy New Year!

1. Who are your nearby leaders that help you?
2. Who are you?
3. What 'what if' plans have you made?
4. Where do you draw the line?
5. When did you last raise a smile or an eyebrow among your followers?
6. How do you balance which is the more right action, of a set of possible options?
7. How do you approach the challenge of helping someone discover their 'superhero' inside?
8. As a leader, what was your last truly altruistic act?
9. What are you waiting for right now?
10. How can you help people let go of hoped for futures?
11. How do you continue to demonstrate to those who look to you for leadership, that they can trust you?
12. What conjuring tricks have you done as a leader?
13. What are the tricks that some people use to make it appear they function well as a leader when in fact they don't....?
14. What is your centre of gravity?
15. What have you done today to sustain the trust that people have in you?
16. How good are you at divining your own sources of passion?
17. When did you last defend the integrity of your organisation?
18. How do you know when to quit or when to persist?
19. How well do you balance the head and heart of your leadership?
20. How Chinese is your leadership?
21. How is your faculty for judgement these days?
22. As a leader, how much fear do you inspire... (even without necessarily wishing to)?
23. Honestly... how are you doing?
24. As a leader, how do you express your dreams?
25. As a leader, how are you choreographic and music production skills? Do you lead a choir or a cacophony?
26. How do you as a leader develop styles of leadership different to your own?
27. What is your serendipity quotient?
28. Where is your comedy muscle, have you exercised it recently?
29. Who have you chosen as a leader? Why?
30. How good is your wordcraft?
31. What have you managed to resolve in recent times? How?
32. How many Kevins do you have in your organisation?
33. How do you monitor yourself?
34. How do you know - really know?
    
35. How do you create born leaders?
36. As a leader, how do you use space and silence?
37. As a leader, how good are you at creating the situations in which others discover their own leadership?
38. What is your ethical framework?
39. How are you developing your EQ?
40. How will you know when it is right time to go?
41. What are you doing to ensure your reputation is robust & resilient?
42. How good are you at sharing?
43. When are you going away next?
44. How far do you push it?
45. When did you last quit? Why?
46. How is your pacesetting?
47. How good a talent spotter are you?
48. What is the next old idea to be refreshed?
49. Can you command that level of trust?
50. How have you helped people learn from each other?
51. What do you know to be right?
52. What were the ethics in your last decision?
53. Have you got a coach?
54. How well do you harness your emotions in pursuit of good decision making?
55. How good are you at managing your fear?
56. How are you making your leadership work in this contractual environment?
57. What was your last badge for?
58. What aspect of Malala can you emulate?
59. How do you go about spotting undiscovered talent and helping people unfurl this?
60. Are you hooked?
61. Do you count yourself as a strategist?
62. As a leader, what is your fuel, your purpose?
63. How good are you at framing, timing and asking questions?
64. How well do you manage not knowing many things?
65. What are you contributing?
66. When did you last ask yourself those sort of questions?
67. Are you a patient leader?
68. When can you let go?
69. What does it take to be a good talent spotter?

Homage to the Stars

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was all that I hoped for and more. There were multiple moments when I was bathed in blissful nostalgia, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot! It is nearly 30 years since I saw the original, but it is like it was yesterday. I was back to being a teenager again. Thank you, everyone who was involved in the making of this film!

I have heard on the grapevine, that one of my readership thinks I give too much away about the movies I review (although I think I am scrupulous in not writing any spoilers...) So suffice to say: all the old and new characters are just brilliant and I now want my own BB-8. Go, go, go and go see this movie!!

Talent spotting and people development feature quite a lot in this movie: recognising employees who either have or do not have the 'force' is a key skill for all leaders, especially spotting those who are at risk of going over to the dark side...

As we know, some of the best and most celebrated leaders are the ones who have a talent for spotting and developing talent. Good leaders not only assemble & develop good teams, but also are great at finding managers who can do so with their teams too.

What does it take to be a good talent spotter?

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This is Blog 137 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves

Sisters is a great movie: lewd, rude, sometimes poignant and very funny. Yes it is corny and some of the humour is a bit stretched but it will have you giggling. And be sure to watch the closing credits which include some funny out-takes.

