[July 22, 2017] From all accounts, the new movie Dunkirk is a blockbuster that will draw crowds from all age groups and geographic areas to see it in local theaters. What makes it popular is something that we can look into to see what we can learn about leaders and what its attractiveness can tell us.
My grandmother was fond of telling me that it was important to gain respect for people and to understand their motivations and interests. In that way, I could both help them and myself to be successful in family and work. That is why the “buzz” about this movie is something leaders should see for what it can teach us.
We could look upon it as entertainment but we would then be missing a number of important leadership lessons. Or, in similar way, we could view it as a form of education about World War II. The result might be the same but we would again miss lessons that would help us be better leaders.
The movie Dunkirk draws us to it because it reinforces those core values most cherished by people.1,2,3 Whether it be liberty and freedom, strength and winning, or defender of the helpless, such movies inspire us in many ways. It also reveals to us those things we dislike – that which we may dislike with great emotion – and that is the killing of innocents, slavery, and an array of immoral behavior we often associate with Nazi Germany.
Any study of the psychology of people is good for a leader. Such study reinforces our understanding and appreciation for the similarities and differences individuals demonstrate day to day. It also reveals our motivations; that it why our look at the movie is another example of leadership in action.
Dunkirk the movie, in doing so, tugs at our emotions as it delves into our values and pushes our desires and fears around like toys. That is what great storytelling is about and why this movie will be seen a great as it does exactly that. Historically, the daring rescue of 400,000 Allied soldiers from the French port city of Dunkirk in May 1940 was a defining moment and ties together our core values into a single historical event.
Many will see the movie more than once. This may be the only way to truly get at the layers of psychology of humankind as we can intellectually absorb only so much at once. I look forward to seeing the movie. I’m sure it will be worth the intermission cost.
[Don’t forget to “Like” the Leader Maker at our Facebook Page.]
——————–
- https://www.theleadermaker.com/american-core-values-part-1/
- https://www.theleadermaker.com/american-core-values-part-2/
- https://www.theleadermaker.com/american-core-values-part-3/