30 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Avengers 2: Age Of Ultron

Yesterday I saw the incredible Avengers 2: The Age Of Ultron.  It is one of the most action packed movie I have ever seen.  If you are looking for a great time this summer, the latest (and largest) installment from Marvel will make 2 and 1/2 hours go by in no time.

In Age Of Ultron, Tony Stark attempts to bring world peace through a secret initiative called The Ultron Project.  However, the artificial intelligence technology designed “to create a suit of armour around the world” goes terribly awry when Ultron becomes self-aware and decides the only path to peace is human extinction.  The global conflict between Ultron and Avengers ensues.

The following are 30 Leadership Quotes And Lessons from Avengers 2: The Age Of Ultron:  Warning ****Spoilers Included****

1. You Never Have To Recover From A Good Start – The movie’s initial scene is the Avengers attacking a HYDRA base in the fictional, European city of Sokovia.  It was a great opening which set the tone for the entire movie.
2. You Can’t Have Too Much Talent – The Avengers consists of six main characters.  However, three additional team members were added during the movie along with support from Don Cheadle playing War Machine.  This is a lot of characters vying for limited screen time.  However, Marvel pulled it off well and so will your church or organization if you acquire additional talent.
3. Teams Are Only As Strong As Their Weakest Link – During the initial battle scene, a Hydra agent’s strategy was, “target the weak ones.”
4. Leaders Face Either Positive Or Negative Consequences – All leaders will sit down to a banquet of consequences.  Because of decisions Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey, Jr, made a generation earlier, he faced the wrath of the Maximoff twins.
5. Great Leaders Embrace Diversity – Regarding the Maximoff twins, SHIELD agent Maria Hill described them as “he’s fast and she’s weird.”
6. The Power Of Correct Thinking – When Wanda Maximoff began controlling the minds and thoughts of the Avengers, she eliminated their effectiveness.  Leaders who do not think properly have their effectiveness eliminated as well.
7. The Danger Of Hubris – Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.  Stark acknowledges, “I tried to create a suit of armour around the world but I created something terrible.”
8. The Danger Of Isolation – Smart leaders choose transparency and collaboration over isolation.  Stark created artificial intelligence in secret resulting in global damage.  Leaders who operate in secret cause great damage as well.
9. Leaders Must Be Willing To Count The Costs – Leaders must exercise discretion.  Stark in frustration tells Bruce Banner, “That’s it? You just roll over and show your belly, every time somebody snarls?”  Banner replies, “Only when I’ve created a murder-bot.”
10. Leaders Need Accountability – Banner says, “Sometimes exactly what I need to hear is exactly what I don’t want to hear.”
11. Great Leaders Demand And Embrace Change – Ultron told the Avengers, “You want to protect the world, but you don’t want it to change.”
12. Results Matter More Than Motives – People have good intentions most of the time.  However, it is the results which matter. Ultron told Stark, “I know you meant well but you didn’t think it through.”
13. Smart Leaders Fight For Unity – Dysfunction will tear a team apart. Ultron said, “I have what the Avengers never have – harmony.”
14. Leaders Need A Place Of Solitude – All leaders need a place to retreat to and should go there often.  For myself as well as Clint Barton, there is no place like home.
15. The Power Of A Supportive Wife – A man’s performance is in direct correlation to his wife’s belief in him.  Barton’s wife said, “I totally support your avenging.  I couldn’t be prouder.”
16. Trust Matters – Barton’s wife also told him, “You’ve got to make sure this team is really a team and they’ve got your back.”
17. Great Leaders Are Reconcilers – Great leaders bring people together.  Steve Rogers angrily told Stark, “Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die.  Every time.”
18. Great Leaders Anticipate Problems – Nick Fury told Stark, “No matter who wins or loses, trouble always comes around.”
19. The Path To Peace – Ulton said, “There’s only one path to peace.” He is correct but it is not through global destruction.  It is through the person of Jesus Christ.
20. The Power Of Humor – Smart leaders know humor is your friend.  Humor makes leaders approachable.  Ultron said, “I can’t actually throw up in my mouth.”
21. Great Leaders Have Great Vision – Noting the indestructible component which made Captain America’s shield, Ultron said, “The most versatile substance on the planet and they made frisbees.”  Ultron had a greater vision for the substance than Howard Stark did.
22. Great Leaders Cast Great Vision For Others – Experienced leaders understand their teams will often live up to the vision casted for them.  Barton told Wanda Maximoff, “If you walk out that door, you’re an Avenger.
23. “I miss the days when the weirdest thing science created was me.” – Captain America
24. Leaders Demand Excellence – New character Vision told Thor his hammer was “terribly well-balanced”.  To which he replied, “Well, if there’s too much weight, you lose power on the swing.”
25. Great Leaders Are Resilient – As the Avengers prepared for the movie’s climatic battle with an army of robots, Stark told the other Avengers, “If you get killed walk it off.”
26. Great Leaders Need To Be Released – Great leaders need guidelines, not rules.  Natasha Romanoff told the Hulk, “Now go be a hero.”
27. Leaders Must Come Together To Protect What Is Important – Prior to the climatic battle scene, all the Avengers surrounded the global destruction device created by Ultron to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
28. Leaders Are All-In – Great leaders hold nothing back.  They leverage all their talent, skills and resources to see the organization succeed.  Ultron said, “All of you against all of me.”
29. Leaders Must Be Willing To Pay The Greatest Price – As a leader, you cannot ask others to pay a price you are unwilling to pay.  Near the movie’s conclusion, Barton proves he is willing to pay the highest price to protect others.
30. The Power Of Partnership – Throughout the movie’s battle scenes the Avengers did an amazing job working together.  As John Maxwell often said, “You can accomplish more with we than me.”

In conclusion, this is just a fun movie.  Go see this.  Have a great time and then let me what you think of the film.

For more Avengers movie lessons check out the following posts:

• 27 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From The Avengers Movie
• 21 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Guardians Of The Galaxy
• 21 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Iron Man 3
• 24 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier
• 17 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Thor: The Dark World

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