The two leads ably demonstrate their comedic skill and are well supported by a good range of other actors. I especially liked the drug dealer and the parents: all have some very good lines. So a great laugh out loud movie. Will be hot sell on DVD too.

Part of the comedic narrative hinges on one of the sisters agreeing to be the 'Party Mom': ie staying sober and in control of the festivities, able to exert authority / leadership should the need arise. So do leaders always have to be in control of themselves (and others)? Or are there times when a leader can let their hair down and be off duty, as it were? Can a leader choose not to be the leader?

My answer is probably not. Leaders once recognised are always being judged. In this sense, the leader is always the 'Party Mom' whether they want to be or not. The art of good leadership, is still having a good time!

When can you let go?

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This is Blog 136 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Patience

I have been eagerly anticipating Carol for quite a while: the trailer was engrossing and the crits fully starred. But every now and then a film comes along that seems to attract glorious reviews but leaves me unmoved. Don't get me wrong: this is a good movie with some very fine acting. But it is not a great movie.

I would probably award Oscars for the costumes, makeup and sets: all brilliantly crafted to transport us back into the 1950s. The acting is subtle and textured. But the narrative is tedious, slow and unexciting. Maybe it is all symbolic and that is what lesbian relationships were like in the 1950s (although I doubt it!) And the narrative turning point in the movie was inexplicable. So perhaps I will have to see it again to try and understand what everyone has been raving about. Or maybe not...

Leadership takes patience (something I didn't have it with this movie - although the characters displayed endless amounts of it...) Patience is not just waiting for the sake of it: it is active waiting, waiting for the right moment. Patience requires acute awareness of all the factors that can influence when is the right time to act and when it is not.

Someone said to me the other day that animals (especially those likely to attacked) are never fully relaxed: they are always in a state of active awareness, ready to flee or fight at any given moment. It struck me that leaders are often like this, patiently waiting for the right time to make a decision, take an action. (Although leaders do need to relax sometimes.)

Are you a patient leader?

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This is Blog 135 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Change at Christmas

Christmas with the Coopers (as this film is known in the UK, in the USA it is Love the Coopers... why?) is surprisingly better than I was expecting. I should have been expecting good things by looking at the cast list of course, but the trailer gave an impression of jolly Xmas romp, stuffed with good gags and a few bon mots.

Instead, this film dished up a rich mix of insights into family dilemmas, and secrets and sibling rivalries etc that will make you reflect on your own family and its foibles. There is the enormously touching relationship between Bucky & Ruby and the sparring between Joe and Eleanor is delightful. A film worth seeing but maybe you can wait until it appears on ITV2 along with other traditional Christmas romances...

At various points the narrative hinges on people being able to change, often from long held positions. I was reminded of the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. Often these words are used to guide people in changing something in their environment, but they can equally apply to ourselves: our habits, our opinions, our approaches etc.

Good leaders are always asking themselves these questions: what needs to change in me so that I can lead people better? What do I not need to change? Am I running away from things that need to change in me?

When did you last ask yourself those sort of questions?

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This is Blog 134 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Dance!

Every year, for several years now, at this time, I choose a single word as my theme for the coming year. I chose 'hope' for 2015. And this has guided me throughout this year, often when things seemed pretty hopeless...

This year, I have decided to choose 'Dance'. And, as usual, I have adopted this word from the 'Adopt-a-word' charity which supports children with communication difficulties. It only costs £15 per word. And with that you know that you are helping a child tackle any difficulties they have in communicating with others. (I recommend the charity to you.)

Now, you may ask: why dance? 

On Sunday 20 December, I listened to Broadcasting House on Radio 4 and heard the panellists reviewing the 'Strictly Come Dancing' final. Simon Jenkins said that what he liked about the programme is that it is entirely devoid of cynicism... This struck a chord with me...

