Pam and I go to the movie theater often. In the last couple of years, I can’t recall the movie theater being as packed as it recently has. I believe there’s one movie that has caused families to flock back to the theater. That movie?
Frozen II
You may remember the original Frozen movie from 2013. Frozen released to great fanfare. And for good reason. The original Frozen movie was fantastic. From memorable songs such as Let It Go to amazing animation. The original Frozen was a winner.
We’re now six years out from its original release. Frozen 2 has now hit the theater. People are coming in droves to the theater.
Frozen 2 continues where Frozen and Olaf’s Frozen Adventure left off. Elsa (Idina Menzel) is the queen of Arendelle. Though she’s the queen, she feels a strange pull to another land. A strange land. A land her mother had warned her and Anna (Kristen Bell) of.
Elsa, Anna, Olaf the Snowman (Josh Gad), and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) set off on an adventure to set the past right. They seek answers. They seek to enter into a kingdom clouded with fog.
There, they learn of a dark mystery. One that created the mess they’re in…
Many of you will be pulled to Frozen 2 because of a young family member or a wife that wants to see how Frozen evolves. Or maybe you’re the one that wants to return to the world of Arendelle. Whatever the case, go in with a Reel Leader mind. You will find plenty of leadership lessons in Frozen 2.
Today, we’re going to look at the leadership lessons you will find in Frozen 2 and how you can apply those to your time as a leader.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Frozen 2
1. There’s a time to share:
Anna and Elsa were playing but their parents come in and tell them it is time for bed. Their father, King Agnarr (Alfred Molina) and their mother Yelena (Martha Plimpton), began to share a story from long, long ago. A story they hadn’t shared with their daughters.
King Agnarr had been to an enchanted place. He had seen many things there and had come back a different man. He’d also seen his father, King Runeard (Jeremy Sisto), die.
The sisters weren’t told the story until the time was right.
Leaders have a responsibility to share the stories of their organizations and movement into a leadership position. Yet, they also have to share the right time. They have to know when and what to share.
Many leaders will mess this up. They will share everything even when people aren’t ready. By not telling your team something, you’re not lying to them. You may be preventing them from great harm.
Be wise in knowing when to share.
2. Anna:
But I still have so many questions…
King Agnarr finished his story and told the girls it was time to go to bed. Anna was sad. She had heard the story and she still had so many questions to ask.
She didn’t get to ask her questions that night. Those questions continued to ruminate in her mind as she fell asleep.
Leaders have questions. They hear about a new idea or a new way of doing things and their minds run wild. They see opportunity and hope.
As a leader, you will have to have an inquisitive mind. You will have to have questions. You will have to be fearless as you ask the questions you think of.
Be ready. Be willing. Be a question asker.
3. Leaders will hear a call others won’t:
There’s a haunting song in Frozen 2. Elsa heard the song. Others in her life did not.
Elsa began to chase the song caller. She knew something was happening. She had to respond.
Most people won’t step into a leadership position because they don’t hear the proper call of leadership. They don’t understand why people would sacrifice themselves to help others become a next-generation leader.
Great leaders hear and heed the call to leadership. They hear the siren call of leadership and respond.
If you’ve heard the call, respond.
4. Anna:
I’m not alone anymore.
Anna had been a worrisome child. She had felt alone and she let her aloneness bother her.
I believe she was right in worrying because of her feeling alone. People weren’t created to be alone. People were created for community.
Once Anna realized she wasn’t alone, her worry began to leave her. She realized the power in community.
Community will take away fears and doubts. Community will help you achieve more than you could ever imagine.
Look for places you can fit in. Join communities of similar people.
5. Keep trying:
Olaf had tried to enter the fogged forest. He ran into the fog only to be bounced out. He tried, again and again, to enter. Each time, he would fail.
This didn’t stop Olaf. He knew the only time he could truly fail would be if he stopped trying.
Have you faced a situation or a time of failure? Of one where you felt like you couldn’t have a breakthrough?
We all have. We’ve all been in places where it felt like we may never succeed. You can’t let failure stop you from moving forward.
When you fail or hit a roadblock, try again. If you fail another time, keep going.
Failure is but a stepping stone. Use it to step into greatness.
6. Not everything will make sense:
Olaf had an incredible sense of perseverance. He pushed through when he faced failure. He also showed perseverance when he was alone in a creepy setting.
There were things moving about. He thought he saw strange creatures. And he felt alone.
He didn’t give up. He kept giving himself a word. He told himself
Everything will make sense when I’m older.
Olaf was wrong, though. Not everything makes sense as you grow up. Sometimes, things make less sense the older you get.
Don’t count on age or experience to make things make sense. Only by learning about the inner workings of things will you understand and gain knowledge.
This will help you make sense of the world around you.
7. Your team follows the leader (HINT: that’s you):
Elsa saw the woods catch fire. She ran into the woods to help put out the fire with her ice powers.
Anna saw Elsa go into the woods. Anna followed and tried to help Elsa.
Guess who got mad? Elsa was furious with Anna. Anna hadn’t been careful according to Elsa. However, Anna was just following the leader.
Know your team members will follow your example. They will see what you do and don’t do and follow suit. You are the example for your team.
They are watching you. They are looking to you for an example of how to work.
