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.

A walk on the gentle side

A Walk in the Woods is a film that will amuse, delight & charm you... but it won't stretch you. This is more of an amble than a hike. Robert Redford twinkles (a little) but is out acted by Nick Nolte who lurches across the screen as his crabby counterfoil.

The glowing twinkles come from Mary Steenburgen who lights up a section of the film. Emma Thompson reprises her patient long suffering wife from Love Actually. It is a Sunday afternoon movie but with some glorious shots of US landscapes.

Some of the narrative edge comes from trying to predict when (or if) they will abandon to 2000+ mile Appalachian trail. At what point will they conclude they have "done it"?

Like leadership, knowing when to quit and when to persist is a critical skill, and one that is closely observed by those working with the leader. Can this timing be learnt? I think it can: through careful analysis of achievements against plans, listening to your own intuitions & emotions and watching the reactions of others.

When did you last quit? Why?

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This is Blog 113 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 die will be an awfully big adventure

Me, Earl & the Dying Girl is a quirky movie that will have a special delight for all movie buffs as it centres on the hero of the story making a film for a young cancer sufferer. High school student Greg makes parodies of films with his 'co-worker' (not friend) Earl. I am envious of Greg & Earl: if I were a student again, would probably be making movies like them.

There are so many 'teen on a journey to discovery' movies about these days and it would be easy to dismiss this as yet another one. What marks this one out is the way the narrative plays with the audience and takes a jagged line towards its poignant and uplifting conclusion. And the acting is about as naturalistic as you can get. This is a movie to see.

Whilst at university, I once spent several lunchtimes arguing with a couple of cybernetics students about whether there would ever be artificial intelligence that was superior to humans. I think I won the debate by stating that our mortality will always give us the edge. (Perhaps one of them then went off to write the Terminator series of films... or was it the Matrix?!)  

This film is about what happens to your thoughts when you are faced with your own death or indeed the death of someone that you get to know very well. Interesting questions get asked and answered. One of the critical features of leadership is having the capacity to talk about mortality as part of the life of an organisation. Leaders know that sometimes organisations can die. And the threat of this can engineer the kinds of ingenuity and creativity that a company needs to survive in a competitive market place. The leadership judgement comes in how far you push this: go too far and people will fearfully & hopelessly give up. Get it right and people will be inspired to find clever ways to improve.

How far do you push it?

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This is Blog 112 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.

Solid cardboard!

I have been eagerly anticipating Paper Towns ever since I heard news of its production, (having read the book last summer). Indeed, I even paid to go and see it as I was nowhere near a Cineworld cinema showing it at the time! I was not disappointed: this film is has stayed true to the book and evokes a rite of passage urgency rarely seen. Acting is top notch and in general the whole film is just good fun.

But as with all good movies, there are deeper and more reflective themes too. Having been a teenager once (♬ a long, long time ago, I can still remember... ♬) I can recall some of those questions, feelings and thoughts. I can remember feeling as if I was leaning at 45° over cliff just waiting to launch myself on the adult world. This film will remind you of what that is/was like. Go see it!

I think the leadership theme from this movie for me is that it is OK to go away... (and maybe even do it in a mysterious and dramatic way too!). Sometimes leaders think that they have to be there all the time, practising their leadership, being on show, being present...

But that doesn't always have to be the case. It is important for leaders to take time out, sometimes a lot of time out to recharge batteries, think about strategy, direction and indeed, leadership itself. And guess what, by being absent, leaders create the space for others to emerge as leaders. So when (or even if) the leader returns, she/he returns to a context in which there is more leadership (see the previous post).

When are you going away next?

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This is the Blog 111 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.

Back of the class

I wanted to enjoy Bad Education as I liked the concept, hailing as it does from a long tradition of school class based (in both senses) comedy, beginning (for me) with Please Sir. But it just wasn't that funny. True, there are a few laugh out loud moments but these are far and few between (and mostly appeared in the trailer). The film starts with some awkward homage to ET that is not so much offensive and ridiculously over contrived...

Moreover, the depiction of Cornish people is not much short of racism. Maybe I am in the wrong demographic to truly appreciate this film, but I did not hear much laughter from the those who might be, sitting near me in the cinema. Puerile comedy can be funny, but this is not a great example of it.

Is Jack Whitehall the leader? Or do other members of his class occupy that role? Does there always have to be just the one leader? Or can leadership be distributed amongst several people, with individuals taking leadership in different areas?

What role does a leader have in ensuring that leadership is distributed? I think one of the key elements of a effective leader is not holding on to all the leadership but being prepared to coach others / allow others / seek others to share the leadership.

How good are you at sharing?

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This is the Blog 110 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.