And then I was reminded of an event I facilitated some years ago concerning gun crime: the aim was to open up conversations between the police, community groups, senior civil servant policy makers, young people and politicians to find new ways to prevent guns on the streets of the UK. It was a highly successful and memorable event. The second day used a process called Open Space, which allowed everyone present to add to the agenda of what needed to be discussed. Two young women (aged about 14, I recall) put forward a workshop entitled 'Dancing Against Gun Crime'. They duly ran it later in the day and it was attended by several people not least the two civil servants below whom I managed to capture on film:

I love this picture for all that it represents: a defiant and bold approach to tackle the deep cynicism of gun crime with two fairly 'straight' blokes in suits who decided to respond positively to the invitation.

So this is why I have chosen 'dance': as an antidote to all the rampant cynicism in the world. We need to defy all attempts to make this world a more cynical place by (at the very least) dancing!

All that remains is for me to send you & your families Season's Greetings, do please have a very Merry Christmas, and a fantastic and Happy New Year!

And dance!

Steel bridge

Bridge of Spies is a very well crafted movie, as you would expect from Spielberg. Although I think they could have emphasised the whole cold war fear & distrust culture a little more, it depicts the time well. Indeed the often unsung heroes of modern movies are the set arrangers and costume directors: as they set the mood of the film so well these days.

Mark Rylance is heading for an Oscar soon. This performance won't quite win him one, but I suspect he is well on the trail. His acting in this is palpable: you can can feel his emotions in your bones. Tom Hanks is predictably good although my all time favourite film of his is still Big. He was just so giddy and unselfconscious in that movie. Bridge of Spies is a movie to see, in my view.

As the trailer explains, Rylance's character regards Hanks' character as being like the 'standing man' from his past: someone who when knocked down, just stood up again. (As an aside, I think 'Standing Man' would have been a far better title for the movie than the corny pun we got...) So the leadership theme from this movie is one of resilience.

Leaders need to be resilient: indefatigable, persistent, courageous and stubborn. It is a tall order, especially when combined with everything else a leader has to do. How do the best leaders stay resilient? Apart from getting enough sleep and staying healthy, I think the most important ingredient is having a clear sense of purpose - knowing what is your mounting contribution to the world.

What are you contributing?

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This is Blog 133 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

The story behind 'Cracking Questions'

In one way or another, my life (both professional and personal) has been dedicated to helping others become and be powerful authors of their own lives. It has always seemed to me that too many people treat themselves, or allow themselves to be treated, as mere subjects in someone else's narrative. This psychological subjugation is bad for individuals, bad for communities and organisations, and indeed bad for our world.

We are demanding more and more of our finite world: as populations, needs and wants just get bigger and bigger. As a consequence, it is even more vital to provide what the world needs in the most economic, effective and efficient ways. So all organisations: business, public sector or third sector ones are, in my view, morally obliged to make all efforts to improve continuously. It also makes business sense too, of course.

Over the years, there have been many fashions in organisational development and improvement. From Time & Motion studies, to TQM, to BPR, to Knowledge Management, to Lean, to Transformation to blah blah, yada yada... And these fashions always come with a high price tag and shiny suited consultants who are the High (and highly rewarded) Priests of the new vogue.

So I figured, what was needed was this:

• A short, simple and readable book that focused on helping people come up with their own creative ideas that would improve the ways in which business is done: more economy, efficiency and effectiveness
• An approach which didn't rest on armies of external consultants to 'support' it (or indeed forests of flip chart paper to map processes to the nth degree)
• A money back guarantee on the purchase: so if the book had no value, then I would refund what you paid for it. 
• A growing hope that this book would help to develop more organisations that understand that everyone who works in them are partners, assets and co-creators of a common wealth from which more and more people can and should benefit

"Cracking Questions" is available from all the usual online book stores (with a Kindle ebook coming out very soon)

• Amazon UK
• Waterstones UK
• Amazon USA
• Barnes & Noble USA

Dark materials

Johnny Depp does not do many movies, but the ones he does, stand out. Black Mass is another to add to his impressive list of films that quickly become notable moments in the long history of cinema. It is not so much 'film noir' as 'film ténébreux', set in the Stygian hell of south Boston in 70s and 80s.

I could argue that the film would have been even more dramatic had it been filmed in black and white, but then one would have lost the brown suits, beige cars and orange décors of the time. This is a gruelling and gritty true-life film out of which almost no characters emerge with any integrity. But this is a must see movie.

