Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom returns moviegoers to the island of Isla Nublar. Isla Nublar’s volcano is active and ready to kill every living creature on the island. Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) return in Jurassic World: Fallen Kindom. They are on a mission to save as many of the dinosaurs on the island and Owen’s trained velociraptor named Blue because Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) reached out to Claire.
He’d seen her recent dinosaur activism. He sees her as a possible savior to the dinosaurs, along with Owen. Yet there’s something sinister brewing just below the surface.
There’s also plenty of leadership lessons in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. They’re just below the surface if you’re looking. And I was.
Let’s take a look at the leadership lessons you will find in the latest Jurassic World film.
Caution: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom spoilers below
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
1. Don’t celebrate too early:
A team had been sent to Isla Nublar to retrieve certain dinosaurs and their DNA. They had been successful. Then disaster struck.
As the team’s hacker was attempting to close the gates, a T-Rex breaks through the trees and begins to chase him. He runs and grabs the ladder of the helicopter. The T-Rex bites down on the ladder and another member of the team was preparing to cut the ladder.
Much to the hacker’s relief, the helicopter is able to break free from the T-Rex. He is in the clear! Or so he thought…
He begins to celebrate. The danger is gone and he is home free. Until the Mosasaurus breaks the surface of the water and devours the hacker whole.
The hacker thought he was successful. He thought he was home free. He began to celebrate his victory. That’s when disaster struck.
And that’s what happens frequently in business. We celebrate too early. We see early signs of success and we let down our guards and we run into trouble.
You have to stay keenly aware of what’s happening even when you’re experiencing success. You have to know you’ve reached your destination and then celebrate the victory.
2. Ian Malcolm:
We’ve proved ourselves incapable of handling that power.
Jeff Goldblum returns to the Jurassic World franchise once more as mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm. During a US Senate hearing, Ian tells the politicians they should let the dinosaurs die.
The world had killed them off once before. It looks like the world is trying to kill the dinosaurs once more. And the more humans try to intervene, the more trouble they are causing.
Throughout the whole Jurassic Park and Jurassic World series, people have been shown they cannot handle the power of recreating life. They use it for their own means and people die.
Ian Malcolm knew people had reached the limitation of the power people could wield. They had gone above this limit and people were paying for it.
As a leader, you have to be aware of how much power you wield. There is a limit to the amount of power you can handle.
There’s an old adage: Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely…
The more power you get, the more likely you’ll mishandle the power you have. To help prevent this, surround yourself with people who will call you out on your crap. Allow them to hold you accountable.
You and your organization will be better for this line of action. They’ll be able to mitigate major damage if you’re willing to subjugate yourself to their counsel.
3. Don’t stop believing:
Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) was Lockwood’s assistant and had called for Claire to meet with Lockwood. During Eli and Claire’s chat, they talked about the dinosaurs.
They both shared their vision. They wanted to see dinosaurs continue to be enjoyed by people. Then they said they still believed in the vision of the original Jurassic Park founders.
Leadership has peaks and valleys. When you’re on the peak, you won’t have trouble believing. When you’re in the valley, it’s a different story.
You will struggle to continue the 20-mile march. You will want to give up and throw in the towel. But you can’t.
There are people depending on you. They look to you for guidance and wisdom.
Keep believing. Know you’re working towards something great. And if you don’t give up, you will get there.
4. Find influential team members:
Owen was watching a video of Blue’s training. As Owen was trying to train the other raptors, they were misbehaving… Except for Blue.
Blue pulled the other raptors into order. They fell into line behind Blue and began to listen to Owen.
Blue was an influential dinosaur to the other raptors. She held sway and was able to help Owen tame the others.
You have to find your Blue. You have to find other influential team members. Find the influencers!
These team members will help you influence and guide the team. They’ll be your greatest cheerleader and biggest defender.
Go find your Blue!
5. Help your team experience the things they’ve dreamed of:
Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda) was one of Claire’s dinosaur activists. Zia had always dreamed of seeing a brontosaur in person. Yet she believed she never would.
When Claire returned to Isla Nublar, she brought members of her activist team: Zia and Franklin Webb (Justice Smith).
Claire bringing Zia to the island helped Zia experience a dream of hers. To see dinosaurs in person.
Magical things begin to happen when leaders discover the passions and dreams of their team members. They have a way to help their team experience their dreams and passions!
Isn’t this awesome? As a leader of people, you can help your team go and experience things they never believed they could.
You can help them by:
Offering them a bonus to help fund their college education
Giving extended time off for a dream vacation
Introducing them to someone they look up to
Letting them try new ways to solve a problem in the workplace
You have the ability to bring dreams to life. Help your team experience life to the fullest.
6. Teams don’t always listen:
Claire and Owen went to the island with an already assembled team in addition to the members Claire brought. These team members were new to the pair. They also turned out to be dangerous.
Ken Wheatley (Ted Levine) was the head of the team. And as Owen was taming the now-wild Blue, Wheatley shot Blue with a tranquilizer dart.
