Methodology for Using Film in Leadership Development
Step One: Observation
Step Two: Note-taking
Step Three: Articulate new leadership insights in writing
Step Four: Write new actionable leadership behaviors fo yourself
Your paper should be 500 – 1000 words and it is written in MLA format
Observation First, participants watch the film. It takes a good deal of their attention. Most participants find it very helpful to take notes during the film; those who don’t and just “watch” the film run the risk of becoming absorbed in the story and losing sight of their mission for watching the film.
Notetakers listen carefully to what the actors are saying. They note carefully how they are saying it. They watch their body language. They look for the nuances and subtleties. Their goal is to observe every detail. They take comprehensive notes as they watch.
Note-taking: Once participants have mastered the facts of each “leadership moment of truth,” they write their observations. Students interpret, debate, and discuss each film scene, dealing with questions such as
“What leadership behavior do you see here?”
“How effective is this leadership?”
“How could this leadership behavior have been changed?”
“How would you have handled this situation?”
Participants continue careful note-taking as they participate actively in this dialogue. They hear many different perspectives on leadership from their colleagues. They capture these in their notes.
Articulate new leadership insights in writing: This is one of the most valuable leadership experiences participants will ever have. It is at the heart of a Leadership Development experience. But articulating new leadership insights is not easy. It requires participants to transform observation (what happened in the film) and dialogue (their and their colleagues’ interpretation) into a leadership principle.
For example, in the opening scene of the film Patton, General Patton makes a speech in which he conveys his vision of a victorious battle. As participants watch, they observe very closely the “facts” of the film clip, noting, perhaps, that “General Patton speaks the language of the troops,” or “Patton gives his men a reason to believe.”
They must now translate those observations into a leadership insight. For example, “Effective leadership depends on speaking the language of the troops” or “Leadership is about giving others a sense of themselves and their place in the organization,” or “Successful leaders play a role,” or “effective leadership depends on…” or “successful leaders usually. ” Students can capture these leadership insights in a notebook or journal.
Write actionable leadership behaviors: Insight without action is useless. Using all of the leadership behaviors you have studied over the semester. New wisdom must be transformed into new behaviors.
What are these behaviors? In order to answer this question, participants have the opportunity to carefully review the leadership insights they have created for the film
