The third sentence that we all need as part of our leadership is “I need you to bring me a solution, not just the problem.” Problems are easy to spot. Anyone can point out when something isn’t working like a missed deadline, a bottleneck in our process or a client who is frustrated. But [...]
Leadership is about helping others to thrive…it isn’t about you and making the right decisions! Some of the best results have come from when I am really leading and not doing…when I have stepped back, when I have said no (instead of overcommitting myself) and mostly when I have trusted my team to own [...]
I remember seeing the Good Dinosaur in the movie theatre in late 2015. My nephew was almost 8 and did not like the movie, mostly because the Poppa dinosaur dies in a flash flood while trying to help Arlo (the smallest and most timid member of the family). Poppa was the leader that took [...]
There are two Inside Out movies, but I am going to cover them together. The main character, Riley, is full of emotions that include joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and embarrassment. When we look at a leadership theme that comes out of our emotions, it is not about controlling our emotions but instead understanding, [...]
Merida is a spirited and independent young princess known for her fiery personality and equally fiery, wild curly red hair. Hmmm…sounds like me expect for the princess part 😊 Merida values freedom and adventure over tradition (a lesson to be learned there as well)! Merida’s courage and wit often lead her into daring challenges—and [...]
Up is one of the saddest Pixar films in my opinion. Carl is a man who has lost his sense of direction after his wife Ellie’s death. As is somewhat typical when we get older, he is somewhat rigid and self-centered. Carl’s entire dream is to travel to Paradise Falls. However, when Russell accidentally gets [...]
Wall-E is the last of his kind and continues his job of cleaning Earth even after humans abandon it. His quiet persistence and selfless help to EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) demonstrate that leadership can emerge from dedication to a purpose, even without formal power. Wall-E truly inspires others by showing that even small, consistent acts [...]
In Ratatouille, which was released by Pixar in 2007, Remy is truly a visionary. Remy has a clear dream of being a chef and really believes that anyone can cook! His whole leadership is not about being in control but instead inspiring and guiding others toward a common purpose. The entire movie has so many [...]
Cars 2 and 3 have messages of their own. In Cars 2, the characters have to adapt to unexpected circumstances. But in Cars 3, the real leadership lesson is that Lightning McQueen becomes a mentor. Cars 2 reminds us that we need to be aware of others and not be judgmental. Mater is initially seen [...]
Can you believe that Cars is 20 years old? It was produced by Pixar in 2006 and follows Lightning McQueen, a brash and ambitious rookie race car who wants to win the Piston Cup. On his way to a race in California, he gets stranded in the small and forgotten town of Radiator Springs on [...]
So last week we talked about the teamwork of the Parr family to overcome Syndrome and the Omnidroid. But in Incredibles 2, the roles of the Parr family have changed. Elastigirl becomes the face of superhero advocacy and Mr. Incredible takes care of the house and the kids. Often as leaders, we must have role [...]
I guess you know by now that I truly love all of the Pixar movies! So now we are on to the Incredibles and part one of their story! Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl have gotten married, have 3 kids and are the Parr family. They are living a normal suburban life after the government banned [...]
I love Nemo and Dory…for years we had a big saltwater fish tank, and they were truly my favorite fish! So how do Finding Nemo and Finding Dory make us think about leadership? For me the biggest lessons we learn from both movies is the collaboration and problem-solving that they experience. Marlin (Nemo’s dad) and [...]
So least week we talked about the personal leadership that we learned from Mike and Sulley, but this week let’s talk about teamwork! The fraternity in Monsters University struggles due to poor communication at the start. But when the team works together and aligns their goals, they succeed. This reminds us that effective leaders must [...]
I remember when the first Monsters movie came out (it was Monsters Inc. in 2001) and how I loved it right from the start. Both Monsters Inc. and Monsters University have an interesting framework about leadership and this week we will talk about it from a personal context. Mike Wazowski is a very disciplined person. [...]
For those of you who may not know the Bug’s Life story (or haven’t seen it in a long time), it centers around Flik. Flik is an ant living in a colony that is oppressed by a gang of grasshoppers. But Flik is unlike most of the other ants in the colony in that he [...]
As I was about to finish the Toy Story part of this series, I heard the theme song for Toy Story on the radio. The song if you don’t know it is “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” The lyrics emphasize loyalty, support and enduring friendship…something all of us need. It made me truly think [...]
Have you ever thought about the parents in Toy Story? We see Andy’s mom (Ms. Davis is her name by the way.) Not a lot of attention is focused on her, but she represents the larger forces that shape a child’s world without being the center of it! The mom is a symbol of change [...]
I love Jessie and Bo-Peep in Toy Story…as the “love interests” of Buzz and Woody respectively. They are also two different “women” with different strengths, identity and leadership. Jessie uses her independence as a defense and leads by energy, urgency, and emotional intuition. Whereas Bo-Peep leads by clarity, competence, and calm decisiveness. Both Jessie and [...]
I want to start off this series talking about the one that started it all, Toy Story. There are so many themes in Toy Story but let’s talk this week about Buzz vs. Woody. Who is your favorite and why? I love Woody as he is symbolic of the part of us that wants to [...]