Owen went ballistic! He was yelling and screaming telling the guys they were not to engage Blue.
Still, they did. They didn’t listen to Owen’s instructions.
The people on your team are all individuals and have their own thoughts and ideas. They’re not mindless robots. They are sentient beings that will make their own decisions.
As much as you want your team to follow your every order, they will not. They will choose to listen, obey, or not.
Your reaction and follow-up to their behavior will be crucial to your effectiveness. Be willing to respond when your team doesn’t heed your direction.
7. You often go from danger to danger:
A velociraptor was chasing Claire and Franklin. They were running for their lives when they saw an escape hatch with a ladder. Yes! They would be out of danger.
Wrong again! Instead of the raptor, Claire and Franklin opened the hatch to find themselves in the path of the lava flow. They went from danger to danger.
Once again, we see where you can think you’re escaping something bad only to wind up in just as bad of a position. Know that what you’re trying to run from won’t land you in a better spot. Sometimes your running will lead you to a worse situation.
Instead of running from your problems, be willing to stand your ground. Face the problems at hand. Conquer what’s wrong. Make right the things that have gone askew.
8. Don’t ignore young employees:
Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) was Lockwood’s granddaughter. She was in and out of the shadows as people were in Lockwood’s estate. Apparently, she didn’t like being seen all that much.
While Eli was discussing what he was really planning, Maisie overheard his plot. She went to her grandfather and shared what she had heard.
Lockwood dismissed Maisie. He told her to talk about what she’d heard in the morning. He wouldn’t listen and it cost him his life.
It’s easy to dismiss a younger employee or even a new employee. You may believe they don’t have the experience or wisdom to know what’s really going on. You’d be wrong.
New employees and the younger generation often have their ear to the ground. They hear rumblings and they are able to pick up on new trends.
Listen to the younger members of your team. You’ll hear wisdom you didn’t know they possessed.
9. There’s danger in achieving your mission:
Claire and Owen had to find a carnivorous dinosaur with no more than three fingers. They found one tranquilized and sedated. While they discovered the dinosaur, they still had to draw the dinosaur’s blood.
This put Claire and Owen in a dangerous position. They didn’t know when the dinosaur would wake up.
Of course, the dinosaur awoke while they were trying to draw its blood.
You will put yourself, your organization, and your employees in dangerous situations at times to accomplish your mission. While it may not be life-threatening, the danger you put them in may have them risking their job or their influence.
Be careful of what you ask of your team. They want to accomplish the mission as badly as you but often they’re the ones who pay the price.
10. Unknown:
It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon.
A fatal flaw many leaders fall into is believing leadership is a sprint. They believe leading is one quick run to the next. Leadership is not a sprint. Leadership is a marathon.
You have to be in leadership for the long haul. You can’t expect to see instant results or instant loyalty. All of this takes time.
You have to run the long race. It’s the only way to truly win.
Speaking of marathons, I’m running my first one to help children in Africa to have clean water. Would you consider supporting me in this endeavor? For each $50 raised, a child gets clean water for life. My goal is to help 200 children as I run 26.2 miles.
11. Leaders accept responsibility:
Claire and Owen were deceived by Eli. They had allowed the dinosaurs to be taken and auctioned away to a bunch of evil businessmen. Both of them felt horrible.
They went back and forth taking the blame. They knew they had to accept responsibility for their actions and what it cost.
Do you accept responsibility for those on your team? You need to. You’re the one leading them. You’re guiding them and giving them direction.
In the end, the responsibility for the results of a team rests on the leader. That’s you.
Be willing and ready to accept responsibility. It’s coming your way whether or not you like it.
12. Leadership is about relationships:
The Indoraptor is a hybrid dinosaur designed by Dr. Henry Wu. This dinosaur was created to be a living weapon. After the dinosaur auction, the indoraptor was able to escape from his cage.
This caused all sorts of havoc. It also allowed Blue to shine.
When the indoraptor went to attack Owen and his friends, Blue jumped in to help Owen.
Why? Because Blue and Owen had a relationship. This relationship created a bond between the two and Blue wanted to protect Owen.
This is the power of relationships. They form bonds between two or more people that create loyalty and a bond that is hard to break.
Be willing to form relationships as you lead. They will pay dividends you cannot imagine.
13. Owen Grady:
Claire, you press that button and there’s no going back.
As Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom comes close to ending, Claire is put in an unenviable position. She has the power to kill the remaining dinosaurs or set them free. All she has to do is press a button.
Owen realizes what’s at stake. The dinosaurs would be free to roam the United States. This would spell certain doom. So, Owen warns Claire. He tells her what could happen. And she has a choice to make.
You will make many choices throughout your time as a leader. Each time you make a choice, you’re pressing a button. A button that cannot be undone. There’s no going back, as Owen said.
Be aware of the decisions you’re making. Count the cost before you pull the trigger. Your choices have a lasting impact.
Question: Have you seen Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? If you have, did you take away any leadership lessons from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? If you haven’t seen the movie, what leadership lessons from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom that I shared resonated with you? Let me know in the comment section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.