The issue of gay marriage has once again brought gay rights back to the top of the political agenda. But Gus Van Sant’s brilliant Milk reminds us just how far society has come on gay rights in the last 30 years – and the struggle and sacrifice of some of those… Read More »Five ways how Harvey Milk can improve your leadership
Watching Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, it’s striking how little America seems to have changed politically in 150 years. Two diametrically opposed ideologies still lie separated by a narrow middle ground. Similarly, it’s distinctive how relevant Abraham Lincoln’s leadership is for our contemporary world. Here are five lessons from Lincoln’s struggle to… Read More »Lead like Lincoln: leadership lessons from honest Abe
Since movieleadership.com launched in late 2011, the search term that brings more people here than any other is ‘leadership lessons from Coach Carter’. And no wonder: it’s not only a highly entertaining movie, but packed full of great leadership behaviour too. Take its climactic scene (spoiler alert!) where Carter, having… Read More »Great movie speeches: Coach Carter and recognition
Popular culture suggests extroverts are likely to make the best leaders. But according to Susan Cain’s ‘Quiet’, that’s not necessarily so. While extroverts thrive in certain leadership situations, there are many qualities that make introverts great leaders. In fact, introverted leaders can often be found at the top of some… Read More »Four qualities that make introverts great leaders
As leaders, a key part of our role is to develop and grow our people. Everyone wants to grow, right? Do well in life? So what holds them back? Coach Carter is one film that explores this question. It tells the true story of high school basketball coach Ken Carter… Read More »Break the bonds that stop your people from growing
War is an unforgiving environment for leaders, as we saw in Black Hawk Down. Add a mission that looks both futile and morally dubious, and it becomes even harder. That’s the situation faced by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) in Steven Spielberg’s epic Saving Private Ryan. Following the brutal D-Day landings,… Read More »Great movie leaders: Captain John Miller
Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this Earth. Albert Einstein Of all great leaders through history, there can be few to match the aura that surrounds Mohandas K Gandhi, the Indian spiritual leader and subject of Richard… Read More »Lead like Gandhi: one trait every leader should learn
A key aspect of leadership is to give purpose and direction. But it can also be about providing hope: hope that circumstances will improve, that this time things will actually get better and people will start to feel valued and fulfilled once again. It’s a message explored in the 1991… Read More »The leadership of hope: The Last Castle