Be the example your team needs. Show them how you would like them to work. They’re watching you anyways…
8. General Mattias (Sterling K. Brown):
He taught me to never take the good for granted. He’d say, “Be prepared. Just when you think you found your way, life will throw you onto a new path.
General Mattias was one of King Runeard’s loyal guards. He had followed his king into the woods and had been trapped there for over 30 years.
Before he got trapped, his father gave him sound, solid advice. He had told his son to never take the good for granted.
We all take the good for granted. We see it as a plateau or something to move past. We rarely take the time to appreciate the good in our lives or our organizations.
Take time today to stop and think about the good you’ve experienced. Maybe it’s the love of two great parents. Maybe it’s a thriving organization. Or maybe it’s good people on your team.
You can’t ignore the good. When you take the good for granted, you’re looking for trouble.
9. Be ready to be disappointed:
Kristoff loved Anna. He saw her as his future bride. Because of this, he wanted to propose to her in a special way.
Throughout Frozen 2, Kristoff bumbles through botched marriage proposals. Anna misses the clues or doesn’t hear him.
He grows ever frustrated. Then he meets Ryder (Jason Ritter), a young man born trapped in the forest. Ryder offers to help Kristoff propose.
Ryder takes Kristoff away. There, he prepared Kristoff with tips and tricks to ask Anna for her hand in marriage.
He’s ready. He’s willing. One problem… He thinks Anna has shown up and she’s not there.
He was disappointed. Everything seemed right but there was something missing. The bride to be!
You may prepare for a presentation, a promotion, or a new job. When everything looks like it is aligned, you may be disappointed to find out everything wasn’t in place. Or, you may discover the newness wasn’t everything you expected.
Disappointment comes with leadership. Preparation doesn’t always mean success. People don’t show up. You fail.
Be ready to face disappointment. Then keep going.
10. Find ways to include others:
Many adults were suckered into going to Frozen 2 because their children wanted to go. This could be a boring experience for an adult if Disney didn’t think about the adults going to the movie.
They included fun scenes. One scene that stuck out to Pam and I was the 80’s lamenting ballad Kristoff sung.
It hit the right cords for adults born in the 70s and 80s to have a great time. It was a nice little treat.
What are you doing to include others in tasks that may feel exclusive? You can do a lot to bring others into your organization and make them feel a part of it.
Look for ways to include others. Doing this will help them feel like they belong and encourage them to keep working hard.
11. Anna:
You are not responsible for their actions.
Elsa’s parents had taken a dangerous journey to discover the mysteries of Elsa’s magic. When Elsa learned about this, she felt she was the reason for her parents’ deaths.
Anna had to tell Elsa a hard truth. Elsa hadn’t been responsible for her parents’ deaths. Their parents had made a choice. They acted on their choice. Their actions were on them and not their children.
You will feel burdened by the bad choices and actions of your team. You may even feel responsible for what they do.
Get those thoughts out of your head. You don’t control those you lead. You only guide them and give them the tools they need to be successful.
Their actions and choices are their own. You are not responsible for the bad actions of your team.
12. Anna:
Who will stop you from going too far?
Anna was full of wisdom in Frozen 2. This one was, once again, directed towards Elsa. Elsa wanted to take the same dangerous path to Ahtohallan.
Anna was worried about Elsa. She wanted to be there for her sister. She wanted to help Elsa not to go too far.
I love Anna’s heart in Frozen 2. She showed care and love for her sister. She also showed wisdom in knowing everyone needs someone there to hold them accountable.
You need someone who will be able to call you out. You need someone who will tell you that you’ve gone far enough.
Find someone like this. They will be your rock in the difficult and challenging times of leadership. They can be the one to stop you from going too far.
13. Fear can be a negative force:
Elsa is faced with a dark truth. Her grandfather was the reason the woods had been blocked by fog. King Runeard had let fear cloud his judgment. His fear led him to do some pretty nasty things to the people he had befriended.
Fear can be a powerful motivator. Many people have transformed their fear into something powerful. Sadly, many people are controlled by fear.
This is when fear becomes dangerous. They see danger around every corner. They are unable to form true friendships because of what-ifs.
Don’t let your fear control you. Don’t let your fear do things you know you shouldn’t.
14. People won’t understand your actions:
Elsa sent a message to Anna. The dam had been built to weaken the people who inhabited the area. The dam had to be destroyed.
Anna took on this mission. She knew what she had to do and she was going to do it.
General Mattias saw Anna lead the rock giants towards the bridge. He didn’t understand. Destroying the bridge would destroy the city of Arendelle. He was ready to stand his ground and stop Anna and the rock giants.
It wasn’t until Anna explained what happened that General Mattias relented. He finally understood what had to happen.
When you begin a new project or reconsider an old project, many people won’t understand the reasoning behind it. They had to be led to understand why you’re asking them to do what needs to be done. People won’t understand until you give them a valid reason.
Help your team to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. When they can trust you, they can listen to your reasons.
15. Leaders change:
Elsa had been the queen of Arendelle. This was to change. Elsa had to go to the forest and be the leader of the forest.
In her absence, Anna had to step up. Anna became queen of Arendelle.
Leaders will change. You will move from one organization to another. Leadership isn’t stagnant.
You will have to be ready to transition. Your team will have to be ready to transition.
Prepare both you and your team for the change leadership requires.
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