There aren’t many movies based on Powerpoint presentations. So it stands to reason that Al Gore’s slide show on climate change, the subject of An Inconvenient Truth, is just a little bit special. Gore shows that if you create a compelling story around an important issue, a presentation is as… Read More »10 ways to make your presentation memorable
It’s a sad fact that most communication falls on deaf ears. In the era of Twitter, smartphones and billboards that talk to you, we’re each assailed with messages every minute of the day. As a leader, how are you going to make sure your message is the one people listen… Read More »How to craft an effective story for your organisation
It seems strange, to me at least, that women could ever legitimately be paid less than men for doing the same job. But equal pay legislation is just 40 years old, and Made in Dagenham tells the inspiring story of the female workers at Ford’s UK Dagenham plant and their… Read More »How to change history: Made in Dagenham
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
In my last blog post, I looked at how The King’s Speech could help leaders conquer a common fear: presentations and public speaking. But this isn’t just a film about public speaking: there are many other valid lessons for leaders too. It’s still not uncommon for people to be promoted into… Read More »More lessons from The King’s Speech: humility and trust
For many people promoted into management roles, one of the toughest challenges is to build confidence and capability in public speaking: in business, often represented by the dreaded presentation. It’s a situation explored at length in The King’s Speech, the unlikely but fascinating tale of how King George VI –… Read More »Why The King’s Speech can help your public speaking
War is the most unforgiving environment for a leader, with every decision affecting both your own life and that of others. It’s an environment vividly painted in Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott’s re-telling of the US military’s ill-fated incursion into Mogadishu in 1993. Based on Mark Bowden’s absorbing book, Black… Read More »Leading under pressure: Black Hawk Down
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