What is there to learn about leadership from a bunch of gangsters and corrupt police? Given the number of films made with such ingredients, you would hope something! It is certainly isn't ethics or strategy (or perhaps it is?)

The untold story of this movie is how come two brothers ended up in such different places: one a senator and the other a gangland boss. The more cynical would say that there is little difference, but there really is. What happened to them in their early years that led them down such different paths? We will probably never know but could school leadership (for example) have made a difference?

How well do you manage not knowing many things?  

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This is Blog 132 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Appearances can be deceptive

The Dressmaker is not quite the film you were expecting from the trailer... Whilst we live in an age of where trailers give almost everything away, this is one of the exceptions. This is an uplifting, quirky film that will delight you and make you smile. It will also shock you and prick you with sadness.

As so many Australian films can do (Walkabout, The Shout, Priscilla.. or Strictly Ballroom, to name just a few of my favourites), the narrative comes at curving you like, er, a boomerang. The acting is plain and convincing, but at times done with such a flourish that it takes your breath away. Great direction, great sets, great cinematography and of course, great costumes. Go see this.

The core of the narrative pivots upon uncovering that which has been hidden and the consequences of doing so. And the consequences are as rich and varied as they are explosive and unpredictable. If this film does anything, it shows what can happen when you ask questions without knowing the answers...

But this indeed is what leaders must do. In order to achieve more, push the limits of what is possible, it is the job of leaders to ask good questions. Indeed, I could argue that the most profound thing any leader can do is to ask exactly the right question at the right time.

How good are you at framing, timing and asking questions?

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This is Blog 131 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Part four?

I have read the Hunger Games books and so I have been anticipating the final fourth episode The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 for quite a while! It does not disappoint but I do wish they had not split the last story in two. I know why they do this... obviously. But I think some of the integrity of the narrative is lost. And some of the 'heat' from part one is lost in part two...

Yes the sfx are brilliant, the acting superb (though I felt a pang of deep sadness every time I saw Philip Seymour Hoffman on screen) and, despite its slightly schmultzy ending, it ended the series well. Will there be a 'five'? I really hope not. This series of films will, I hope, have inspired people to challenge the insipid cult of 'reality TV' and watch very carefully where it could all end up...

Can you be a both a great leader and an evil one? President Snow is an example of such: calculating, popular, shrewd and charismatic. And there are of course, many examples of such in real life as well. So is the concept of leadership an amoral one: leaders can be good or bad and many shades in between?

I think it all depends on how you define the purpose of leadership. If that purpose is merely to set direction and drive relentlessly towards it, then people with bad morals can easily lead people to do bad things. However, if the purpose of leadership is to work with people on shaping a shared future, to liberate and create more leaders: so that more people are authors of their own lives... then this is not morally neutral. It is also the question of whether the fuel of leadership is fear or love.

As a leader, what is your fuel, your purpose?

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This is Blog 130 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Tightly boxed

I am not a Steve Jobs disciple and do not prostrate myself at the Church of Apple! (But I had nothing against the man!) So I went with an open mind to see this biopic. Wow! This film is tight, intense & compelling with script and acting that had me glued to the screen for two hours, hardly drawing breath. When it came to an end, I was surprised: the time had just slipped by.

The film is set around three computer launches and is almost balletic in how each scene choreographs the same characters into an updated & revised play within a play. Such a clever narrative technique: simple but enormously effective. There is careful use of flashbacks as well, to add context. This is very well dramatised story of one of the iconic people of our time. Go see!

There is a moment in the film when the strategic insight of Steve Jobs bowled me over: I almost punched the air in awe at his overall plan. This film will not teach you how to be a strategist like Steve Jobs (how could it?!) but it will show you the crucial importance of strategy.

Strategy is a daunting concept: I know it scares some leaders. I know it scared me the first time I was challenged to understand it. But I believe we can all be strategists: but we need the space to think, the tools to think with and (to an extent) the understanding of those who believe that strategy is a complete waste of time!

Do you count yourself as a strategist?

