Here's the assignment. You are going to teach classes on some leadership/management-related subjects.
You are not permitted to have a textbook, but are required to discuss one - and only one - film (fiction, not documentary) with the students in order to illustrate key aspects of each subject.
Which films would you choose?
Leadership
Sales
Ethics
Management
Motivation
Team Building
[My choices: Leadership: Northwest Passage; Sales: Local Hero; Ethics: Groundhog Day; Management: Topsy-Turvy; Motivation: Chariots of Fire; Team Building: Master and Commander.]
4 comments:
What a fascinating topic. Not sure about all areas, but here's a few:
Leadership/Management - "The Godfather." I'd have the students focus on the leadership styles of Vito vs. his son, Sonny, and the various roles played by Hagen, Clemenza, and Tessio. Also the question would be raised as to succession planning. Was Michael being a great leader at the end, or just executing his father's plans? And what did that say about his leadership abilities?
Team Building - "The Dirty Dozen" is a good example of taking people of different backgrounds and talents to form a team greater than the sum of its parts.
Ethics - I wasn't crazy about "Save the Tiger" but some of the film deals with the ethical compromises made by a small business owner. The weakness of the film is that implies there is no choice but to be unethical if you want to succeed, but the simple exposure to the kinds of pressures and temptations such a man faces is well worth the time.
I would add another category, Finance. I would choose "Other People's Money" which is a surprisingly (for Hollywood) honest look at corporate raiders' motivations and the valuable service they provide. It also has a great presentation at the end as to why corporations must follow the bottom line.
"This company is dead. I didn't kill it. Don't blame me. It was dead when I got here. It's too late for prayers. For even if the prayers were answered, and a miracle occurred, and the yen did this and the dollar did that and the infrastructure did the other thing, we would still be dead. You know why? Fiber optics. New technologies. Obsolescence. We're dead, all right. We're just not broke. And do you know the surest way to go broke? Keep getting an increasing share of a shrinking market. Down the tubes, slow but sure."
Two used often in military circles (as you probably know firsthand) fit the first two categories: Twelve O'Clock High and The Caine Mutiny. I'll still watch either one whenever I run across it . . .
Team Building: "Remember the Titans"
What a fantastic list!
"Other People's Money" is a real favorite of mine, I completely forgot about "The Caine Mutiny" and I've heard good things about but have never seen "Remember the Titans."
Thanks!
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