Leadership and Movies

Leadership and Movies
Arguably, the movie "The Queen" was all about leadership.
Perhaps not so arguably, "The Wizard of Oz" also
demonstrated varying leadership styles. What did each
demonstrate?

Queen Elizabeth knew of no other manner in which to lead
than to emulate her family's behavior and rulings for
generations. She was now presented with a new dilemma, the
death of her son's former wife. Should she follow the only
leadership style that she knew or should she betray her
ancestral dictates in acceding to what her constituents
desired?

Tony Blair observed the queen's archaic leadership style,
steeped with tradition yet seemingly not in touch with
today's issues. He and his wife joked about the various
rituals that made little sense to them. While he respected
the queen's position, Blair showed little initial respect
for her choices. What did his leadership style say about
him?

In "The Wizard of Oz," we learned of two distinct yet
opposing leadership styles. Oz ruled with force. His was
the giant voice that scared his constituents into behaving
in the manner of his choice. He could not be seen, only
feared. Odd as it seems, we still have leaders behaving in
this manner today. To them, fear-based leadership seems to
work, yet their people's loyalty is as thin as the veil Oz
had in front of him.

Dorothy led quite in a quite different manner. She had a
goal to get back to Kansas. She knew she didn't have the
skills, knowledge or tools to get there, so she sought out
the individuals who could take her there. While always
having her eye on her goal, she led with compassion,
understanding and genuineness.

What happened in the end for these four leaders and what is
there for us to learn?

The Queen: Learned to live in today's world, listening to
what her constituents demanded from her, putting herself in
their shoes, and making strong choices accordingly.

The Prime Minister: Closely observed the queen's tough
choices, lessoned his criticism, and in doing so, saw the
individual (not position) with which he was dealing. The
result was a stronger bond between them, more open
communication and support of each other.

The Oz: As with most leaders who hide behind a façade
and are afraid to show their true colors, he was 'found
out' and lost his power.

Dorothy: Attained her goal and created strong
relationships along the way. Each of the individuals she
interfaced with felt validated, listened to, and gained a
better understanding of who each one way and how they
contributed to the others. In short, they were better off
having had an association with her than they were on their
own.

May we all learn from the leaders around and before us.
May each day teach us one or two things about becoming a
more vivacious, compassionate, dynamic leader in our own
world. Enjoy your discoveries.

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