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Ready, Set, Leadership Development! Using Films in Developing Leaders

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Title: Ready, Set, Leadership Development! Using Films in Developing Leaders
Language: English
Authors: Gordon B. Schmidt, Stephanie A. Van Dellen, Sy Islam
Source: New Directions for Student Leadership. 2025 (185):39-43.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 5
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Leadership Training, Teaching Methods, Films, Instructional Effectiveness, Learner Engagement
DOI: 10.1002/yd.20656
ISSN: 2373-3349
2373-3357
Abstract: While films are primarily created as a means of amusement, their potential values go beyond entertainment. This article highlights how films can be a useful part of leadership development. We underscore how such development can come in self-study by people, in educational programs, or as part of leadership development in organizations. We discuss how research has found particular films and specific uses to be effective. We cover our own examples of how films can be used in engaging ways to help learning. We then cover how this could fully be used in a class. We then offer major considerations in using films effectively. We conclude by offering some warnings and critiques for using film and how to avoid the challenges they present.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1462370
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0183689329;[i75m]01mar.25;2025Mar18.06:13;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0183689329-1">Ready, Set, Leadership Development! Using Films in Developing Leaders </title> <sbt id="AN0183689329-2">Introduction</sbt> <p>While films are primarily created as a means of amusement, their potential values go beyond entertainment. This article highlights how films can be a useful part of leadership development. We underscore how such development can come in self‐study by people, in educational programs, or as part of leadership development in organizations. We discuss how research has found particular films and specific uses to be effective. We cover our own examples of how films can be used in engaging ways to help learning. We then cover how this could fully be used in a class. We then offer major considerations in using films effectively. We conclude by offering some warnings and critiques for using film and how to avoid the challenges they present.</p> <p>This article will discuss how film can be used effectively in leadership education and leadership development. We will offer several examples of how films have been applied and could be applied in classrooms and leadership development programs. Finally, we will suggest important considerations for readers when they use films in their own programs.</p> <hd id="AN0183689329-3">Overview of Topic</hd> <p>Films can help people learn about leadership, whether in the classroom, training environment, or independently on their own. Just from watching a film, people are exposed to different types of leadership, different leadership behaviors, different cultures, and different contexts where leadership can take place, an idea called leadership observation (Guthrie and Jenkins [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref1">12</reflink>]). Seeing examples of leadership can help people engage in their own consideration and reflection on what is effective leadership. Meyer et al. ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref2">25</reflink>]) noted the importance of independent learning for students to increase their ownership of the learning process overall. Film and other forms of popular culture can help students concentrate more on key subjects and topics. This democratizes the learning process and creates a more engaging learning environment (Tisdell and Thomas [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref3">37</reflink>]).</p> <p>While people can learn from film independently, educators can frame and create activities around films to actively teach leadership in groups, organizations, and in education. Essentially, educators are not simply putting on a movie to distract students, but rather to apply and demonstrate examples of leadership concepts, which include debriefing and discussion to help with meaning‐making. This is because it allows students to engage in Bandura's ([<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref4">1</reflink>]) social learning theory, where learning occurs when they try to practice the actions they saw others perform in the films. Moreover, Jenkins' ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref5">15</reflink>]) research found media clips were one of the top 10 most used pedagogies to aid students studying leadership to develop leadership qualities, including self‐awareness. Graham and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref6">9</reflink>]) also noted that films are entertaining; thus, when used skillfully, they can instill information in memorable ways.</p> <p>For example, in our own use, when discussing mentorship among leaders, we can use the film <emph>Captain America: Civil War</emph>, or <emph>Spider‐Man: Far From Home</emph> to illustrate the relationship‐building requirements for mentors and mentees. We can use the examples of Spider‐Man and Iron Man to show the mutual benefits of mentorship for mentor and mentee. Other examples can come from the first <emph>Black Panther</emph> film, as it contains examples of leadership transitions, leadership legitimacy, and bases of power, among others (Schmidt and Islam [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref7">32</reflink>]).