We all have people in our organisations who don’t receive the recognition they may deserve. The ones who work away in the background, not getting the limelight – yet just as important in determining whether a project or organisation succeeds or fails. The movie Hidden Figures is a great example. It spotlights… Read More »Uncovering the leadership lessons in Hidden Figures
Decision making is a pretty crucial skill. It can also be fiendishly difficult. Our brains, after all, are amazing in their complexity. But they can also trip us into foolish behaviour. What do we do when faced with a difficult decision? In 1772, Benjamin Franklin recommended a process of comparing… Read More »How 12 Angry Men can improve your decision making
“I’ve been kicked off every team before I even got a chance to prove myself,” laments Eddie Edwards in Eddie the Eagle. Not that it stops him pursuing his unlikely dream of becoming an Olympian. Quite the opposite. Though blessed with little natural athletic ability, Eddie won hearts through his never-say-die… Read More »Soar like Eddie the Eagle with a growth mindset
Movies are awash with tales of the underdog. But Friday Night Lights deals with a very different theme: the pressure of expectation. Set in the tiny Texas town of Odessa, that pressure is heaped upon the Permian Panthers High School football team. Here, football is a religion, and the boys are celebrities:… Read More »Setting expectations in Friday Night Lights
Why are performance reviews often so ineffective? And why can simply omitting someone from your email distribution list generate a strong emotional response? Recent developments in neuroscience can throw light on these questions. The invention of fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) machines now allows scientists to see which parts of… Read More »Five ways to understand the brain: the SCARF model
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
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?