Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Justice League: Doom

A Reel Leadership Article

My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book.

DC Comics has long struggled with live-action movies. An area they shine in outside of their comics? The animated movies they release.

Their animated movies have been packed full of action, meaning, and style. They should continue to focus on it while developing their live-action films. They’re in good hands with James Gunn heading the new DC Cinematic Universe. Until that time, we get to enjoy the excellent animation they’re putting out.

In this Reel Leadership article, we’re looking at the 2012 animated film Justice League: Doom

The Justice League standing together

Imagine this: Your organization has been hacked. Important files about key personnel have been obtained. An enemy organization is using the data to target those in your employ.

That’s the basic premise of Justice League: Doom.

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Olympus Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen is the 2013 movie that started the Fallen series with Gerard Butler. Additional entries in this film series are: London Has Fallen and Angel Has Fallen.

Mike Banning is the hero of these stories. He has to frequently rescue the President of the United States or other governmental officials. Through it all, he comes out on top.

Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, and Aaron Eckhart in Olympus Has Fallen promo image

In this first movie, Banning is a disgraced Secret Service agent. His failure? Letting President Ben Asher’s (Aaron Eckhart) wife, Margaret (Ashley Judd), die after a car accident.

Banning had a choice. He could save the President’s wife or he could save the President. Being a Secret Service agent, he had to choose the President.

His choice changed the trajectory of his career. It also allowed him to become the hero in Olympus Has Fallen.

Use Your Weakness

A lot of research has been done in the science of strengths and weaknesses. Most research tells us that we need to stay in our strength zones.

And I’m a strong believer that we see the greatest results when we apply our strengths to what we’re doing.

However, I’ve come to believe that we’re doing a disservice when we dismiss our weaknesses.

Use your weakness to improve

Why Strengths Are Great

Our strengths are the areas in our lives that we rock at. These are things like being a visionary, including others in what you do, or in a desire to achieve goals.

By focusing on these strengths, we’re able to play to our natural talents. We’re able to do what we were created for.

We also feel great when we are working in our strengths.

These feelings make us want to focus on our strengths all the time. But this is a mistake.

Comfort Is The Enemy

The American dream was what most of America wanted at one point. The dream to have the white picket fence, the 3 bedroom home with lots of room to spare, the luxury car that had every amenity known to man.

That was the American dream. And it should be considered our enemy.

The American dream became about comfort and living a life that was easy.

That’s not what I want and I hope it’s not what you want. That’s why comfort is the enemy.

Comfort begins to change us. When we live in comfort, our desires begin to change. We begin to think we have it made and we’re on the road to success.

Not only that, we tend to become lazy. Our guard begins to soften and we fall into bad habits.

Build Up Your Leadership Stamina

A flash in the pan. He was great and then he fell. He couldn’t continue leading well.

You’ve probably heard these quips about leaders who burned out far too soon.

They didn’t have the stamina to continue in leadership. They couldn’t go the distance. They wound up with leadership fatigue.

But you can learn how to build up your leadership stamina.

I needed stamina during my mud run

If you’re wanting to lead for the long haul, you’ve got to build up your stamina for the trials of leadership.

Leadership can easily wear you down. You’ve got so much riding on the next project or the young leader you’re trying to mentor.

You know there’s a lot to be done. The key is to build your leadership stamina up before you hit the rough spots.