</p> <p>The Harry Potter films have been discussed as showing several leadership concepts, including followership. Yu et al. ([<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref8">38</reflink>]) find example clips across all eight films of followership that could be used in the classroom. An educator could choose which clips best fit their class need.</p> <p>Graham and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref9">9</reflink>]) suggested the context provided prior to showing a whole film or movie clip is important, as it gives participants in the training or class enough details to engage with the content appropriately. Specifics about the scene and any relationships that are useful for understanding what has been viewed, especially for those unfamiliar with the film, are particularly beneficial. Ultimately, being intentional about what and how much of the film is shown, coupled with embedding the film into course content, will enhance student learning.</p> <p>One example of how to embed film with course content comes from Graham and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref10">9</reflink>]), who suggested using specific films to demonstrate each of Kouzes and Posner's ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref11">18</reflink>]) five leadership practices. For example, <emph>Remember the Titans</emph> can be used to demonstrate Kouzes and Posner's ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref12">18</reflink>]) practice of "Challenge the Process." Graham and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref13">9</reflink>]) suggested describing the scene and characters about to be shown to learners before showing the clip. Schmidt ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref14">30</reflink>]) suggests using the film <emph>American Factory</emph> to teach topics around unionization, conflict, and culture. Providing students with context first about the leadership practice before showing them the film allows for the application of theory. For each suggested film clip, there are also two or three guided discussion questions provided to participants so they can apply Kouzes and Posner's ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref15">18</reflink>]) leadership theory.</p> <p>While some educators and trainers will use a short clip from a film, others will opt to show the full‐feature film to apply leadership theories and behaviors. This can be in class or as out‐of‐class homework. For example, Gray and Callahan ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref16">10</reflink>]) used the movie <emph>300</emph> to help students identify the skills approach to leadership, specifically Katz's ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref17">16</reflink>]) three skills approach and Mumford et al.'s ([<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref18">27</reflink>]) skills model. Gray and Callahan's ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref19">10</reflink>]) article provides the theories they use along with an experiential activity to ensure the transfer of knowledge.</p> <p>Leadership educators also explore other genres to help their students, too. Loiselle ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref20">22</reflink>]) uses horror films to demonstrate "zombie leadership," where leadership and followership are demonstrated in zombie films. Films used include <emph>Plague of the Zombies, Night of the Living Dead, Poltergeist, and Dawn of the Dead</emph>. Films are analyzed to determine how leadership may change and take on different forms based on the characters in each movie.</p> <p>Documentaries are a popular choice among educators, too, illustrating the good, bad, and even toxic aspects of leadership. Liu ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref21">19</reflink>]) used the film <emph>American Factory</emph> in his undergraduate management courses to provide a global focus on culture, employee safety, and well‐being. An example used by one of our authors is teaching about toxic leadership related to Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, through the HBO Documentary, <emph>The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley</emph>. Having graduate students read a book chapter about toxic leadership from Jean Lipman‐Blumen prior to watching the 2‐h documentary allows students to look for dysfunctional personality qualities, the intention, intensity, duration, and impact of the leader's behavior, while also identifying reasons followers choose to support Holmes.</p> <p>Some leadership educators have also themed whole courses around film and leadership. Long ([<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref22">23</reflink>]) explained that his seminar course for senior undergraduate students called "Film & Leadership Case Study Club" had students each pick a leadership film related to a leadership style to present and lead a discussion for about 1‐hour in class. Films were watched outside of class as homework, so that students would be prepared for the discussion during class time.</p> <hd id="AN0183689329-4">Film Use in Leadership Development and Training</hd> <p>Leadership has been taught in training programs using video clips and films for some time. Popular culture, such as film, provides an avenue by which learners in the corporate world can better connect with the material presented. The use of films for applied practitioners is especially important in the design and development of training programs. One of the major challenges for trainers and educational professionals is that of learner engagement (Noe et al. [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref23">28</reflink>]). By attempting to create training programs that meet learners in their own contexts and interests (like popular culture), they are most likely to be engaged.