This presentation deals with leadership and uses Hollywood Blockbusters as lessons,

1. The Essence of Leadership
Lessons from Hollywood
Reana Rossouw
Next Generation Consultants

2. Opening Credits
What’s your favourite movie?

3. Movie Trivia
• Famous Quotes
– I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse
– Never hate your enemies, it affects your judgement
– Its not personal, its strictly business
– Never ask me about my business
– Each man has his own destiny
– Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.
– Never get angry. Never make a threat. Reason with people.
– Being kind to a fellow man is profitable, in every sense. Both
personally and bottom line.
– I'd burn in hell, to make sure that my children are safe.
– I want no inquiries made. I want no acts of vengeance. I want
you to arrange a meeting, with the heads of the Five Families.
This war stops now.

4. Movie Trivia
• I'm not hard to get along with.
• I'll tell you one thing: Don't ever give anybody
your best advice, because they're not going to
follow it.
• You can't handle the truth.
• You only lie to two people in your life: your
girlfriend and the police. Everybody else you tell
the truth to.
• If one is born with talent, one can have a
wonderful life.

5. Dead Poets Society
• Robin Williams
• Conformity stifles creativity
• Don’t follow the leader
• Find your passion and bring
it to life
• Make your life extraordinary
• Creativity can be unleashed
– we all have it
• There is a time for daring
and a time for caution. The
wise leader knows the
difference
• Looking at life from different
perspectives will allow you to
see what others cannot
• Carpe Diem – Seize the Day

6. Erin Brockovich
• For the first time in my life, I
got people respecting me.
Please, don't ask me to give it
up.
• She brought a small town to its
feet and a huge corporation to
its knees.
• NOT PERSONAL? That is my
WORK, my SWEAT, and MY
TIME AWAY FROM MY KIDS!
IF THAT IS NOT PERSONAL,
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!

7. Rocky
• Sylvester Stallone
• Be An Early Riser
• Light It Up
• Sell The Story, Not The
Person
• Plan For Succession
• Know Your
Merchandise? Sure.
Know Your Customers?
Always
• Ignore Government
Bureaucrats
• Hire From The Gut
• Hire Your Children

8. About Schmidt
• When bad things
happen to good
people
• Reaching out to
others in time of
crises
• Explore life – its never
too late
• Find a pen pal

9. Pride and Prejudice
• Sometimes the last
person on earth you
want to be with is
the one person you
can't be without
• Leadership is a
choice
• Don’t let pride and
prejudice inform
your leadership
style

10. X-files
• Mulder & Scully
• “The truth is out there”
• Its wrong to be right
– Being right is based on
knowledge and experience and is
often provable. Knowledge
comes from the past so its safe, it
is also out of date. It is the
opposite of originality.
• Its right to be wrong
– Anything is possible
– When you are in unknown
territory (feel like an alien)
anything is possible
• Don’t Assume
• Don’t trust the authorities

11. Da Vinci Code
• Hidden messages
• Cracking the code
• Finding the clues
• Seek the truth
• So dark the con of
man
• Sometimes not
everything is as it
seems

12. Mission Impossible
• Tom Cruise & Laurence
Fishborne
• Against all odds
– Aim beyond what you are
capable of, develop a
complete disregard for where
your abilities end
– Do the things that you are
incapable of
• Nothing is impossible
• Knowing how and when to
trust, and avoiding your
prejudices, can do that
sometimes. Sometimes the
guy your prejudices tell you not
to trust is exactly the guy you
should trust.

13. The good, bad & ugly
• Clint Eastwood
– the story of three men
seeking a fortune in
buried coins, no-one
knows where its buried
• Sometimes you just
need a good director
• Getting help
– A coach / a mentor
• A cowboy never cries

14. Briget Jones’s Diary
• A girl’s gotta do what
a girl’s gotta do
• Always wear clean
underwear
• Always shave
• Always be ready for
an adventure

15. Starsky & Hutch
• Remake of 70’s TV Show
• Ben Stiller & Owen
Wilson, Vince Vaugh,
Snoop Dog
• “You can loose your keys,
you can loose your wallet,
but how can you loose a
plane?”
• Undercover cops
• Having fun is an
important ingredient when
you are a leader

16. Something's gotta give
• Jack Nicholson &
Dianne Keaton
– Scared of
commitment?
– Always looking for
greener grass?
– Admitting mistakes is
tough?
• Choices one’s got to
make
• It’s a lonely life –
being a leader

