Five Leadership Lessons from WICKED THE MOVIE

A Reel Leadership Article Guest Post

If you enjoy this article, you’ll love my book Reel Leadership. It’s available on Amazon.

I’m very excited to introduce you to a good friend of mine. Debbie Laskey has been not only a loyal reader of the blog but also an inspiration to me in the leadership world. Her insights are impactful and will help you grow yourself and your team. When she mentioned how excited she was to see Wicked The Movie, I invited her to write up an article for you to read. She quickly agreed and now, we’re here with a great article with leadership lessons from Wicked The Movie.


Debbie Laskey has two decades of marketing experience and an MBA Degree. She developed her marketing expertise while working in the high-tech industry, the Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, the nonprofit arena, and the insurance industry. Her expertise includes brand marketing, employee engagement, and leadership development. Since 2002, Debbie has served as a judge for the Web Marketing Association’s annual web award competition. She is also a regular contributor to several national blogs that provide insights about marketing and leadership, and she’s been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Branding Experts” to follow on X (formerly Twitter) @DebbieLaskeyMBA. Visit her website and blog.


Do you think about leadership when you watch movies? Joe LaLonde wrote an interesting book with that focus, and ever since I read it, thoughts about leadership development, leadership coaching, inspiring leaders – heck, everything related to leadership – amplify in my mind when I watch movies now. I recently saw WICKED THE MOVIE  and five leadership lessons stood out.

LEADERSHIP LESSON #1: BEWARE OF TITLES

Madame Morrible, the head teacher at Shiz University, called Elphaba “The Wicked Witch,” but at the time, that statement was not true. Since titles are not always accurate depictions of people, one does not need a title to be a leader.

LEADERSHIP LESSON #2: BE DIFFERENT

Elphaba knows she’s green and different, and she happily tells people, “I’m not afraid to be different.” This demonstrated the importance of being genuine, of being one’s true self. As a leader, do not duplicate other’s actions because followers will see right through you.

LEADERSHIP LESSON #3: DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH

Elphaba challenged the Wizard’s propaganda. This demonstrated the importance for leaders to analyze all available information before making decisions that could have negative consequences.

LEADERSHIP LESSON #4: BUILD PARTNERSHIPS

Elphaba developed a friendship (some might define it as a partnership) with Galinda, later called Glinda. Partnerships are important in all work environments between leaders and their teams to build trust and longevity.

LEADERSHIP LESSON #5: SUPPORT OTHERS

Elphaba supported the animals who were teachers and talked. She did not want them hurt or put into cages. She did not think about herself as she spoke up for the animals. As a leader, it’s imperative to support your team, recognize them, promote them, and guide them.

What do you think we’ll learn from WICKED FOR GOOD, the second part of the story set for movie theater release in November 2025?

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If you’d like more leadership lessons from WICKED, Joe wrote a post after he saw the musical:

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Wicked The Musical

Check out Joe’s appearances on my blog:

Spring Leadership Series Featuring Joseph Lalonde (March 2024)

Fall Back to Reading Series Featuring Joseph Lalonde (December 2023)

8 Business Books for Your Winter and Early 2024 Reading List (including Joseph Lalonde’s Reel Leadership (December 2023)

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