Up to 11pm Special

Since seeing Midnight Special, I have been asking people what they thought of the ending of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Those old enough to remember said it was disappointing. To which I say: me too and it's a bit like this new movie, Midnight Special.

Up until the last twenty minutes it is a tight, tense and unpredictable thriller with convincing understated acting. But then it seems as if the writers and sfx budget ran out of puff. True, some may find the climax of the film a satisfying ending and you will only know if you see it... But if you are like me at all, you may well be saying: really... is that it?

One of the narrative tensions in the film pivots on reconciliation: will two key characters find enough common cause to help them find some peace between each other, or not? True reconciliation is a beautiful thing to see and better still, experience. Hatchets can be buried and the past put behind us.

Sometimes though, animosity and anger run very deep, so deep that reconciliation seems impossible. Good leaders can make the impossible, possible. Through a combination of supreme patience, resolute focus on the goal and an earnest search for the common ground, leaders can make this happen. Sometimes, for the sake of a business, it really needs to happen.

How good are you at making the impossible, possible?

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Blog 165: in my 2014/15/16 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 updates at the end of 2014 and 2015). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

#leadershipinfilms | #MidnightSpecial

Good Queen Hunting

The Huntsman: Winter's War is cracking good movie with plenty of pace, humour and an engrossing narrative (for a film of this kind). I like the way that the film wraps around the previous movie: a sort of sequelprequel. I have not seen the previous film but that did not get in the way for me.

There are some meaty narrative tensions around love, betrayal, reconciliation and revenge. I know this is from a fairy tale universe, but occasionally it would be good to have a film where the baddies are not vanquished and love does not (eventually) conquer all... But there again, would anyone want to see such a film? This is a film to be enjoyed.

One of the aspects of this film that I like a lot are the many strong female characters that inhabit the film. I like this because, typically films of this kind (fantasy epics) do not. It is even rarer to enjoy the performance of a female comedic lead (well done Sheridan Smith).

As always, diversity adds strength and vibrancy to an ensemble. The art of good leadership is to make sure that such diversity is always present through carefully designed non-discriminatory and open recruitment and development strategies.

How diverse is your leadership?

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Blog 164: in my 2014/15/16 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 updates at the end of 2014 and 2015). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

#leadershipinfilms | #TheHuntsmanWintersWar

Bit of a super mess

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was probably a great idea when it began but in my view, it all ends up in a bit of mess that stretches credulity to the limits. I won't say in what ways my incredulity was stretched (there were more than one) except to say: Superman is an infinitely strong and invulnerable alien whereas Batman is a strong human with a few Earth made toys...

I know: it is a superhero movie and one has to suspend quite a lot of credulity... (that is the point) but even within the DC universe, surely there are some limits otherwise we can Lois Lane swallowing a magic potion and becoming even stronger than Superman. Yes it is well directed and actors have practised looking steely, thoughtful and somewhat upset simultaneously, and the sfx are brilliant... but it did not quite work for me.

I have always liked the quiet, determined and science based leadership of Alfred, Batman's 'butler'. It seems to me that Batman would be little more than a rich (but damaged) young man with a flash car, were it not for Alfred's help.

Sometimes in organisations there are the obvious leaders who attract all the attention and seem to single handedly make the weather. Very often though, the success of such leadership is underpinned by the back room leaders who make it all work seamlessly. These leaders are often unsung but are just as important.

Who are the back room leaders in your organisation?

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Blog 163: in my 2014/15/16 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 updates at the end of 2014 and 2015). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

#leadershipinfilms | #batmanvsuperman