The first time I saw a presentation on the five practices of Kouzes and Posner’s The Leadership Challenge, the presenter chose a well-known leader from business or politics to illustrate each practice. It was a presentation that ‘stuck’, and I became increasingly fascinated with the five practices as a result. … Read More »Five movie leaders to take on the Leadership Challenge
Movies are full of them. So are great speeches. Yet in business communication, this simple but powerful technique is used surprisingly rarely. What are they? Analogies. As Chip and Dan Heath point out in the brilliant Made to Stick, analogies work. They make concepts simple and understandable. What’s more, they… Read More »The secret technique for powerful communication
At the start of It’s a Wonderful Life, the angels observe George Bailey as he considers jumping off the Bedford Falls bridge. ‘Is he sick?’ asks Clarence, his trainee guardian angel. ‘Worse,’ replies Joseph, his boss. ‘He’s discouraged.’ We all need to feel appreciated, whether at home or at work.… Read More »Seven extraordinary examples of recognition
Think for a moment about the decisions you make. Do you go by your gut instinct, the unconscious part of your thinking? Or do you let your rational, conscious mind take over? The answer, for most of us, is a little of both. And often we’re not even aware of it. One… Read More »The Star Trek guide to making better decisions
Despite being over 60 years old, Twelve O’Clock High is apparently still required viewing at U.S. service academies and training schools. While many movies have valuable leadership lessons, few are about the very nature of leadership itself. Twelve O’Clock High is different. It’s a movie that reveals both the power and… Read More »Is Twelve O’Clock High the definitive leadership movie?
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
With the release of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, interest in the famous American President has never been higher. In Lead like Lincoln, I highlighted five key leadership lessons I personally took from the movie. Many other writers have identified additional lessons, both from the movie and the man himself. Mark Crowley’s… Read More »More leadership lessons from Lincoln
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