Best Leadership Movies Of All Time: Being a leader-in-training is a desirable trait that not everyone possesses. More than desire is required if you want to be a leader; you also need inspiration. There are many locations to go for motivational leadership models. There have been many throughout history, and you probably have some leaders in your life who you might learn from, imitate, and get to know better.
Another place to get inspiration for leadership is in movies. Every great film has a compelling story at its core, and most tales have at least one strong protagonist.
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Top 8 Leadership Movies To Watch In 2023
1. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix: Harry joins the covert Order of the Phoenix after being momentarily banished from Hogwarts for practicing magic outside of the campus. He encounters Dolores Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor at Hogwarts, who is a Ministry of Magic pawn. Professor Umbridge, who rejects Voldemort’s resurrection and forbids pupils from studying defensive spells, succeeds Dumbledore as headmaster after being ousted by the Ministry of Magic.
As a result, Harry establishes and command Dumbledore’s Army, a covert organization of pupils. As they gather pupils and teach them how to protect themselves against an impending onslaught, Harry, Ron, and Hermione display outstanding leadership skills.
2. The Intern (2015): This comedy-drama starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro twists the traditional narrative on leadership and internships. Ben Whittaker, played by De Niro, is a former CEO yearning for a less monotonous lifestyle than retirement.
Jules Ostin, the CEO and creator of a fashion e-commerce company, is portrayed by Anne Hathaway. Despite De Niro’s advanced age and professional background, Ostin appoints Whittaker as a “senior intern,” an entry-level role.
The movie is intriguing as a study in leadership: Ostin must learn to lead Whittaker, even when doing so appears challenging. She strikes a balance between passing along her position and authority while also benefiting from the senior intern’s expertise.
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3. The Pursuit of Happyness: Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner, a real-life salesperson who is out of money and luck and is a desperate parent who has to provide for his son, in this film. A leader can benefit from seeing this movie since it demonstrates one of the most crucial qualities a leader can develop: tenacity.
In this movie, Gardner goes to amazing, even painful, measures to get an unpaid internship and eventually a job as a stockbroker. Another excellent leadership quality he demonstrates is the will to never give up on the objective you are attempting to achieve.
The movie ends with Gardner and his kid triumphantly strolling down the street. They pass the real-life Chris Gardner as they proceed, who was still succeeding at the time of filming and had just started his own brokerage
business.
4. Captain America: Civil War: The Avengers and crew effectively split into two groups in this sweeping Marvel story: those who supported the Sokovia Accords and government demands and others who disagreed with its control and restrictions. Steve Rogers, nicknamed Captain America, is in charge of the opposition, while Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, is in charge of the former group.
For a comic book movie, the movie was surprisingly sophisticated, with both hero-leaders presenting and justifying their perspectives. Of all, this is a comic book movie; in the real world, your leadership should never result in a brutal 6-on-6 fight on an airport runway.
But the relevant lessons are all there: upholding your values, remaining true to your beliefs, putting together a team and then supporting it, among other things.
5. The Social Network (2010): The film delves deeply into Mark Zuckerberg’s life and the creation of Facebook. You get to watch how Eduardo Saverin, a friend and fellow creator of Facebook, and Mark Zuckerberg attempt to resolve a dispute that ended up in court.
Although this film doesn’t appear to be your normal inspiring film, it contains numerous hidden themes that will keep you engaged. This film shows many personalities working together to create one of the biggest social networks in use today.
The movie also shows the difficulties that real-life company owners experience when they first launch their companies and how persistence always pays off.
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6. 12 Angry Men (1957): Sidney Lumet’s 1957 judicial drama, a timeless classic, portrays Henry Fonda as an architect debating the outcome of a murder trial.
The movie, which is almost completely set in one room, centers on Fonda’s efforts to persuade the other 11 jurors that the accused should be found not guilty. Fonda was the only jury to vote not guilty. In this intriguing examination of how perception and background may affect judgment, Lee Cobb’s Juror Number 3 from 12 Angry Men serves as an example of how even the most doubtful of skeptics can be won over and persuaded.
Fonda’s Juror Number 8, which is frequently screened in schools, is a living, breathing example of how emotional intelligence, empathy, and the capacity to handle vastly diverse personalities – in the most emotionally charged situations – are vital attributes in any leader.
7. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946): Although Frank Capra’s classic, in which Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey confronts the effects of financial collapse, is frequently regarded as a simple feel-good Christmas dream, there are some deep leadership examples to be explored. For instance, when a worker’s error threatens Bailey’s loan and savings company, Bailey accepts responsibility for the employee’s errors despite the financial destruction it will cause.
This is significant because a strong leader is aware that taking responsibility and not blaming others is a sign of integrity. Accountability begins at the top.
Additionally, Bailey always demonstrates satisfaction in the job that his business completes and consistently aims to give each employee a sense of ownership. The film’s key message, according to Capra, is the “individual’s belief in himself” – regardless of how challenging the circumstances may appear to be.
This is true even if the film’s finale is rather sugary. Bailey’s self-determination may therefore serve as an example to leaders.
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8. Up in the Air (2009): HR specialist Ryan Bingham has little concern for feelings. He partly reveled in firing individuals and was hired by multiple businesses to fire employees.
Things changed when a young woman with a new strategy for terminating people started a business venture with Bingham that involved firing additional employees.
In this film, rather than the technology that enables their achievements, you learn how the people create the firm. Additionally, you get to interact with employees on a level of empathy.
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Conclusion: Fundamentally, leadership is a concept that is so deeply embedded in the human psyche that it can be seen in many instances in a wide variety of movies and television programs. So the next time you want to unwind with a movie, why not use it as a chance to learn by picking one of the titles on our list? Who knows what you may pick up and how you could use it in your own leadership situations?
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.