Leadership lessons from pop culture
The BIG Takeaway™
newsletter
Sept. 12, 2022

Hello current and aspiring leaders who want to build cultures of psychological safety! 

Did we really need Disney to release a "Pinocchio" live-action remake this week?
  • My wish upon a star is that Hollywood tones it down with the remakes and prequels. 

It’s probably not a stretch to imagine a pitch meeting for a prequel film called "Jane Doe," an action thriller that involves cross promotion of 500 other Disney flicks. 
  • In this one, Bambi’s mom - Jane Doe - and Bambi's dad, The Great Prince of the Forest, take us on a story of danger, forest intrigue (there’s more to Thumper’s name that just that tapping left foot) and, of course, the predictable romance that leads to the birth of their fawn, Bambi. 
  • In the final scene the two learn they are going to have a baby. Jane looks at The Great Prince. "What's the matter, honey? You look like a deer in the headlights." (groan) We see Thumper in the shadows with a sinister look; he tells Flower, "Tell Owl the plan is in motion."

    Fade to black. 

    Awful, right? Maybe not. Take a look at this spoof from SNL.

Meanwhile, back to "Pinocchio." I just can't get behind Tom Hanks as Geppetto.
  • How could Disney not go with John Malkovich reprising his role as a puppeteer in the 1999 film "Being John Malkovich?" Now that is something I would pay $7.99 per month to see.

Speaking of Tom Hanks...this brings us to our BIG Takeaway topic for the week.
  • I will use a clip from Hanks' 1988 film "Big" to show how leaders play possibly the most critical role in creating a culture of psychological safety.

Finally, yesterday marked the 21st anniversary of the September 11 attacks and it wasn't even the headline on many news organizations websites. Sigh.

​​Let's go.

Rich Trombetta
@trombettarich
Sept. 12, 2022
This week's BIG Takeaway:
Leaders need to make it safe for EVERYONE to participate
Image: 20th Century Studios
A simple mindset can lead to BIG results


The context: "After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult." (source: IMBD.com)

  • ​Hanks gets a job as a vice president at a toy company; he is in the body of an adult but with the mind of a young teen.

  • In a meeting Hanks innocently challenges the presenter played by John Heard; this leads to him being intimidated and on the receiving end of some unhealthy conflict.

  • Finally, the boss intervenes and makes it safe for Hanks to share his thoughts. The result is an entirely new product idea that is enthusiastically supported by the members of the team.

    Watch the clip (2 minutes)
​What we can learn: Part of a leader's job is to make it safe for everyone to participate
​​
  • At 48 seconds in there is a subtle yet profound moment. Watch as members of the team turn and look at the boss almost to ask, "What should we do here?"

  • Then at 1:15 there is the key line. The boss knows Hanks is being intimidated, that no one on the team is going to help and that Heard is not a nice person; the boss clears a path for Hanks by asking, "What don't you get, Josh?"
     
  • Hanks can now share his feedback without fear which in turn leads to the entire team seizing the opportunity as well.

    NOTE: Remember earlier in the clip that these same people half-heartedly applauded and collected their papers after the presentation, most likely because they believed any type of constructive feedback would not be well received. "Any questions?" "None for me, thanks."

My take: Many employees would rather let the team go over a cliff if speaking up meant they ran the risk of being embarrassed or having to deal with a bully 

  • Everyone in that meeting was ready to walk out of the room KNOWING that the idea was flawed. They would rather let Heard have his way (this is probably not the first time they have seen this behavior) than put themselves in the line of fire.

  • ​​Rather than say, "Look out! The car is about to go over a cliff!" they reacted with indifference and apathy. 

    Side note: Speaking of going over a cliff, do you remember Toonces the Driving Cat from SNL? 2:16 is the classic moment that repeated in each episode.

  • Great leaders know that it is critical that everyone feels safe to engage and offer diverse points of view and how to build cultures where this type of culture is expected. The results of not doing so can be disastrous. 

    Bonus from this clip: Notice all of the "yes and" thinking.
The BIG Takeaway:
Leaders need to make it safe for EVERYONE to participate
Put this into action and become a stronger leader NOW
👉​Things you can do RIGHT NOW
  • Read this article on what's known as Social Learning Theory. "Social learning theory, proposed by Albert Bandura, emphasizes the importance of observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others."
  • Ask yourself, who are you in this clip? How about your team members. Be honest.

📢​ Things you can do with others:
  • Work with your team or other colleagues to dig deeper into our topics using our simple conversation prompts. Instead of a book club I like to think of this as our "movie-or-TV club." ​

    This week's prompts:
    1. How can we model what the boss did in this clip from "Big?"
    2. What can we do to avoid apathy or indifference in our organization?
    3. Who are the John Heard's from the clip in our company? What should we do about them?
    4. Bonus: Why did people love the Toonces skit so much?
Did you know we can design and deliver FREE custom classes or programs based on topics we write about?

​Click the button to learn more.
That's all for now

But wait! Here's our weekly dog video to help you smile before you go. 
​
​Thanks for reading and please remember:
  • We archive our stories and put them here for the world to read so feel free to have a look.
  • If you have any ideas or feedback Contact me with your thoughts.
Rich Trombetta
​@trombettarich

Please share this and tell your friends and colleagues!
Our why:
We believe EVERYONE has something to offer. It's is just a matter of making it EASY to create the environment for them to do so.


Our vision:
Companies will make the effort to keep people psychologically safe at work as they do to keep them physically safe on the job. 
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