Leadership Movies

Many films present provocative and sometimes inspiring views of leadership. The models are often deeply flawed (it is drama, afterall) but sometimes insightful and incredibly useful for creating dialogue. To generate a deep conversation about leadership, or just to reflect on what leadership means to you and how you operate as a leader in comparison, try any of the following movies:

A Beautiful Mind
Airforce One
Apollo 13
The Apostle
Batman Begins
Bridge On The River Kwai
Chariots of Fire
Charlie Wilson's War
Citizen Kane
The Color Purple
Crimson Tide
The Dark Knight
Dead Poets Society
The Doctor
Dr. Strangelove
Drumline
Erin Brockovich
Fail Safe
Field of Dreams
Ghandi
Glengarry Glen Ross
Glory
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Henry V.
Hoosiers
It's A Wonderful Life
Jerry Maguire
Karate Kid
The Kingdom
Ladder 49
The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit
The Manchurian Candidate
Master and Commander
Mr. Holland's Opus
My Fair Lady
Norma Rae
October Sky
Office Space
Patch Adams
Phenomenon
Pygmalian
Regarding Henry
Remember the Titans
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
The Shawshank Redemption
Simon Birch
Stand and Deliver
Titanic
To Kill A Mockingbird
Wall Street
The Wizard of Oz
Working Girl
X-Men

Each film on the list provides its own insights into leadership. And, this is just a partial start at the list of movies with something to say about leadership,

What movies would you add to the list?

Comments

Busy

What to do? High performance leaders prioritize based on mission, vision, values, and goals -- of course! And also, we prioritize based on what will just plain do some good. What's the point in leading unless it is to make a better world? There are enough needs in the world to keep everyone busy improving things. Keep going! -- doug smith

Start With Kindness

When you start with kindness you don't have to stay there, but you probably will. It works better for others. It works better for you. If you're human, you'll probably relapse. It does take practice to stay the course. The course starts by starting. When you start with kindness, it becomes more naturally the way. High performance leadership develops from the core leadership strengths of clarity, creativity, courage, and compassion. Build one of those strengths today thru some act of kindness and the others will get stronger as well. -- doug smith

Show Integrity

The goals we seek bring a lot of pull to them. We get wrapped in them. It's useful and it's powerful when we care about our goals so much that they propel us forward and keep us working even when we're tired, beyond the boundaries of our usual limitations. But they should not take us beyond the boundaries of our usual values. They should not trick us into bending the rules just because the rules are in the way. Truly high performance leaders of character who are focused, and centered, and noble maintain integrity. No cheating is ever worth the outcome. Integrity is so rare that many people don't even recognize. If you do, be thankful. We need leaders like you. To truly understand integrity you've got to keep it. Even when it's hard. Even the lines are blurred. -- doug smith

What You Need

Use what you've learned to become what you need. -- doug smith

High Performance Leadership Combination

We can rationalize anything without making it justified. Leaders should always ask: who is this good for other than me? High performance leadership does NOT mean performance at any cost. It means performance that serves a noble cause while also benefiting people. High performance leadership is a combination. Results without relationships are shallow and temporary. Take care of both, and you'll be a high performance leader. -- doug smith

Your Reputation

More authority means higher levels of responsibility. More power requires more service to others, not less. What you do with your power is who you will be known as. Also, how you use the power you have creates who people will remember you as. How do you want to be remembered? -- doug smith

High Performance Leadership

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