Spiderman: Six Leadership Lessons From A Superhero

1. Courage: Throughout the movie the young Spiderman had to face a number of challenges and a great deal of rejection to eventually tackle the evil foe. Do you have the courage to face your fears and lead your organization through the trials your will face?

2. Practice: Spiderman spent a great deal of time on his own in private, learning what his super powers would enable him to do. It was this practice and the perfecting of his skills that enabled him to deliver when he was called upon to lead the defense of his city. Do your spend time in private practicing and preparing so that you will be called on to lead in a critical situation?

3. Motives: Originally Spiderman set out to avenge his Uncle’s murder by capturing the criminal who has shot and killed him. The character grew throughout the film and eventually took action because it was the right thing to do like his father had taught him to do as a life mantra and the reason his dad was killed while he was a child. Are your motives for leading the right motives? Have you done a self-check on your motives lately?

4. Teamwork: Even super heroes need help as was evidenced by the chorus of crane operators lining up their cranes to assist the injured Spiderman as he traveled across town to battle the Evil Reptile. This was initiated by a guy whose daughter Spiderman had saved earlier in the movie while he was still being misunderstood and rejected by the police and many others. This man remembered how he had been helped and rallied others to help save the day at the risk of their own well-being. This was a great display of teamwork with an empowered team who took action on their own to find a solution to what appeared to be an impossible situation. Have you empowered your team to make decisions in the heat of a critical situation?

5. Sacrifice: Servant leadership was on display as Spiderman put himself in harms way and risked his life and well-being in order to protect the community. As leaders we will be required to serve those we lead. When is the last time you served your team?

6. Risk of Being Misunderstood: For a long period of time his efforts to fight crime and take out the large reptile were seen as a crime by the police, especially the police chief who was his girlfriend’s father. As leaders we will often face situations where we will be misunderstood when we do the right thing, but we need to stay the course like Spiderman did. Are you willing to be misunderstood in order to lead your organization and do the right thing?