Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Death Wish

A Reel Leadership Article

I’ve often wondered what I would do if I was ever put into a situation like Bryan Mills from Taken or, now, Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) in the new Death Wish movie. Would I want to extract revenge for the pain brought upon me or the deaths I had to witness?

Bruce Willis in promotional image from Death Wish

As a man, these questions often flood my mind. And I love watching movies explore this thought process. Death Wish tells the story of Paul Kersey, a doctor whose job it was was to save lives. Only to have his wife brutally murdered and his daughter shot and left in a coma.

What would you do? That’s the question Death Wish gets you thinking about.

And, if you’re intentional, it’ll also get you to think about leadership.

Caution: Death Wish spoilers below.

Stop Shutting Out Those You Disagree With

Go back to yesterday, you probably dealt with someone you disagreed with. Or maybe tomorrow at Christmas dinner, you’re going to be confronted with a family member who shares his dissenting viewpoints.

Let’s face it. Every day we encounter people we don’t agree with.

Our gut reaction is to shut out people who disagree with us. We don’t want to hear their opposing views.

But we’re losing out when we shut out those who we disagree with. We’re missing an opportunity to engage and learn about someone else.

That’s why I want to talk about why we need to stop shutting out those you disagree with.

Don't let disagreements destroy relationships

Image by Daniel Reid

No one out there can honestly say they don’t have a viewpoint someone else may find offensive or disagreeable. Every person thinks in a unique way that may rub another person wrong.