21 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Guardians Of The Galaxy

http://youtu.be/crIaEzXgqto

Tonight I attended the opening showing of the latest Marvel film Guardians Of The Galaxy.  This is the most fun I have had at the movies all summer.  You and your family will have a great time.  Go see it and enjoy yourself.

The following are 21 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Guardians Of The Galaxy:

1. The Difference Between Ordinary And Extraordinary Is Just A Little Extra – I watched the movie at a dinner theater near my home.  The waiter asked me prior to the movie if I wanted anything to eat or drink.  I politely declined.  A few moments later he returned with a large glass of ice water and said, “Sir, here is a complimentary ice water.  If you need anything else, just push that button and I will be glad to serve you.”  That is great service and I will be returning.
2. Smart Leaders Understand The Power Of Humor – What makes Marvel movies different from DC is their use of humor.  I felt Guardians felt more like a comedy than an action movie.  Rarely do I laugh out loud but actually did several times throughout the movie.
3. Leaders Are Effective Communicators – Researcher Albert Mehrabian discovered 55% of all communication is non-verbal.  The facial expressions of Groot, the bodyguard of Rocket, were quite insightful into his feelings and personality.
4. Leaders Are Learners – Peter Quill, also knows as Starlord, said, “I don’t learn.  That’s one of my issues.”  If leaders are not learners, it will be a major issue for them as well.
5. Leaders Always Point To A Brighter Tomorrow – Gamora, whose parents were killed by Thanos and then taken captive and tortured by him, said, “Whatever nightmares the future holds are dreams compared to what is behind me.”
6. The Importance Of Clarity When Communicating – Clarity of your message is determined by the receiver, not the deliverer.  Good messages are often misinterpreted when delivered without clarity.  Drax had a prolific vocabulary which he used proficiently throughout the movie.  However, he could not understand sarcasm, hyperbole or catch phrases.  When Quill referred as a thesaurus, Drax said, “Do not ever call me a thesaurus.”
7. Leaders See What People Could Be, Not What They Currently Are – Out of sheer frustration, Gamora blurts out, “I am surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy.”
8. Great Leaders Are Self-Aware And Play To Their Strengths – Gamora said, “I’m a warrior and an assassin.  I do not dance.”
9. Great Leaders Are Memorable – In one of the movie’s funniest lines, Quill, referring to the movie Footloose says, “A great hero.  Kevin Bacon, he taught a whole city to dance.”
10. Leaders Set Clear Boundaries – The hardest person to lead is always yourself.  Gamora rejected Quills’ romantic overtures by saying, “I will not succumb to your pelvic sorcery.”
11. Leaders Serve People, Not Use Them – The Guardians needed to overcome their collective poor relational skills to be an effective unit.  After Drax and Groot got into a fight, Quill said, “You don’t have any friends because five seconds after you meet someone you want to kill them.”
12. Leaders Want To Do Something Significant With Their Life – Quill said, “I found something inside myself.  Something incredibly heroic.”
13. Hurting People Hurt People – Drax admitted, “All the anger, all the rage was just to cover my loss.”
14. Leaders Define Reality – Upon being captured, Quill reminded us, “Normal people don’t think about eating people.”
15. There Is A Cost To Leadership – Each member of the Guardians had experienced severe loss in their lives.  It is this loss which united them.  Quill said, “I look around and see losers.  Folks who have lost stuff…Life generally takes more than it gives.”
16. Many Leaders Are Lonely And Desperately Want Authentic Relationships – Before heading into the climatic battle, Gamora said, “I lived most of my life surrounded by enemies.  I would be honored to die with my friends.”
17. Great Leaders Are Generous And Show Forgiveness – Forgiven people forgive much.  Smart leaders generously put the the needs of the organization ahead of themselves.  Drax said, “I am grateful for your acceptance after my blunders.”
18. Leaders Are Incessant Team Builders – Throughout the movie, the only three words Groot could utter were “I am Groot.”  When it came time for the five individuals to unite as a team, he said “We are Groot.”
19. Great Benefits Await Those Who Put In Extra Effort – The following quote was contained near the end of the movie’s credits – “No raccoon or tree creatures were harmed during the making of this movie.”   To have read this incredibly humorous quote you had to go through the extra effort of sitting through all the credits and actually paying attention to them.
20. Leaders Are Attracted To Excellence – I am constantly amazed at the quality of actors who are part of the Marvel cinematic universe.  Guardians included Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin among others.
21. Leaders Respect Their Audience – ***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT*** Smart leaders do not dumb down the message for their audience.  In the movie’s post credit scene, Howard The Duck makes an appearance after being held captive by The Collector.  Only smart comic book fans will appreciate this.  I like how Marvel makes movies for the masses while also speaking to their core audience.

In conclusion, Guardians Of The Galaxy is a very good movie.  You will have a great time and laugh A LOT!!!  Go see it.

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