Battleship is what summer movies are all about! It’s big, loud, much gunfire, action, and has a lot of bright, shiny things that blow up. Let me help you out with the plot – Aliens attack the Earth. The military fights back to save the day. It is that simple. Just sit back and have a great time for two hours.
Like anything involving our armed forces, the movie contains a number of great leadership quotes and lessons. The following are applicable to all leaders of churches, business, sports, family, or non-profits:
- Women Can Make Men Do Stupid Things – Alex Hopper, played by Taylor Kitsch, goes to extraordinary lengths to impress Samantha Shane, played by Brooklyn Decker, early in the movie. His actions resulted in getting tasered by local law enforcement. Sadly, I have seen many man sacrifice their futures and reputations for women.
- Stubbornness Hurts Those You Lead – Hopper, now a Naval Lieutenant, costs his team a victory in a soccer game because of his stubbornness. As he was immediately counseled, stubbornness costs not only you, but those you lead.
- Humbleness Helps Those You Lead – At a key strategic juncture of a battle with the aliens, Hopper gave up his position of leadership to another person who was more skilled in what needed to happen at that moment. This is in direct contrast to his decision process during the soccer game. The result this time was a series of key wins for the military.
- Humble Leaders Have Better Performing Teams – Humble leaders do not need all the credit and will share the spotlight. They are glad to defer to others who are more talented in key disciplines than they are. The team’s success is more important than their personal glory.
- The Importance Of Communication – One of the first things the aliens did was attempt to set up communications with their home planet. Effective communication is a top priority for successful leaders. Nothing of value happens without it.
- The Value Of Women – Petty Officer “Weps” Raikes, played by Rihanna, was an important member of Hopper’s unit. This must be said – The leadership skills of women must be better utilized in local churches. They bring a complexity, skill set, emotional perspective, and intellect to the decision-making process that men simply do not have.
- The Value Of The Older People – To accomplish anything significant, you need a multi-generational effort. I am not going to spoil the movie but to defeat the alien force, the experience of retired military personnel was desperately needed. Just as women bring something unique to a leadership culture, so does the experienced generation. Churches, in particular, lose much by marginalizing older adults.
- Chaos Requires Response – The aliens attacks left tremendous destruction and loss of life. What was interesting was that the military were trained for and always provided an immediate response. Great leaders often do not have time to sulk, get their heads together, or reflect on how bad things have gotten. The responsibility of leadership often demands an immediate response.
- “Let’s see if we can buy the world another day.” – The most value commodity a leader has is time. Effective leaders know how to steward this valuable resource.
- “We’re all going to die. Just not today.” – These words spoken by Lieutenant Hopper remind us that all successful leaders take advantage of the moments they are given. Great leaders are also optimistic, inspirational, and point to a brighter tomorrow. Think about it, why else would you follow them?
Once again, Battleship is an absolutely fun and enjoyable movie. I would recommend going to see it, especially if you are a man! Let me know what you thought of the movie after seeing it.
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