Alien: Romulus harkens back to the days of old. There are no fancy, schmancy visuals. It’s a great story with engaging characters and lots of horror/suspense.
This is how movies should be done.
Directed by Fede Alvarez and written by Rodo Sayagues and Dan O’Bannon, the film takes viewers back to a different time. From what I can remember of the original Alien movies, everything felt right as an Alien movie.
As a young group of miners explore a broken-down space station, everything goes wrong. They awaken Xenomorphs that had been placed in cryo-stasis. It’s an intense ride from there. And it’s a ride you can take away a multitude of leadership lessons.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Alien: Romulus
1. Silence is powerful:
The film opens in silence. A spaceship comes into view, looming larger and larger on the screen.
All in silence.
Audience members were drawn into this scene. They watched as everything played out without sound. It was an intense moment when the sounds of the spaceship blip on.
Leaders can get mixed up and believe they must always have a voice. They have to give input and make noise.
Imagine if you stood back in silence when there was an issue. It’s not that you’re indifferent. It’s that you know your silence speaks volumes.
Use silence to great effect when appropriate.
2. Rain (Cailee Spaeny):
What do you need from me?
Tyler (Archie Renaux), Navarro (Aileen Wu), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Kay (Isabela Merced) were looking to plunder the cryo pods from the Romulus space station. They would use these cryo pods to fly away from their perpetually dark planet.
Rain wasn’t sure she was up for the task. She asked her friends what they needed. They wanted her and her android, Andy (David Jonsson), to access the ship.
Did you notice what Rain did here? She asked those around her what they needed from her. She didn’t guess. She asked.
That’s what leaders do. You can ask your people what they need from you.
Then you can find a way to get them what they need.
3. What seems easy isn’t always easy:
Rain is talking to Tyler. She asks him if this task is going to be as easy as he makes it sound.
Tyler doesn’t give her a definitive answer. He kind of skirts it. That should have been Rain’s first sign of trouble.
As leaders, we can create a plan or hear what needs to be done and consider it easy. In the IT world, I see this happen all the time. Leadership tells those in IT that it’s easy when it’s not.
Just because you think something looks or should be easy, it doesn’t make it so. Be prepared for difficulties to come your way.
4. Andy:
I have just one directive: To do whatever is best for Rain.
Andy was a synthetic android programmed to protect Rain. He was to do whatever was best for Rain.
Even at great cost to him.
He was her protector. He was her helper. He knew his job.
What’s your job as a leader? John Maxwell would say it is to influence others in a positive way. Someone else may say it is to get your organization the highest profits at any cost. Others may say your job is to take care of others.
Whatever your job is, understand it. Make it your prime directive. Focus on it so intently that nothing else matters.
5. There are reasons for people’s actions:
Rain wondered why Bjorn was such a jerk to Andy. He treated the android poorly.
Navarro explains Rain Bjorn’s reasoning. Bjorn’s mother was in a mine when a synth made the call to seal it. His mother was still inside the mine.
Because of the synth’s call, Bjorn’s mother died.
He had a valid reason to disdain androids. One of them made the call that killed his mom.
When we examine the why behind people’s actions, we can find logical reasoning. People don’t make random decisions. They make decisions based on past experiences, interactions, and frustrations.
As you seek to understand why others behave the way they do, you discover who they are, their past, and how you can change their opinions. Be a leader who seeks to understand.
6. Kay:
I’m just happy this baby will get to see the sun.
Kay is one of Rain’s friends. Rain discovers her friend is pregnant. Her friend is ecstatic they’re getting off their dark planet and they will see the sun.
More importantly, Kay is excited her offspring will see the sun. Her child won’t have to live in darkness.
I love this interaction between Kay and Rain. It shows how leaders should be excited about what next-generation leaders will experience.
The next generation won’t have the same experiences as you or me. They will have new technology, relationships, and more to deal with. Many times, their lives and careers will be better than ours.
Be happy about what the next generation will experience.
7. Ask those with more experience what is going on:
A facehugger attacks Navarro. This creature attaches itself to a victim’s face and implants an alien embryo into their body. The embryo grows at a rapid rate until it explodes from the chest.
Tyler and Rain don’t know what’s happening to their friend, but they know someone who might. There’s a partially destroyed android that had been on the Romulus. They get the android, named Rook (Ian Holm/Daniel Betts), powered back on.
Talking to the android, he explains what the facehugger is doing. There’s little hope left for their friend.
What do you do when you face a situation you’re unfamiliar with? Do you try to power through on your own? Or do you do what wise leaders do and ask those who have been there and done that for advice?
Don’t be afraid to ask other leaders for their opinions and ideas. Their experiences may be just what you need for the situation at hand.
8. Leaders have to make difficult decisions:
Kay was at a locked door. Andy had the ability to open the door to let her in with her friends. However, Andy made the choice not to.
Why? There was a Xenomorph (Trevor Newlin) behind Kay. The Xenomorph was waiting for Kay’s friends to open the door. Opening the door would have allowed the Xenomorph to get to the others.
Andy makes the difficult decision to let Kay be attacked so that the others will be safe.
What difficult decisions are you facing? What’s stopping you from making a decision?
You may feel guilt over what may happen to one of your team members. You may be stuck in fear. Or you may not want to make a mistake.
Great leaders know their decisions won’t please everyone. Sometimes, people will get hurt. They’ve learned to be okay with that because their decisions impact more than just one person.
Be willing to make the tough calls.
9. Leaders can learn from strange places:
Tyler shows Rain how to use one of the guns found on the Romulus space station. He tells Rain to point the gun at Andy and slowly pull the trigger. She had to pull to the halfway point when the gun’s auto assist kicked in.
The gun’s targeting system locked onto Andy. Wherever he moved, the gun would point. It allowed Rain to have a point-and-shoot experience.
But Rain wondered where Tyler learned this. His answer may shock some people. Tyler learned how to use the weapon by playing video games and reading magazines. He learned it through unconventional methods.
Many old-school leaders believe you must attend college or a university to get proper training to lead others. I’ll be frank: you don’t.
You can learn how to become a great leader through many different mediums. College or university is just one way to learn or grow. You can also grow through seminars, conferences, and great books. Or… you may find your leadership growth through movies, television shows, or video games.
Learn from what best suits you.
10. Rain:
Do what’s best for us.
Andy’s programmed mission had been to do what’s best for Rain. After Rain gave him Rook’s chip, It changed to do what was best for the Weyland-Yutani corporation. After removing the chip, Andy’s mission once again focused on Rain.
Rain appreciated this, but she wanted something more for Andy. She told Andy to change his mission.
The new mission? Do what’s best for us.
As a leader, your mission shouldn’t be self-centered. Instead, your mission should be to focus on what’s best for you, your team, and the organization as a whole.
Do what’s best for us.