</p> <p>Applied practitioners have noted how leadership development is an important investment by learning and development departments for organizational success (Tingvall [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref24">36</reflink>]). Gurdjian and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref25">11</reflink>]) argued leadership development can fail due to lack of context. In other words, the leadership development programs did not provide learners enough of a connection between their jobs and the instructional objectives. Second, the authors note the lack of reflection as part of leadership development programs (Gurdjian et al. [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref26">11</reflink>]). Films can be used as content for learner reflection. In using films in an applied setting, learners must engage with the material in a different manner than previously imagined. Smith ([<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref27">33</reflink>]) noted leaders can observe choices, consequences, and motivations of leaders through pop culture. By noting these three actions of a leader, learners can discuss and reflect on the consequences of the leadership decisions made. This allows learners to fully engage and imagine what they might do in a similar situation. This approach utilizes social learning theory (Kempster and Parry [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref28">17</reflink>]). Popular culture, especially film and television, allows learners to engage with the material through a social learning perspective that can be leveraged by organizations and training companies (Fehim Kennedy et al. [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref29">8</reflink>]).</p> <p>Leadership development programs have used popular culture to illustrate a variety of ideas. Leadership consultants and trainers can use popular culture and film to illustrate ideas that may be difficult to perceive for leaders in normal work settings (Ecsell Institute [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref30">6</reflink>]). While leaders or those in the leadership development pipeline may not perceive what leadership looks like, by viewing films, they can envision themselves as leaders through the process of social learning. Schmidt and Islam ([<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref31">32</reflink>]) made a strong argument for using popular culture as a leadership development tool to illustrate concepts and to allow learners to identify analogous situations between corporate leadership and leadership in film.</p> <p>One key factor in using films effectively in leadership development programs is the choice of the right film (Callahan et al. [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref32">5</reflink>]). An important element of training design is matching content with the intended audience. Correctly assessing and assigning the right material has an impact on learning (Hsu [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref33">13</reflink>]). Films have been highlighted as having many uses depending on the choice of pop culture used and the content (BestLogic Staffing [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref34">3</reflink>]). Consulting firms and applied practitioners can use a variety of different types of films, whether documentaries (Roam Consulting [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref35">29</reflink>]) or dramatic films such as <emph>The Intern</emph> (Loutfi‐Hipchen [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref36">24</reflink>]), or comedies such as <emph>Barbie</emph> (Schmidt [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref37">31</reflink>]).</p> <p>The trainer can bridge the engagement gap between their leadership material and the audience by choosing the most appropriate film content to reference. The gap in leadership development training and the needs of organizations has created an opportunity for innovative pedagogical approaches (Moldoveanu and Narayandas [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref38">26</reflink>]). With leadership development budgets decreasing in recent years (Bersin [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref39">2</reflink>]), the use of films and popular culture may be a unique aspect to engage learners at a lower cost.</p> <p>In choosing films, Callahan and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref40">5</reflink>]) suggested verifying that the material chosen is transferable. This is especially important for applied practitioners since much of the concern of training programs is around their transferability to the workplace. This can be challenging when using pop culture, but the increased acceptance of pop culture as a tool has helped applied practitioners develop more material that is transferable. Pop culture has been written about in a variety of blog posts (Islam and Schmidt [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref41">14</reflink>]; Loutfi‐Hipchen [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref42">24</reflink>]) by relevant professional organizations such as the Association for Talent Development. This indicates an acceptance of film as a useful tool in the applied practitioner's toolbox.