Using Literature and Film to Develop the Complete Leader-Manager: An Innovative Approach

A leader-manager, to be truly complete, must develop a full spectrum of aptitudes, from analytical, strategic, and organizational skills to the ability for empathy, intuition, imagination, and vision. A leader-manager with strong skills on one side of the spectrum but weak skills on the other is seriously hampered. They may not be able to work effectively with others, for example, or appreciate the complexity of a given situation. The goal of this course is to develop the full spectrum of managerial leadership skills—thus the complete leader-manager—through the creative use of literature and film. Our method is as follows: first, students read the works and view the films, selecting a topic of interest; second, through the use of a one-page paper, they build a bridge between their topic of interest and a leadership or managerial situation they have read about or experienced; third, they discuss their papers with students in the class. This results in deeper, fresher, and more nuanced perspectives on managerial leadership. Specific topics that we have studied in the past include: achieving work/life balance; dealing with inflexible and challenging colleagues; taking an unpopular course of action; balancing ambition with ethical concerns; leading with vision; developing personal power; recognizing and overcoming racial, gender, and cultural biases; thinking like an entrepreneur; using effective communication strategies to resolve conflict; creating an inclusive and innovative workplace environment; overcoming resistance to change; thinking strategically to plan present and future initiatives; and carrying out fragile negotiations. Films covered include The Aviator (Martin Scorsese), Gandhi (Richard Attenborough), Shall We Dance? (Masayuki Suo), The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese), Whale Rider (Niki Caro), and Chariots of Fire (Hugh Hudson). Works of literature include Antigone (Sophocles), Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare), Billy Budd (Herman Melville), The Guest (Albert Camus), A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen), and Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe).