Can you believe we’re now on the third film of the Sonic The Hedgehog series? When it was first announced, there were significant doubts that this Sega video game could hold down a franchise, let alone one film. The original CGI effects for Sonic (Ben Schwartz) were heavily criticized. The studio went back and made changes, and now Sonic is a beloved film and video game character.
In his third outing, Sonic has to face a new threat… One that has been hidden for 50 years: Shadow The Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves). Shadow was discovered, abused, and put on ice by GUN agents until the world could figure out what to do with him.
Unfortunately for the world, Shadow freed himself from his captors and takes revenge on the humans he sees caused his misery.
Sonic, Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Knuckles (Idris Elba), along with their adoptive parents Maddie (Tika Sumpter) and Tom (James Marsden), are sent on a mission to bring Shadow in. Their journey inspires moviegoers and leaders and can help them improve their leadership skills.
Join us as we explore the Reel Leadership lessons in Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Sonic The Hedgehog 3
1. Inactivity now doesn’t mean inactivity later:
The film opens with two prison guards on Prison Island. They’re guarding a new threat we haven’t seen. That threat? Shadow.
He’s been held in captivity for 50 years. GUN had placed him into stasis after Professor Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey), his granddaughter Maria (Alyla Browne), and Shadow tried to flee from the facility. The GUN agents tried to stop them, killing young Maria, capturing Shadow, and making Gerald Robotnik go crazy.
The prison guards didn’t expect any trouble. One was freaked out by Shadow, but the other said there was nothing to fear. Shadow hadn’t moved in 50 years.
Cue the breakout. Shortly after, Shadow moves and escapes.
Shadow’s inactivity for 50 years didn’t mean he wouldn’t be active at some point.
We look at inactivity as a weakness. Something that shouldn’t be. Leaders should always be active.
That’s an incorrect view. Sometimes, inactivity is preparation.
Don’t view inactivity as bad. Inactivity may be at times, but inactivity can also be rest, relaxation, or preparation.
2. Leaders must know when to kick it into a higher gear:
Maddie and Tom were throwing a surprise party for Sonic. One of the things they used to distract him was a race between his friends, Tails and Knuckles.
They’re in the woods, lined up, ready to go. Then they blast off at super speed.
Sonic is in the lead, cocky as ever. Then, he sees his friends take the lead. Something clicks in Sonic. He knows he must kick it into the next gear.
And he does.
He goes sonic and blasts past the competition.
You have a higher gear. The higher gear is when you can put your nose to the grindstone. You’re looking for ways to get more done in a short period of time.
Some people use time-blocking techniques to maximize their time, while others know how to push past their limits through brute force. Both can shift into a higher gear to get more done.
What do you need to do to kick it into the next gear?
3. Sonic:
I wanted to remember where I came from.
Tom and Sonic find Sonic’s old home in the woods. It’s a mess since Sonic hadn’t been there in a while.
Sonic’s drawing of his home planet and an old friend is hanging on the wall.
Why did Sonic draw this? He never wanted to forget where he came from.
I’ve seen leaders who run from their past. They want to put their past behind them. Forget it ever existed.
Forgetting the past is the wrong action to take. Our pasts can teach us so much.
Don’t run from your past. Instead, embrace it. The good, bad, and ugly.
When you remember where you came from, you can see where you need to go.
4. Great leaders create great leaders:
Tom began to wonder what would have become of Sonic had he not found him. Had he been raised by someone completely different.
We see the outcome with Shadow. Shadow had been abused, used, and set aside like trash.
Shadow’s abuse caused him to be bitter, angry, and resentful.
Sonic was the flipside. Sonic was good; he longed to help others. He wanted to be the best he could be.
Different leaders create different outcomes for their people. The great leaders tend to develop great leaders.
They replicate who they are. Be a leader who produces other great leaders.
5. Maddie:
Remember, make great choices.
Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles) was approached by Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) to take on Shadow in Tokyo. Tom and Maddie were nearby.
Maddie reminded the team to make great choices. It’s something Tom and Maddie had tried to instill in the boys. It’s something they remind them of constantly.
We must remind ourselves to make great choices. The choices we make impact us, our teams, and our organizations.
We must also do something else with this information: remind our teams to make great choices.
Sometimes, the people we lead weren’t raised in a household where they were taught to make great choices. You can make a difference by reminding them to make wise, thoughtful, and appropriate choices.
Make great choices. Help your team remember to make great choices.
6. Leaders have to make uneasy alliances for specific times:
While meeting with Commander Walters (Tom Butler), the four are attacked by Egg Drones Dr. Ivo Robotnik had used in the past. But Ivo had been defeated in the previous movie, right?
So… where did these new drones come from? That’s the question that needed to be answered.
Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), one of Ivo’s henchmen, approaches Team Sonic to tell them they are not Ivo’s. He goes as far as to bring them aboard Ivo’s crab base.
There, Ivo and Team Sonic discover they may have the same enemy. They must team up to defeat the new threat.
Thus, the two enemies form an alliance.
Would you form an alliance with your competition? What if you could help each other?
There are times when an alliance with your competition makes sense. Seek to understand when the right time to ally yourself with your competition makes sense.
7. Tails:
We all have a role to play.
Stone asks Tails what it is like being Sonic’s assistant. Tails replies he’s not Sonic’s assistant. He’s part of the team.
Tails goes on to explain how Team Sonic works.
- Sonic is the leader
- Tails is the gadget guy
- Knuckles is the muscle
Each team member has a unique strength. The team recognizes these strengths and uses each member to thrive.
Everyone in your organization has a role to play. You know this because each team member typically has a title assigned to them.
The IT Manager manages information technology within the organization. The Quality Control Manager assesses and manages everything related to quality control. Engineers know how to engineer and create new products.
Each person has a unique role within the organization. They all have a role to play.
8. Shared history matters:
In his search for the person using Dr. Robotnik’s robots, Dr. Robotnik discovers he’s not alone. He’s not the last person in his family line—his grandpa is alive!
And that’s who used his robots to attack Team Sonic.
Upon discovering this, Dr. Robotnik and Professor Robotnik have a touching reunion. Their reunion initiated a betrayal by Dr. Robotnik against Team Sonic.
Why? Because Dr. Robotnik had shared history with Professor Robotnik, even though the two had never met before. There was family history.
The shared history mattered to Dr. Robotnik, and Professor Robotnik used this to manipulate Dr. Robotnik.
The more time we spend with our teams, the more shared history and memories we create with one another. This shared history is powerful.
People will reflect on how you treated them, what you did for them, and how much connection you had with them. This is shared history. And it matters.
Find ways to create shared history with your team. It could be through company outings, one-on-one meetings, or shared lunches.
The more history you make with your team, the stronger the connection you will have with them.
9. Leaders may need to get nasty:
Tom and Maddie needed to gain access to GUN Headquarters. Since they couldn’t go in as themselves, they used holographic projectors to change their appearance.
Who did they choose to go in as? Maddie’s sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell) and brother-in-law Randall (Shemar Moore). Randall had GUN clearance.
Still… Randall’s GUN clearance wouldn’t do for this mission. The receptionist at the front desk said no one was allowed in. This is when Maddie, disguised as Rachel, stepped up.
She pulled the nasty card. She got in the face of the person who denied them entrance. Eventually, she was able to convince him to let them in.
I don’t like to get nasty. I bet you don’t either.
However, being nasty and mean can be the right move at the right time for certain situations.
You may need to be firm, direct, and upset. Doing so shows you mean business. Meaning business means things need to happen.
Get nasty when needed.
10. Our actions can have the impact we don’t want them to:
Tom changed his disguise to that of Commander Walters. The disguise sent Shadow into a rage as Command Walters had imprisoned him.
Shadow attacks Tom and almost kills him. Sonic sees Tom lying on the ground, motionless. He rushes to his side.
When Shadow sees this, he flashes back to being at Maria’s side as she dies.
Shadow didn’t know his action would have this impact on Sonic. He felt a tinge of remorse and regret.
We’ve all experienced leadership hurt. We do our best to prevent doing the same to those we lead.
However, we’re not perfect. Our actions can hurt those we lead. When they do, they can bring up past memories. They can show us a side of us that we don’t want to admit is there.
Sometimes, our actions will have the same impact that bad leaders’ actions have had on us.
11. Tom:
Don’t let your pain change you.
Tom tells Sonic that we all have pain. What we can’t do is let the pain we have experienced change us for the worse.
Sonic is reminded of this when Shadow pointed at his chest. Sonic remembered his father figure’s words about being unchanged by the pain.
And he chose to be unchanged inside.
We’re going to be hurt as we lead. People will betray us. Organizations will come and go. We may even be let go.
That’s painful.
Don’t let your pain change you inside. Don’t let it make you bitter, angry, and resentful.
12. Shadow:
This is our last chance to do the right thing.
Shadow warped to the Eclipse Cannon, a device created by Professor Robotnik to destroy the world. Dr. Robotnik is there and the two talk. Shadow doesn’t want to destroy the world. He wants to save it.
To do so, he must convince Dr. Robotnik, whom his grandpa has betrayed, that there is still time to do the right thing.
And he does. Dr. Robotnik decides to do the right thing and help move the Eclipse Cannon away from the Earth.
You may have made bad decisions in the past… Your team members may have made bad decisions… Your organization may have made bad decisions…
That doesn’t mean things can’t change. If you, your team, and your organization are still around, there’s a chance to do the right thing.
Do the right thing, even if you haven’t in the past.
13. Sonic:
You always have a choice.
Even though Dr. Robotnik and Shadow were able to prevent Earth’s destruction, it appeared they weren’t so lucky. The Eclipse Cannon blew up with Dr. Robotnik onboard and Shadow stopping the ray from impacting Earth.
Tails sees the effects of the explosion. He tells the others that Dr. Robotnik and Shadow sacrificed themselves to save the world. And they did.
Sonic reinforces this by saying you always have a choice.
Leaders, you always have a choice. You can make the right decision, wrong decision, or no decision. The choice is yours.
The longer you lead, the more you’ll understand this leadership principle.
You will always have a choice. Making the right one matters.