17. Sixth Sense
• Haley Joel
Osmond & Bruce
Willis
• “I see dead people”
• Who’s the dead
guy?
• When something is
just not right
• Trust your instincts

18. Forrest Gump
• Tom Hanks
• “Life is like a box of
chocolates”
• “Stupid is as stupid does”
• Non political and non
judgmental
• The worlds most influential
people sometimes come
from people with an IQ of 75
• Tenacity makes us hero’s
• In the end it is a good heart
and pure intention that takes
you further than just brains
ever could

19. Indecent Proposal
• Robert Redford, Demi
Moore, Woody Harrelson
– What's your price
– What are you prepared to
do to get ahead
• “I thought we were
invincible. But now I know
that the things that people
in love do to each other,
they remember. And if
they stay together, it's not
because they forget. It's
because they forgive. “

20. The Matrix
• Lawrence Fishburne, Keanu
Reeves
• Anything is possible
• Where is your matrix – energy
source
• What is your matrix – other
humans
• Do you life in real life or in
virtual reality or science fiction
• Is your life characterised by big
scary unrealistic moves or a
natural flow of progression

21. Mr & Mrs Smith
• Brad Pitt & Angelina
Jolie
• What is your true
identity and what are
you hiding
• Don’t marry the
enemy

22. The Godfather
• Marlon Brando and Al
Pacino
• I, I, III – next version
• Making someone an offer
they cannot refuse
• The rules of the game
• Who controls the game
• What is the price for
control
• Winner takes all

23. Shall we dance
• Richard Gere,
Jennifer Lopez,
Susan Sarandon
• What's your dream?
• Stepping out of the
ordinary
• Its never too late
• Its also about balance
• We all have to live a
little (actually a lot)

24. Silence of the lambs
• Jodie Forster & Anthony
Hopkins
• “I ate his liver with some
fava beans and a nice
Chianti”
• What's your secrets
• Who are you having for
dinner
• Who is having you for
dinner
• Do you have the nerves
for being a leader

25. A few good men
• Tom Cruise, Demi Moore,
Kevin Bacon, Jack
Nicholson
• Code Red – Whistle
blowing or following
orders?
• “Conduct unbecoming an
officer?” (leader)
• Bribery & Corruption
• Don’t seek praise, seek
criticism

26. Divine secrets of the Ya-Ya
sisterhood
• Friendship in times of need
• Friends remind you about the
real stuff in life
• Friendship brings
perspective
• We all have stories to tell
and share
• You also have a
responsibility
• The rites of passage requires
that each leader must teach
another leader
• Coaching and Mentoring

27. First Wives Club
• Bette Midler, Goldie
Hawn, Diane Keaton
• Don’t get mad – get
even – get everything
• Revenge
• Don’t give a speech,
put on a show

28. Brokeback Mountain
• Life is tough
• Life is complex
• Life is about decisions
• Life is about choices
• Controversial
• Courage
• Not making a decision
is also a decision

29. Titanic
• Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate
Winslet
• The Iceberg underneath
• Question of survival, never
say never
• Always lean towards caution
and cater for every
eventuality
• Don’t cut corners
• No matter how brilliant your
plans are – if you don’t pay
attention to what's around
you, you may end up with
that sinking feeling

30. Schindlers List
• A leader goes for the
root cause of a
problem, not the
symptoms
• A leader does what
he believes in his
heart is right, even if
he is unpopular
because of it

31. Break

32. What Women Want
• Leadership styles of
men and women –
are they different?
• What keeps women
leaders from reaching
the top?
• What will you do to
win
• Do you know what
you want?

33. Hotel Rwanda
• The quiet heroism of
one leader
• One imperfect
individual who uses
his social position,
interpersonal skills,
and quick wit to
rescue thousands of
lives from a
holocaust.

34. Shawshank Redemption
• Hope is a good thing,
maybe the best of
things, and no good
thing ever dies
• Morals
• Hope
• Inspiration

35. Saving Private Ryan
• Leaving friends
behind
• Doing what leaders
are suppose to do
• Last man standing
• Repaying your debts
• Honoring those that
taught you
• Face your fears, face
respect, face purpose

36. Men in Black
• “A person is smart. People are
dumb, panicky, dangerous
animals, and you know it. “
• “1500 years ago, everybody
knew that the Earth was the
center of the universe. 500
years ago, everybody knew
that the Earth was flat and 15
minutes ago, you knew that
people were alone on this
planet. Imagine what you'll
"know" tomorrow. “
• Leaders know when to zap out
bad experiences
• Fight to life another day

37. The Devil wears Prada
• Human resources certainly has
an odd sense of humor.
• A million girls would kill for this
job.
• Do you have a prior
commitment? Some hideous
skirt convention you have to go
to?
• See, I'm on this new diet
where I don't eat for a week
and when I think I'm going to
faint, I eat a cube of cheese. I
figure I'm one stomach flu
away from my goal weight.
• I love my job, I love my job.
• It's not fair! I mean, you eat
carbs for Christ's sake!
• You sold your soul to the devil
when you put on your first pair
of Jimmy Choos!

