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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From X-Men: Dark Phoenix

A Reel Leadership Article

While Marvel Studios has been crushing superhero films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 20th Century Fox has been building the X-Men universe through their X-Men films. X-Men: Dark Phoenix marks the 12th film set in their series.

X-Men: The Dark Phoenix is also the last X-Men film to be produced by 20th Century Fox (there is an upcoming New Mutants film that may be a part of this universe). It’s the swan song to what started many great adventures of the X-Men.

Professor X, Magneto, and Jean Grey in promotional image for X-Men Dark Phoenix

As we begin to enter the final films of the 20th Century Fox film universe, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is a fitting end to the series. You get an out of this world movie with a well-done ending.  Read more...

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Why Every Leader Needs A Hobby

With so much of our day spent dealing with the problems that arise from leading others, it is easy to think you don’t have time for a hobby. It’s a fallacy many leaders fall into. Failing to have a hobby is also one of the reasons many leaders stumble and face burnout.

I was reminded of this as I listened to Adam Grant’s new book Power Moves. In it, one of the Davos attendees he talks to David Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs.

Person fishing in a lake with a silver and black fishing pole

Photo by Alan BishopDavid Solomon isn’t the straight-laced CEO you might think of when you think of Goldman Sachs. Outside of work, David spends his free time on his hobby: DJing at clubs and events. He goes by the name of DJ D-Sol and rocks clubs all around the world.

He found an outlet for the stress of his job. Using his hobby of DJing, he is able to relax and decompress to avoid burnout.  Read more...

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Your Business Will Be A Success

This is a contributed post to JMLalonde.com. For more information on contributing a post, please see our contributing policies.
Woman standing with her arms spread wide in front of text saying Believe In Yourself

Photo credit

Nothing attracts like confidence. Knowing that you will succeed will ultimately lead to success. Having the courage to say that you know who you are and that you know what you want sends out a clear message to others that you have the qualities to achieve your goals. People are attracted to that kind of positive mindset; it shows them that you are a leader, that you have perseverance and a level of self-belief which can benefit those around.

While the reactions to this display of determination are true on a personal level, it can also be said when it comes to business. Running your new start-up with the outlook that you are a success will give you the energy and drive to actually become one.  Read more...

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Your Enneagram Result Isn’t A Free Pass

I have a love-hate relationship with personality and motivational assessments. On one hand, they’re the best thing since sliced bread. The assessments allow us to look into ourselves and “see” who we are and what motivates us.

I know this. I’ve taken plenty of these assessments. From StrengthsFinders 2.0 to the Fingerprint 4 Success to the Myers-Briggs assessments, each test opened up my eyes to a new aspect of my personality and motivation.

Water drops falling into water

Photo by Ali Abdul Rahman

Taking the assessments, I can look at the results and agree with them. I can see where the results expose a truth about myself. But then the danger begins to creep in.

We can use these assessments to excuse our bad behaviors. We can say “I’m a Type One on the Enneagram. It’s okay that I’m abrasive ” or “My strength zone isn’t tending to the needs of others. I won’t do that.”  Read more...

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Creating Captivating Video Content

This is a contributed post to JMLalonde.com. For more information on contributing a post, please see our contributing policies.

Video content is a fantastic tool for promoting a business. It’s a visual form of content that works well online, and especially with social media marketing. Videos don’t have to be very long to be interesting, and they don’t have to have a high production value either. The most important thing is that you get the attention of your audience, and you direct them to take the next step after watching your video. If you want to make videos to promote a product, there are some things to remember to make them captivating. Here are some key things to do when you plan and create a video.