</p> <p>Callahan and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref43">5</reflink>]) also suggested finding pop culture material reflective of universal themes and messages so as best to connect with the audience. The wide range of pop culture available to an instructional designer allows for the implementation of a variety of pop culture artifacts in a leadership development program. But following recommendations from Blanchard and Thacker ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref44">4</reflink>]) on instructional design, any content should be matched to clear instructional objectives. Thus, pop culture can be used to augment existing leadership development material, but only through a rigorous and thoughtful approach. By appealing to a broad audience with messaging related to leadership, learners can gain greater clarity around leadership issues.</p> <p>While films can be very useful in the development and implementation of leadership development programs, Callahan and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref45">5</reflink>]) warned us to be mindful of hidden biases. For example, Schmidt and Islam noted the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a limited number of women leaders (Swan [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref46">35</reflink>]). Representation of LGBTQ+ characters and people of color continues to be limited. When developing leadership development programs, instructional designers should be mindful of existing biases in film and design accordingly. Films often reflect the biases of the era in which they were made. While biases may be a limitation, there is considerable opportunity for the use of films in applied leadership programs.</p> <hd id="AN0183689329-5">Recommendations, Implications, and Critiques of Usage</hd> <p>While we have discussed several ways films have been used in leadership development and education, there are myriad factors to consider in one's own usage. What your learning context is like and what your goals are will help to determine how films should be used and potentially if they should be used at all. We will consider those aspects in this section.</p> <p>Our consideration of recommendations, implications, and critiques will focus on three consideration areas: What is the role of the film in your context, how are you using film(s), and how might the right film (or no film at all) vary based on your context? Taking these three considerations seriously should well orient the film(s) you use to what you need in your local context. These areas of consideration do build on elements discussed previously in the paper.</p> <hd id="AN0183689329-6">Why Use a Film?</hd> <p>The first consideration area is the role the film should play. What does it accomplish for you? This speaks directly to how a movie fits with your existing goals. A film shouldn't be shown just because it is "fun"; it should fit the goals you have set forth. One goal you may want to consider is how using films can help students experience a different point of view. Choosing films that are outside of your comfort zone and represent other identities than ones you hold, or your students represent, can provide a valuable learning opportunity for all. Of course, if the film is upsetting, especially toward people of certain groups or experiences, the teacher or trainer needs to make sure to handle the framing and use of the film carefully.</p> <p>If the film's purpose is focused on engagement or enjoyment, a wide variety of films might be a fit if they have some relevance. A light discussion after the film might be enough to connect it to class or training concepts. On the other hand, if your need is more in the learning of a concept realm, your standards for a film might be quite different. You may want a film that clearly shows a particular concept and fits a particular learning point on that concept. Many academic articles about movie use offer this kind of consideration well.</p> <p>By determining the goals for a film a priori, you are better suited to determine which film or films are right for your context. Any given film might be a better or worse fit depending on the concepts needed to be illustrated.</p> <hd id="AN0183689329-7">How to Use a Specific Film</hd> <p>The second consideration is how you would like to use films in your class or training. As discussed earlier, you will want to think about how you might introduce the film content. It could come immediately after a concept is taught as a form of elaboration. It could also be used as a means for students to bring together a collection of units or concepts in analyzing the film. Your goals discussed in consideration one might also play a role in your framing.</p> <p>While showing a film in its entirety (or asking for viewing of the full film) is the most common method, there are many different configurations for film use. You may have time considerations for the classes or training program, which means some films are just too long. Depending on available time or what is being learned in parts or clips of a film may be the best avenue. Multiple papers that talk about the use of a film highlight particular scenes that relate to particular topics.</p> <p>At the other end of consideration, a class or training may go beyond one film and instead connect several films or supplemental content as part of the learning. As previously discussed, Long ([<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref47">23</reflink>]) suggested the idea of a movie club where multiple films are shown and fill particular roles. The different ways a leader can be seen are both illustrated and contrasted across multiple films. Thus, a richer understanding of leadership is developed through the different ways leadership is shown across topics and films.</p> <p>Sprinkle and Urick ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref48">34</reflink>]) used <emph>The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey</emph> to teach leadership but supplemented the film with a Tolkien scholar offering additional discussion of the film, the book it is based on, and Tolkien himself. Thus, instead of watching the movie in isolation, students learned about the context around the film, potentially developing a more nuanced understanding related to the film and its coverage of leadership concepts.