38. Lord of the Rings
• A leader does not
know everything – it is
their ability to listen
and learn that makes
them leaders
• It is the wisdom of
others that allows
leaders to accomplish
great tasks

39. My Left Foot
• Leader Emergence:
When a group has no
leader, someone will
eventually assume a
leadership role. Even
the most unlikely can
become a leader
• Servant Leadership:
Focus on serving
others rather than
oneself

40. The Note Book
• I am no one special; just a
common man with common
thoughts, and I've led a
common life.
• There are no monuments
dedicated to me and my name
will soon be forgotten. But in
one respect I have succeeded
as gloriously as anyone who's
ever lived: I've loved another
with all my heart and soul; and
to me, this has always been
enough.
• Learn to journal, plot your
progress, keep on learning

41. Braveheart
• Managing change is one
of the greatest
expectations of leaders
• All 5 Change
Management principles
(motivating change,
creating vision,
developing political
support, managing
transition and sustaining
momentum) is portrayed
in this movie.
• The desired change
achieved was freedom
• Every man dies, not
every man really lives

42. 13 going on 30
• Freaky Friday
• Careful what you wish
for

43. Under the Tuscan Sun
• Life offers you a
thousand chances –
all you have to do is
take one
• Leaders cannot afford
to be risk adverse
• Leaders must learn to
overcome their fears
• Leaders are brave

44. Apollo 13
• Think creatively
• Keep your head
• Manage
communication
• Failure – is not an
option
• Houston – we have a
problem

45. Pay it forward
• Random acts of kindness
• Do something for someone
they cannot do on their own
• Sometimes The Simplest Idea
Can Make The Biggest
Difference.
• When someone does you a big
favor, don't pay it back... Pay It
Forward
• Some favours you are not
allowed to pay back
• Is it possible for one idea to
change the world?

46. Gone with the wind
• Clark Gable & Vivien
Leigh
• “Frankly my dear, I
don’t give a damn”
• Attitude

47. Star Wars
• The film that became pop
culture – 5 follow up epics
• Highly acclaimed commercial
success – books, comics,
merchandise, games, trading
cards
• Creating the Star Wars
generation – 1977 - 2007
• “A long time ago, in a galaxy,
far, far away…”
• “May the force be with you”
• Leaving a legacy

48. Harry Potter
• When you are on to a 90
good thing…….. 80
70
• Duplicate, Replicate
60
• Serialise 50
East
40 West
30 North
20
10
0
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr

49. Brother Bear
• Back to basics
• Revisit the
basics often
• Stick to your
core business
• What I learnt
from my mom….

50. Shark Tale
• Don’t lie
• Be yourself
• Don’t get caught
• Be truthful

51. Ice Age
• Don’t covet your ideas.
Give away everything you
know and more will come
back to you.
• The problem with
hoarding is that you end
up living off reserves.
Eventually you become
stale
• When you give away, it
forces you to look, to
replenish.
• Ideas are open
knowledge, don’t claim
ownership

52. Finding Nemo
• All the experience
and information you
gain during your life
serves to help you
grow and become
who you are
• No one can take it
away from you
• Grow with the
experience

53. Monsters Inc.
• If you get stuck….
– Draw with a
different pen

54. Shrek
• Beauty is not
everything
• Even though you do
not have everything –
skills, money,
resources, if you
persevere you win
• Make a plan

55. Life is not a fairy tale
• Life is not a fairy tale
• You made your bed, now lie in it
• Give credit where credit is due
• It ain't about the bling
• Don’t loose your audience
• Image is everything
• A great movie still needs to sell tickets
• Use critics well

56. Worksheet
• If you were a movie star – who would you
be
• If your life was a movie – what genre
would it reflect – drama, horror, science
fiction, comedy, romance
• If you had to re-write the script of your life
– what would you change
• What do you need to do to become a
blockbuster

57. The End
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