Holiday Movie Inspiration (pt. 2)
Last week I shared leadership lessons from two of my favorite holiday movies; Christmas Vacation and Elf . This week I continue with two more movies and two lessons from each one, Home Alone and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Both are favorites in the Lambatos’ household and a central part of our annual holiday movie watching traditions.
Home Alone is a classic and despite how many holes you want to poke through the plot line, it keeps me laughing and entertained throughout. There are a number of lessons to choose from here, and these two stood out for me.
1) What are the Distractions in your Life?
We all have things that take our focus off of what is truly important. For the McCallister family it starts well before the power going out the night before they leave for their trip to Paris. The visitors from out of town, packing the night before a vacation, a house full of kids of all ages and a variety of personalities create a chaotic situation that is ripe for something to get missed (Kevin). As leaders we have to clear out the distractions in our lives so that we don’t miss critical elements. When we minimize these distractions we are also better equipped to deal with unforeseen challenges that come our way.
2.) Innovation can Come from Anywhere
Kevin’s ability to booby trap his home with common household objects is tremendous. Sure it may be a stretch for an eight year old boy to concoct all of that, however the lesson applies to all of us. Too many times companies try to throw money at problems when what they really need is innovation. When leaders empower their team members to innovate, amazing things begin to happen. With creative thinking and utilizing resources around us in new ways, we can come up with better and sometimes more efficient solutions.
Our final lessons come from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, which debuted more than fifty years ago. This heartwarming story has plenty to teach us with lovable characters like Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman and even The Abominable Snowman.
1. ) Leadership Can Come From Anywhere
It’s easy to get caught in the trap of thinking that leadership always needs to look a certain way. Rudolph is shunned and no one even thinks he should be part of the team, let alone lead it. Yet when the conditions change, he is all of a sudden viewed as an asset. Who on your team has potential to lead, but hasn’t been given the opportunity to do so? What conditions are on the horizon that will require a different style of leadership? These are questions that we should be thinking about if we want to help develop the people around us.
2.) Sometimes You Have to Take a Risk
When Santa calls on Rudolph to lead his sleigh, he jumps (pun intended) at the opportunity despite never having done it before. Opportunity knocks at different times in our lives. The question is whether or not we choose to answer the door and seize it. It’s easy to play it safe and pass when the timing isn’t perfect or you don’t feel like you’re ready, but there is no guarantee that opportunity will knock again. Leaders must constantly be assessing risk and have a willingness to plow ahead into unknown territory.
Happy Holidays from the team at mibe! We hope to see you at our mibe Summit in January.