Movie fans rejoice, there was a new movie recently released that wasn’t a Netflix exclusive. This movie was scheduled to be released in the theaters but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney chose to release the movie to their Disney+ streaming service.
That movie? Artemis Fowl.
Artemis Fowl is based on the best-selling children’s book series of the same name. There are 16 books in the series and this movie only covers a small portion of the books.
The story of Artemis Fowl is about the young Artemis Fowl Jr (Ferdia Shaw) and his introduction into the world of mystical creatures including fairies, dwarves, and more! He is thrust into this strange world when his father, Artemis Fowl Sr (Colin Farrell) disappears on one of his frequent trips.
From there, we go deeper and deeper into the world of the Fowl’s and their involvement in the world beneath us.
It was a fun watch. I enjoyed it. I also pulled out multiple Reel Leadership lessons from Artemis Fowl. Continue reading to discover the leadership lessons you’ll find in this great Disney movie.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Artemis Fowl
1. Mulch Diggums (Josh Gad):
Do not underestimate the kid.
Mulch Diggums was a Dwarfus Giganticus. Basically, he was a giant dwarf.
He had been captured by MI6 agents after being spotted near the Fowl’s home. The MI6 agent was interrogating him about Artemis Sr.
Diggums knew something the MI6 agent didn’t. Artemis Jr was just as good as his father.
It is easy to overlook the younger, up-and-coming talent in your organization. They don’t have the rapport, knowledge, or presence the older, wiser team you lead does.
This is a mistake. Many times, the younger team members offer new insights into long-standing problems.
Don’t underestimate those younger team members.
2. An absence is felt when a leader isn’t present:
Artemis Sr left on frequent trips. This left Artemis Jr without his father and in the care of Domovoi Butler (Nonso Anozie).
Whenever his father left, Artemis Fowl felt a void. There was an absence in his life because his father wasn’t there.
Your team feels the same thing. They feel an absence when you, the leader, is not present in the operations of the organization.
Your team wants you to be there. They see you as a vital, integral part of the organization. They also look to you for wisdom and instruction.
Be present for your team.
3. Artemis Fowl Jr:
He never told me how to start, but he may have told me how to end.
Opal Koboi (Hong Chau) had reached out to Artemis Fowl to demand he hand over the Aculos. The Aculos was a mysterious artifact from the fairies. It held untold power.
Opal used Artemis Sr. as bait to get the artifact. She believed Artemis Fowl would know where the artifact was and hand it over.
Artemis Fowl didn’t know where the artifact was. He did have a starting place, once he realized what his father had done.
Leaders don’t have to reveal all of the information for their teams to begin working. Sometimes they can only point them in a direction.
Help your team to understand the direction you point them in is the way they should go. Help them to realize they will have to figure things out on their own.
Doing this helps your team develop crucial business and personal skills.
4. Find people who understand those you lead:
Domovoi brought in his 12-year old sister, Juliet Butler (Tamara Smart). He did this to help protect Fowl Manor, the Fowl’s home.
Why would Domovoi bring in a 12-year old? He did it because Juliet would understand Artemis.
When you look at bringing in someone new to the organization, consider this… Consider bringing in someone who can understand the other people you lead.
Having someone who understands other people well will be a boon to your ability to lead. They can get their thoughts and ideas and help you understand those you lead.
5. Leaders accept responsibility for their actions:
Commander Root (Judi Dench) led the LEPRecon squad in Artemis Fowl. She ordered a time freeze to be placed over a wedding party after Holly Short (Lara McDonnell) had identified a troll wreaking havoc in the above world.
She was reprimanded by one of the LEPRecon soldiers, Briar Cudgeon (Joshua McGuire) who wanted to backstab Root. He told Command Root she had to have Executor orders to launch.
How did she respond? She said she would accept full responsibility for this decision.
You have to be ready to accept responsibility for the decisions you make. They are your choices. YOU OWN THEM.
Don’t pass the buck.
6. Artemis Fowl Jr:
I prefer scared to dead.
Fairies showed up at Fowl Manor. It was a scary situation. Domovoi realized this and asked Artemis a question.
He asked Artemis if he was scared. Artemis was. Yet I loved his reply.
Artemis realized being scared was better than being dead. We have to get this into our head too.
Leading has scary moments. It’s not always easy and we have to make choices that will scare us.
Be ready to make those decisions. Be ready to be scared. It’s better than the alternative.
7. Clearly communicate:
Artemis captured Holly Short when she appeared near Fowl Manor. He took her armor and realized he could communicate with the fairy colony.
He picked up Holly’s helmet and gave his demands. They were that the fairies needed to send someone in to negotiate. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Leaders are called to be clear communicators. They are to share their vision with clarity and to help their team members see the vision.
Be a clear communicator. You need to help your team understand what you want and when you want it. You can do this!
8. What we desire is often already there:
Opal Koboi had demanded the Aculos. Artemis needed it to save his father. At the time of Opal’s demand, he wasn’t sure where the Aculos was. He did discover the location of the Aculos as the movie progressed.
The Aculos was located in Fowl Manor. It was under his nose the whole time.
We desire so much. We desire success, fame, fortune, friends, family, etc…
What we discover is that these things are right there in front of us. We get blinded to the things we desire and the things we have.
Stop and look. You will see so much of what you want is right there.
9. Great leaders empower their team members:
Briar Cudgeon had ordered the blocking of all magic around Fowl Manor. This prevented Holly from using her magic to save Domovoi after a troll fell on him. It would also lead to Holly’s death…
Commander Julius Root told one of the other commanders she hadn’t given him his position for nothing. She trusted him to make the right choices.
He did. He chose to restore the use of magic in Fowl Manor. This allowed Holly to save Domovoi.
As leaders, we shouldn’t hoard the power. Instead, we should empower those we lead.
We need to be willing to hand over power so our team members can get the things done they need done.
Begin to look at how you can empower your team. Give them a mission and allow them to finish it with their own ideas.
You will be amazed at how good your team is.
10. Holly Short:
You know I’m breaking every rule in the book.
Artemis bargained with Holly. Holly had obtained the Aculos and Artemis needed it. He made a deal for her to help them.
This went against everything she believed in. It meant she would break the rules. She could even get in trouble!
But she went ahead and helped anyway. She saw the bigger picture.
Rules and regulations are created for a reason. Most of the time, they were created because someone did something wrong one time.
This led to the creation of a new rule or regulation. More and more were added over time.
The rules and regulations of our organizations are there to help keep people in line. Those same rules and regulations can also hinder the work people are doing.
Know when the rules and regulations are needed. Know when the rules need to be broken.
11. Great leaders have a master plan:
Artemis Fowl had a master plan. Right from the beginning, he knew what needed to be done. He set into place a way for everything to work together for him to free his father and get MI6 off of their backs.
From Diggum being arrested to the fairy invasion of Fowl Manor to the use of the Aculos… Artemis Fowl knew what needed to be done. He had the plan in his head.
Do you have a master plan? Can you put together exactly what you want to see happen and make it so?
Begin working on your plan making skills. You can test your theories and build an organization around your plan.
Put it into place and see what happens!
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