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This is Blog 129 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Moving on

Fathers and Daughters is well acted: the young girl (Kylie Rogers) especially is just brilliant. Russell, though at times a little wooden, redeems himself in his depiction of someone with some significant mental health problems. Amanda Seyfried is convincing and invokes empathy for her difficult character.

What holds the film back is that it is just a little too contrived, I feel. I think the audience is being set up to be moved in just too clunkier a way. The narrative could have had a few more twists and turns: a bit more subtlety? But for Russell Crowe fans none of this will matter. I do hope to see more of Kylie Rogers one day: she is star in the making.

The films poses the question: how much is our present defined by our past? Are we bound by past events to live our lives in certain ways or can we break free, and start afresh? I won't say how the film answers this question.

But I will say that leadership is all about making new futures. Whilst building on the past, leadership must be a process of constant reinvention so that organisations are dynamically matched to their strategic context. Leaders cannot afford to be hooked into the past: the present and future does not allow this!

Are you hooked?

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This is Blog 128 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Angels

Angels vs Bullies is a independent film that has received nationwide distribution. I think it is a well made film with some excellent acting. This is not a Hollywood film and it is not as slick as you might be used to: but I think they have extracted many quarts out of their pint sized budget.

This film is inventive, funky and will, I think, reach the audiences it needs and wants to: school students. I am guessing the release of this film is timed to coincide with #antibullying week. The score is is great and the cinematography a little jerky but engaging. Go see this, enjoy and support new talent!

One of the things I loved about this movie is that a place in the narrative was found for many people: this is an inclusive film. Which of course, as any film which aims to have a campaigning message against bullying, should have. This film showcases talent in many ways.

Leaders too, need to act inclusively and find places for everyone's talent. It is often said that the best leaders are the ones who can spot and hire talented people. I agree, but I would also add that great leaders are ones who can spot talent in people and help them to develop it.

How do you go about spotting undiscovered talent and helping people unfurl this?

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This is Blog 127 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Inspirational!

He Named Me Malala will blow you away. The film making itself has received some negative comment (as documentaries go, this is a bit jumpy) but frankly, I don't care. This is the amazing story of a courageous and inspirational young woman who dared to stand up to the Taliban. This is an incredible story. And her story is not over yet!

It is delightful to hear her brothers talking about her and Malala herself telling her own story - in her own words. The quiet strength and support of her Mum and the solidity and vision of her Dad ground the film. But do not be distracted: Malala is the author of her own life. I can only sit back and watch what happens next with her. Her life and her impact on the world, are only just beginning.

On a day when the world hears news of Aung San Suu Kyi's electoral victory after many years of patient & peaceful protest against the military leaders of Myanmar, I can only hope that Malala will follow a similar path: strong, determined and visionary leadership. I believe she will and I also want to believe that through her leadership, all girls (and boys) will get the education they need to create a fairer, more ambitious and abundant world. All children have the right to be happy and safe, and getting the education they need.

As with many such leaders, Malala is without spite or hate. This is what makes her leadership so amazing. May she go on and on.

What aspect of Malala can you emulate?

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This is Blog 126 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Scouting for zombies

I went to see the Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse with low expectations but I was pleasantly surprised: it was funnier, less gruesome and more philosophic than I expected. But maybe I am a puerile ex-scout with a crude sense of humour and low threshold on what constitutes 'deep meaning'...

The acting is charming, the narrative (in this genre - although there is one zombie bite not followed through...) convincing (albeit somewhat derivative of Shaun of the Dead) and the humour fairly rib tickling. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, for sure. But I enjoyed it and it was quite a contrast with 'He named me Malala' (see next blog)!

So what leadership theme can be surgically removed from the viscera of this schlock horror pastiche? It all comes down to badges and (you guessed it) being prepared!

I came across a story once of a business that paid for employees to take any evening education course they wished to explore. Some of these courses related to the work being done by the member of staff but quite often the flower arranging / history of ancient Egypt / how to plumb a kitchen (etc) bore no connection to the business in hand. But, what the managers of the business found, was that people who were engaged in learning just worked better. And sometimes the skills being learnt found surprising cross overs too. Leadership is all about learning (and sometimes getting the badges). Good leaders want everyone to be doing that.

