This list of movies doesn’t nearly scratch the surface, but I offer them to you and ask for those who read this to add to the list. There is a place for you to do so at the bottom of this page.

1. Mr. Holland’s Opus                        7.  Star Wars (any from the series)
2. The Guardian                                    8. Entrapment
3. Finding Forrester                        9. The Karate Kid (any from the series)
4. Take the Lead                                    10. The King’s Speech
5. Stand By Me                                    11. Music of the Heart
6. The Freedom Writers            12. Dead Poet’s Society

In my book,Life Giving Mentors, I suggest that mentoring is the oldest form of teaching or education in the world. Long before there were chalkboards and desks, someone from an older generation would invite a young person into an experience. This experience was called a “developmental relationship” or an apprenticeship. Rabbis chose young boys for study; blacksmith’s invited young men for training; father’s would even take their sons and teach them through on-the-job training. The key was not just the information, but the relationship. The connections made built a bridge to pass on a compass for life.  This is what students need from us today.

Let me know—do you know of any other movies to add to this list?

I have some friends who have two talented children. Both kids are teenagers and both are actors, singers and dancers. They both aspire to make it on Broadway. Their parents have resourced them with voice lessons and training every step along the way. In fact, I’d say the parents are consumed with their children’s success.

So far, so good.

The bad news is, success to them is simply making it “big” in their career as an entertainer. That vision has taken precedence over anything else, including instilling values inside those kids that will help them make wise decisions once they enter their career. Expediency rules the day. The problem is: when our vision for our kids’ future precedes helping them embody a set of values—they will enter unknown territory without a moral compass. The mantra is: whatever you have to do to get ahead, do it. And they will likely compromise who they are just to reach a goal. Sadly, this is already evident in my friends’ two children.

I know another family with children who also aspire to make it as entertainers. They are going about it in a totally different manner. They are careful to have conversations with their young teens about their integrity, their ethics and their personal identity. This mom and dad are helping them know what to do in any situation before they get to it. Values comes before vision.

As adults, we all have this same decision in front of us. Does vision precede values or vice versa? Our nation is full of “vision before values” people and we have seen it wreck kids, from child actors to NCAA athletes, to companies like Enron, to teachers in schools who will cheat on test scores just to pass the students through the system. Their goal became bigger than their identity. That always produces trouble. In fact, I believe it is a recipe for disaster. We must help students know who they are before determining where they’re going.

 Which are you working on first: vision or values?

But presidents have not always been up for the challenge. Over the last two and a half centuries, men have been elected to the office who had mediocre or even poor experiences. While they may have led the army, or a business or even served as governor of a state in their past—the presidency just didn’t suit their gifts and style. It wasn’t the right context.

How important is context to leadership? Ask John Quincy Adams. His one-term presidency wasn’t a success. He had followed two stellar leaders before him, but they stood in stark contrast to his achievements. No significant advances were made under his leadership. Most say he floundered. Afterward, he returned home to work his land and enjoy retirement. Two years later he was challenged to run for congress—seemingly a step down. It seemed inappropriate, but he said “yes’ and this is where he added his greatest value. The previous years under Washington and Jefferson, character and statesmanship were a given. Launching a nation brought leaders together. Following Adams’ presidency, however, the moral fiber was unraveling among bureaucrats. As a legislator, John Quincy Adams became the conscience of congress. He came alive during these latter years of his life and found his voice during his seventeen years in the House of Representatives. He called them to lead with integrity and morality.

Wow. What an encore to his presidency.

I have a question for you, this President’s Day. Have you found your suitable context to lead and influence others? Do you know where your sweet spot is? When someone asks the question: “Are you a leader?”, it requires a few follow up questions: leader of whom? In what context? Pursuing what goal? Situation is vitally important.

Here’s to you finding your “zone” or context, like John Quincy Adams, and making your greatest contribution in the years ahead!

If you haven’t, you are missing out! His name was plastered all over the front page of USA Today and the local paper in Sacramento where I stayed last night. He was the hot topic on ESPN today and stores can’t keep his number 17 jersey in stock. Jeremy Lin has led the New York Knicks to a six-game win streak while the team battled injuries to stars Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

by nikk_la via Wikimedia Commons

Here’s what makes his story so unique. Jeremy Lin was a nobody just over a week ago. The fact that he is the first American-born player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent is only the beginning of the story. He was sleeping on his brother’s sofa last month, and sitting on the end of the bench, as a sub, for the New York Knicks NBA franchise.  Suddenly, Jeremy Lin came off the bench, and scored over 120 points in a week, and led the Knicks to a week-long winning streak. In New York, he is causing “Linsanity.”

On the surface, it appears Jeremy Lin became an overnight sensation. The reality, however, is quite a different story. His journey to stardom began years ago with no fanfare. Let me share a handful of observations about his career:

1. This young star began getting ready when no one was watching. Jeremy Lin was an un-recruited high school player who attended Harvard University. He wanted to get a good education and prepare for what came next.
2. Jeremy Lin played basketball at Harvard, but again, no one really wanted him after college. He was disappointed, but knew he’d just have to keep working. He did not give up on his dream, however, when no one drafted him.
3. Jeremy Lin continued playing in the face of two NBA rejections. After being acquired by two franchises, both let him go, not seeing any potential for play in the NBA. One might think that after two experiences like this, you’d begin to get the idea.
4. When the Knicks finally signed Jeremy Lin and kept him, he was willing to sit on the bench and sleep on his brother’s sofa. He continued to practice and wait for his opportunity to come one day.
5. When his day came—probably sooner than he expected with his teammates injuries—Jeremy Lin was ready. At 23 years old, he came of the bench and held a clinic on the court for everyone to see.

I believe Jeremy Lin is a living example of one of our Habitudes. It’s called: “Pop Quiz.” The truth of this principle is simple—On the journey to leadership, life gives you pop quizzes. Effective people have prepared and are ready for such tests. They embrace them as friends not foes, and rise to the challenge. Just like a pop quiz comes unannounced and only the prepared do well, leaders—like Jeremy Lin—have been preparing all their lives for such quizzes. Most of it has been in solitude. Hmmm. And people call him an overnight sensation. I beg to differ. Jeremy Lin has done his homework.

What do you think about the “overnight” success of Jeremy Lin?

Our team brainstormed some of the best leadership movies over the last few decades and we are going through this list once a month. We may not get through all of them but it provided us a great chance to see leadership failures and successes and discuss it afterward.

Let me list some of these leadership movies for you. I encourage you to watch them with a group and talk them over afterwards. I have listed the title and rating of each of the leadership movies below. Obviously, if you view these leadership movies with students, you’ll want to keep the content and language of the movie in mind.

1. The Last Castle (R)                                  19. Miracle (PG-13)
2. Crimson Tide (R)                                     20. Bridge Over the River Kwai (PG)
3. Courage Under Fire (R)                          21. Saving Private Ryan (R)
4. A Few Good Men (R)                              22. Twelve Angry Men (PG)
5. The King’s Speech (R)                            23. Hoosiers (PG)
6. The Queen (PG-13)                                 24. Invictus (PG-13)
7. Glory (R)                                                     25. Apollo 13 (PG)
8. Freedom Writers (PG-13)                      26. Amazing Grace (PG-13)
9. The Great Debaters (PG-13)                 27. Chariots of Fire (PG)
10. The Iron Lady (PG-13)                           28. Taps (PG)
11. Pay It Forward (PG-13)                          29. Schindler’s List (R)
12. The Hunt for Red October (PG)           30. The Glory Road (PG)
13. Braveheart (R)                                           31. Black Hawk Down (R)
14. Dave (PG-13)                                             32. Band of Brothers (Series)
15. Remember the Titans (PG-13)              33. Men of Honor (R)
16. Dead Poets Society (PG)                         34. The Last Samurai (R)
17. Finding Forrester (PG-13)                     35. The Patriot (R)
18. We Were Soldiers (R)                             36. The Devil Wears Prada (PG-13)

You can begin the discussion of these leadership movies with questions like:

• Where did we see evidence of poor leadership in this story?
• Where did we see evidence of good leadership in this story?

 Which leadership movies would you add to this list?