I finally, as I had promised myself I would, watched Patton from start to finish in one sitting. Unbelievable performance by George C. Scott and a truly epic film.
Patton was most definitely a leader, and his leadership has often been mentioned as a model for business leadership, almost as many times as business writers refer to Sun Tzu's Art of War, but I find the character portrayed by Scott to be lacking in some of the most important leadership qualities, mostly in the "people skills" area. While it's probably effective to lead in Patton's style when your team could face a court martial for insubordination, its likely not the most effective style when your team is capable of free will.
This got me thinking of what other celluloid characters, fictional or otherwise, show a model of leadership that could be effective in the business world today. My vote goes to the original change agent, Cool Hand Luke.
What film character, whether fictional or non-fictional, do you think shows leadership skills applicable to your work life?
Related Stories: | Topics:Leadership, George C. Scott, Entertainment, Movies, Movie Reviews, Business |
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Recent Comments | 6 Total
August 18, 2003 at 2:52pm by NeoTheologue
Great topic, Kevin! =)
Denzel Washington as Coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans is a study in leading diverse organizations to excellence, as well as "vision casting" to other leaders.
Off-topic, I'd point out that the Patton portrayed by Scott in the film isn't quite the real Patton. I'd recommend a perusal of Omar Bradley's autobiography, "A General's Life," for another view. The truth is probably somewhere in between the two. Patton lacked what Washington's Boone excelled in: the ability to bring other leaders into his vision, to "evangelize" them.
August 18, 2003 at 7:42pm by Jeff Fuchs
I popped by this blog page hoping to find this very topic - thanks, Kevin!
I consult in leadership, among other topics, and a client recently asked me to put together a specialized program for their company - a kind of ongoing studies program on top of their excellent in-house one-time leader development offering. I looked around for a couple "homework" movies and managed to find two that I think work well.
One is Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance, produced by NOVA. There have been some other offerings published in the last few years focusing on Shackleton, but I felt while the others were more dramatic, people would appreciate the documentary style and the various perspectives and discussions by commentators and family on the essence of Shackleton's leadership through an extreme ordeal.
Another is Bridge On The River Kwai. Sir Alec Guiness' character exemplifies a strong conviction to values, a profound understanding of what it takes to motivate others, and a zealous protection of his men. Of course, as anyone can tell you who has seen this classic film, these strengths eventually become his weaknesses. A key point: Leaders are human and humans are fallible. I think we have all probably seen leaders in our own lives who succumb to their own strengths (i.e., confident action succeeds, but eventually becomes arrogance; fanatical devotion to people wins loyalty, but strategy and market focus become lost, etc.).
I am still looking for other good movie "homework". Any other good ones out there?
August 19, 2003 at 2:04pm by Randy Sailer
I would vote for the Gregory Peck character in 12 O'clock High. In fact, Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager) used to use the film when he taught "Situational Leadership."
The focus on different levels of direction and support, depending on the level of development of the individual and group was really evident in the movie....
August 27, 2003 at 6:23pm by Ken Fredeen
Begging forgiveness from the FC editors for referencing another publication, here is the URL for an article I archived a while back about Leadership in the Movies. Interestingly, two of the films mentioned in the "comments" posts are in the list.
Everything I Know about Leadership, I Learned From the Movies (http://www.inc.com/magazine/20000301/17290.html)
by Mike Hofman | March 2000
A look at 10 films that can help teach you how to inspire your organization, earn loyalty and respect from employees, turn crises into triumph, and become a successful member of a community.
August 27, 2003 at 6:32pm by Kevin O'Donovan
Ken:
That's the strangest coincidence. Inc.com is our sister publication (owned by the same parent company), and Mike Hofman, who wrote the article is a friend of mine, who until just last week worked down the hall from here... and I have never seen that article, I swear!
It's a great article.
September 17, 2003 at 10:22pm by Dee Ptak
I recently used the newly released movie "Drumline" as a very effective team building tool. The storyline is about a college drumline and the team work required. The line that most caught my attention was when one member was late and the instructor asked his roommate why he permitted his roommate to be late. He responded that he was "not his mother". The instructor asked the Drumline what their motto is and they say in unison "One band, one sound", if one of us is late we are all late if one of us is off key, we are all off key. It has become a catch phrase throughout the organization.