What was your last badge for?

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This is Blog 125 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Love at both ends of the bridge

Brooklyn is a solid movie: an old fashioned romantic film in the genre of Brief Encounter or Roman Holiday. Brilliant period costumes and evocation of 1950s New York & Ireland that will press all of your nostalgia buttons, even if you were not alive then!

Delightful and believable narrative with some memorable cameos from Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent. Great acting and cinematography. A story that will come close to breaking your heart... but not quite. A film about families, small town communities and ambition. A good film to cuddle up to: go see.

Where do you belong? This story is all about home, homesickness, belonging and family loyalties: and working out a way that balances all of these. Working out where you need to be is one of the biggest challenges of life.

Once a upon a time, people would join a company, organisation or profession and be there for life. Loyalty was a given. Now in an age when we have a growing number of zero hour contracts and a performance culture which makes continued employment contingent on good work, that psychological contract has been eroded. The relationships between employer and employee are now ephemeral and contractual. How does leadership work in this environment when at its heart, leadership is about two way loyalty?

How are you making your leadership work in this contractual environment?

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This is Blog 124 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Red for danger

I didn't realise just how scary Crimson Peak was going to be... and I don't usually do 'scary'! But this is a superb film with the most sumptuous sets, costumes, special effects and indeed acting. Guillermo del Toro has done it again. He has managed to conjure up and absolutely unforgettable film that will have your skin prickling and your eyes widening.

The narrative unfolds like a puzzle box: you keep wondering what the next reveal will be. There is mystery, gore and brutality alongside tenderness, love and hopelessness. Like the house at the centre of the film, this will draw you towards a second or even third showing to uncover the layers within. Go knowing what kind of film this is, but do go and see it!

A theme running through this movie is risk taking: how far will you go in order to get what you want while risking all, including your own life? And this means taking a risk when fear is engulfing your body and mind, telling you to stop and hold back.

While hopefully not in life threatening circumstances, all leaders can feel the fear of taking a risk. Arguably, business only expands when people take risks, albeit calculated ones. But how do we handle the fear, a strong emotion that makes us want to stop and retreat? Good leaders know what makes them feel fearful and they have strategies to manage that fear.

How good are you at managing your fear?

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This is Blog 123 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Ghostly Bond

Let me make this very clear: I am a Bond fan. I have been all of my life and I can run through several 'clips' from Bond movies on my internal projection chamber. But Spectre disappointed me. It felt like a rehash of an old style two dimensional Bond movie. I loved the depth and minor key of Casino Royale and Skyfall: this was a Bond with scars and humanity.

But this film is one location after another in a series of staged chases and tortures, with a linear plot that was as contrived as it was subtle. The CGI and editing is, of course, seamless. But Bond was just a bit too slick for me and when I find myself analysing whether that stunt was a step too far, during the movie, it has gone too far for me. It has been, of course, one of the biggest grossing films of all time, so what I do know?! I just think we deserve a better Bond.

Spectre, like most Bond movies, is played out in a major (not minor) key: there is little room for reflection, sadness and poignancy. Ennui and self doubt are not in Bond's lexicon. Which is interesting as it has been shown that people in a sad and reflective mood have more realistic decision making capability. Emotions are a critical part our decision making ability.

So whilst Bond makes a good field agent where his reactions have to be millisecond tight, he would probably not make a good strategist or visionary leader. Such people need more capability at accessing and working with their emotions. In many ways, it is parade of Bond baddies that arguably are more strategic than Bond himself.

How well do you harness your emotions in pursuit of good decision making?

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This is Blog 122 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Witchery coaching

The Last Witch Hunter is jolly romp and nice day out for Vin Diesel's, Elijah Wood's & Michael Cain's talents. It is all fairly predictable, and the narrative gets a little convoluted at times (are we just being set up for a mini series on NetFlix?). It is mostly harmless but it probably won't have you gripping your seat. (I do worry about 12A cert films, as this is, when parents take six year olds along... shouldn't there be a lower age limit...?)

