Harrison Ford may have headlined 1993’s Oscar-nominated thriller The Fugitive, but it was Tommy Lee Jones who stole the show with his portrayal of grizzled US Marshal Samuel Gerard. Such was his impact that Jones got his own spin-off five years later in US Marshals. Gerard exhibits many impressive leadership… Read More »Great movie leaders: Samuel Gerard, The Fugitive
Lessons from Moneyball and Up in the Air When I organised management training, one of the key challenges identified by delegates was how to handle difficult conversations. And no wonder. Communicating bad news or addressing difficult issues is one of the toughest parts of leadership. Many leaders feel ill-equipped to deal… Read More »The secrets of communicating bad news
Unlocking the potential of their people is key to any leader’s success. So what can we learn from Hollywood’s top mentors? We’ve selected a team of the best mentors that movies have to offer, and deciphered some of the core messages that are crucial to their success. 1. The road… Read More »Introducing the movie mentor XI
Whenever I tell people that The Shawshank Redemption is one of my top leadership movies, I often receive blank looks. Where’s the recognised leader, the rousing speeches to followers? But for me, it’s the perfect demonstration of a different kind of leadership: a demonstration that leadership is a state of… Read More »Top 5 leadership movies: The Shawshank Redemption
I remember the 1995 Rugby World Cup very clearly. It was at the height of my passion for the game, and the memory of New Zealand wing Jonah Lomu brushing white English shirts aside like rag dolls still burns brightly in my memory! The tournament also produced one of rugby’s… Read More »Top five leadership movies: Invictus
There’s a scene in Apollo 13 when Flight Controller John Aaron declares that, to get the stricken shuttle back to Earth, they’ll need to get the shuttle power output down to 12 amps. The response? ‘You can’t run a vacuum cleaner on 12 amps John!’ It’s a moment that perfectly… Read More »Top five leadership movies: Apollo 13