Ben Stiller’s sublime The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is awash with inspiring themes – not least the need to take a risk and have courage to break out of the ruts we all find ourselves in from time to time. Walter is the quintessential dreamer, a man who fulfils his… Read More »Walter Mitty and the power of purpose
Managing performance is often a leader’s least favourite part of their role. Having difficult conversations requires what the military call ‘moral courage’. Some choose to put up with negative behaviour instead. But people want to know how they’re performing, and honest, constructive feedback is critical to creating an engaged and healthy… Read More »Six movie tips for managing performance
As we saw in Remember the Titans, movies about race and sport can provide fertile ground for lessons on change. 42 continues this theme, telling the powerful story of Jackie Robinson, the first black player in Major League Baseball. In 42, Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford) breaks… Read More »42: five key lessons about change
Whatever your role – leader, manager, parent – it’s a fair bet that influencing is one of the skills you’ll be using most today. Whether it’s getting your manager to back your idea or encouraging your teenager to knuckle down to their studies, influencing is a core skill. And it’s become… Read More »Under the influence: nine tactics for persuasion (1)
If you had to choose one quality for a manager, what would it be? Ask a room of seven different people and you’d probably get seven different answers. Recent research from The Mind Gym identifies seven talents that distinguish exceptional managers. But of those seven, one is most important: Relate, the… Read More »Making a connection: lessons from Mr Holland’s Opus
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of ‘stuff’ you have to deal with? That you never seem to make the progress you want? Many of us do, and that’s why we fail to achieve what we want to, whether at work or in our personal lives. But… Read More »How Zorro can help you regain control and make progress
Last time we looked at three great female leaders from movies – Rita O’Grady from Made in Dagenham, Dottie Hinson from A League of Their Own, and Elizabeth I from Elizabeth. Here are three more, again with contrasting leadership strengths. Erin Brockovich Legal assistant Erin Brockovich shows that anyone can… Read More »Great female leaders in movies: part two
A lot has been said about Nelson Mandela’s legacy since his sad passing in December. And with opportune timing, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom arrives to attempt to capture the essence of Mandela’s character and impact. While Invictus – one of my top 10 leadership movies – dealt with a… Read More »Three characteristics that made Mandela a legend