So special effects - tick. Smidgeon of humour - tick. Craggy smile from national treasure - tick. Steamy & brooding eyes from lead - tick. Love interest - tick. It will probably do even better on DVD. A pleasant Sunday afternoon watch...

While the lead character has some pretty fantastic powers, he is still paired with a priest to keep him in check, as it were. The priest is confidante, guide, organiser and ...historian. How many leaders do you know that have historians.

A good coach, of course, is all of these. In my view (and maybe I am biased!), good leaders have good coaches working with them. Coaches who can operate in all the roles that the priest in this film does (well maybe, not quite all of the roles!) are invaluable to leaders, no matter how competent and powerful they are.

Have you got a coach?

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This is Blog 121 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Bleak choices

Sicario paints a picture of Juarez in Mexico that reminded me of the hell depicted in Dusk Till Dawn. This is a deeply depressing and bleak film which purports to show a world in which the police have lost control and the drug cartels are in charge. In a word: chilling (to your core).

This is an uncompromising film that suggests the only way to tackle the brutal crime regimes depicted in the movie is to deploy 'righteous' brutality against them. The 'good guys' just kill a few less people in slightly less horrific ways. There are images in this film that will stay with you for a long time: do not see it if this concerns you. But do see it if you want to see a tight and crisply acted, well edited and filmed movie. A raw and uncompromising film.

This film poses that timeless moral question: do the ends justify the means. Of course, there are no simple or glib answers. This film should make most people feel very uncomfortable when they observe the ethical compromises being made in pursuit of a more (??) just result.

As this series of blogs has raised on more than one occasion: leadership is all about making (often difficult) ethical choices. And having made them, being prepared to stand by those choices. For example if a large business is hacked (yielding many lost personal details of customers) but then it emerges that a previous decision was made not to invest in better security for just commercial reasons... what then? All leaders need to be aware of the ethical dimensions of each and every decision they make.

What were the ethics in your last decision?

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This is Blog 120 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

What is a vote?

Frankly I am astounded it has taken a 100 years to make Suffragette. This is but one story of the movement that campaigned for decades to win women the same rights to vote as men. There must be many more stories to tell. Perhaps there will be Suffragette 2!

Unsurprisingly, the film is not without its critics and many people, I expect, will have been looking to find fault with it, given its subject matter. But, in my view, the narrative holds together well and whilst the acting is not Oscar winning it is fine acting. The film comes close to being a documentary at times which makes it all the more powerful, emotional and uplifting. This is a film to be seen.

It is often not remembered, how long some campaigns take to achieve their ambitions. The Suffragette movement was one, another was the campaign to outlaw the slave trade which took more than 20 years. In these and many other cases, their leaders and activists knew they were right: they simply had to carry on.

Good leaders don't give up when they are sure their position is the correct one, no matter what the opposition. Strategy might develop and tactics might have to change: but the goal remains the same. Leaders will flex methods but do not compromise on what they know to be right.

What do you know to be right?

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This is Blog 119 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Stranger on the shore

The Intern is a delightful intergenerational film that, whilst not looking for side splitting guffaws, will quietly make you smile and chuckle. This is a uplifting film that will appeal to a demographic that values ageing, tenderness and the application of wisdom.

This is film embedded with the hope that there is always something to learn, it is always possible to make amends to move on and it is always possible find love, even when that seems unlikely. De Niro, Hathaway & Russo give this film a warm vibrating timbre.

In most organisations, the barriers between people learning from each other are legion. These barriers can include status, gender, age, experience and so on... Often people not so much refuse to learn from others but simply do not conceive of the possibility that they might.

The job of a good leader is to break down such barriers and enable, persuade, nudge and maybe even cajole people to search out colleagues to learn from. As humans, we are learning all the time: why don't organisations harness this knowledge as much as they can? Good leaders make that happen.

How have you helped people learn from each other?

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This is Blog 118 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

No Hal

The Martian is a triumphant film: pure Sci-fi story about an astronaut surviving against the odds on a hostile planet. There's no artificial intelligence involved: no Hal present to slowly and inexorably undermine the central character's mental health.

