Utilizing Film to Teach Leadership: An Analysis of Miracle, Rocky IV, and Lincoln

Abstract

Presenting verbal and visual material can be an effective teaching tool for learners who are being introduced to new leadership material. Film was selected as the multimedia outlet to engage an individual’s critical thinking skills while demonstrating different leadership components. This study analyzed three films with the intent of assisting a leadership educator in the process of teaching (a) leading teams, (b) leading change, and (c) transformational leadership. It was concluded that Miracle (O’Connor & Ciardi, 2004) was ideal for teaching about leading teams because it exposed the nuances of team dynamics. Additionally, Rocky IV (Stallone, 1985) was ideal for demonstrating leading change because the movie focused on breaking cultural barriers and highlighted how individuals prepare for significant change. Finally, Lincoln (Lupi, Skoll, King, & Spielberg, 2012) was a valuable film in teaching transformational leadership because the leader in the film was successful at changing the mindsets of people.

Keywords

• leadership
• teaching
• film analysis