The editing and direction are seamless - and the acting about as convincing as it could be. You will believe you are watching a film made on the red planet. This is a hopeful and optimistic movie - one to definitely see.

This is a film about resilience and creativity.  Mars is the classic burning platform which drives the marooned astronaut to higher and higher levels of risk and innovation. There is nowhere else to go.

Should every business or organisation spend some time on Mars, metaphorically? How can leaders create this compelling urgency to shed all past attachments to practice and think afresh about just how to deliver superlative and competitive services? This will hinge on whether people will really believe the leader's request to innovate because there is no alternative...

Can you command that level of trust?

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This is Blog 117 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

The Scottish Film

Shakespeare purists will probably raise an eyebrow or two at Macbeth, as the script is closely based upon but not completely faithful to the original play. But wow...!!! This film is as brutally beautiful as a film could be. This is a harsh depiction of life in early Scotland which will make you shiver with the cold and the damp on screen... and the unforgiving, horrific 'justice' meted out to its warriors, citizens and court will chill you. You wonder how anyone survived such a world.

The acting is stupendous: raw, subtle, powerful and compelling. Macbeth's descent into madness and witchery is complete whilst Lady Macbeth is painted much more sympathetically than in other productions I have seen. There are no soft edges in this film: even Macduff seems to be made from angled welded steel. This is a must see film!

Much has and will be written about the leadership lessons in Macbeth (just google it!). But I will take a different angle: much leadership is involved in daring to offer another interpretation of a well worn path. You can imagine the writers and directors meeting and saying "I know, let's do another film of Macbeth!" But true leadership is to be found in making this challenge and then following it through to completion.

Leaders in business and the arts are to found amongst those who take an old idea and re-imagine it in a way that is fresh, contemporary and persuasive (as this film has done). All this involves the courage of Macbeth, the tenacity of Macduff, the goodwill of Duncan, the strategy of Lady Macbeth and the nobility of Banquo. (I could go on...)

What is the next old idea to be refreshed? 

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This is Blog 116 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

To bill or not to bill

Bill is an enjoyable romp through one version of how William Shakespeare came to write plays. I am not sure how accurate this version is, but it is quite funny and occasionally laugh out loud funny. This is a low budget jump across from the Horrible Histories TV series, indeed so low budget that quite a few actors play multiple parts (which adds to the humour...)

Is this film made for children? Well yes.. and no: it is probably pitched squarely at the family market with plenty of subtle wit to keep the parents amused as well. It is not a great film and certainly does not have a script to match anything that the Bard wrote, but on a rainy Sunday afternoon, you won't be disappointed.

The leadership theme for me from this film was about finding your talents. Sometimes, we get stuck doing one thing (lute playing in this narrative) but really our calling is elsewhere (being a playwright). The mark of a good leader is not only one who recognises her/his own talents (and exploits them) but one who is also great in spotting (and nurturing) talents in others.

Spotting talents in others means going beyond what is on obvious display and looking for the clues behind the presentation. It also means asking good questions, listening and creating opportunities in which people might discover their talents, ones they may not have known they had.

How good a talent spotter are you?

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This is Blog 115 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

Not so hot

I really wanted to like Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials as I felt a little guilty after being not especially enamoured with the first film (see my write up here) due to seeing it in a Serbian cinema with subtitles, while the audience talked all the way through it... Perhaps the sequel would be better...? Sadly, it isn't.

The film comprises of a tedious set of scenes of people running all over the place, sometimes across post apocalyptic deserts or through cavernous industrial buildings. Yawn. Why don't they just leave off the film making and make a computer game instead, to which the narrative is much more suited. Sadly these are forgettable characters in a forgettable plot. I will not be bothering with the third one.

The job of a leader is to lead which often (though not exclusively) means being out in front, setting the pace. Sometimes leaders set too fast a pace and end up some distance away from those they are seeking to lead. The bigger the gap, the less the leadership in my view.

The art of good leadership is keeping the gap within reach and where necessary increasing the acceleration, but not by too much. Leaders can and should be pacesetters but they are not in a race. Pacesetters draw people on to greater performance but they are not competing.

How is your pacesetting?

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This is Blog 114 in my 2014/2015 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.