</p> <p>An educator might also consider how movies might be used to contrast or complement each other on a topic. Liu et al. ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref49">20</reflink>]) offered the idea of <emph>video bridges</emph>, where clips from two films are compared and contrasted on a topic. This approach is to help people consider the complexity of a topic and how it may differ based on the context. When looking at multiple films in our class or training, we might even consider it as helping students or trainees learn how to analyze and learn from films in a more general sense. Thus, the frames and analysis methods could be applied whenever the person watches the film, even when there is no educator or trainer present. We consider this as elementary media literacy training, which is nonetheless relevant to leadership learning.</p> <hd id="AN0183689329-8">Who Is in the Audience?</hd> <p>The third consideration in the use of film in leadership development and education is the audience for your class or training. The characteristics of your audience, such as basic demographics, country of origin, first language, generation, and others, may impact how films are interpreted and what lessons are learned. It will also impact the experiences you want students to gain and how you might challenge their worldviews for the sake of learning. Depending on the audience, certain content might be hard to understand or even be objectionable. If only part of the audience understands the film, you might create a situation of an in‐group and an out‐group within the class.</p> <p>For one example, Fee and Budde‐Sung ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref50">7</reflink>]) found nonnative English‐speaking students had different perceptions of video clips used. They were more likely to have difficulty understanding the content of a clip. Nonnative English speaker students also saw clips as clarifying concepts, while native speakers saw the clips as introducing a different perspective. Thus, what students got out of the clips and how effective they were differed.</p> <p>Liu and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref51">21</reflink>]) argued learning and inclusion can be fostered in our classrooms by integrating video clips with greater demographic diversity in major roles. They suggest this will help students to see themselves in characters and understand concepts presented. They offer a variety of clip suggestions, including those related to leadership, but depending on your own context and topics presented, you might need to search out relevant clips to meet this need.</p> <p>It is also important for a trainer or teacher to consider that a film they know well or like may not be reacted to in the same way by their audience. We are sure many of us have shared a joke or an anecdote that flopped because the other party did not get the reference. Make sure that the main appeal of the film is not your own nostalgia for it; rather, ensure it works for your students' learning needs.</p> <hd id="AN0183689329-9">Conclusion</hd> <p>In this article, we discussed how films can be used in leadership development and leadership education. We discussed various potential uses, films already identified in the academic literature, and considerations when they are used in training or the classroom. In our review, we considered the successes and pitfalls of use, including a lack of representation in many films. We also discussed how different genres can be used. Films can be used in full, clips, or concerted with connected materials. Multiple films can be used to illustrate different concepts, and they can be connected by the educator to foster deeper learning. Films can be a powerful tool in a person's growth as a leader. As educators, we need to use this tool in contexts where it best helps our learners' understanding and reflection related to leadership.</p> <ref id="AN0183689329-10"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref4" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Bandura, A. 1963. Social Learning and Personality Development. Holt Rinehart and Winston.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref39" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Bersin, J. (2023). Companies Have Been Neglecting Their Leadership, and It Shows. Galileo AI. https://joshbersin.com/2023/11/companies‐have‐been‐neglecting‐their‐leadership‐and‐it‐shows/.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib3" idref="ref34" type="bt">3</bibl> <bibtext> BestLogic Staffing. 2024. Leadership in Pop Culture: Lessons From the Screen. 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  Data: Ready, Set, Leadership Development! Using Films in Developing Leaders
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gordon+B%2E+Schmidt%22">Gordon B. Schmidt</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stephanie+A%2E+Van+Dellen%22">Stephanie A. Van Dellen</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sy+Islam%22">Sy Islam</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22New+Directions+for+Student+Leadership%22"><i>New Directions for Student Leadership</i></searchLink>. 2025 (185):39-43.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Leadership+Training%22">Leadership Training</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+Methods%22">Teaching Methods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Films%22">Films</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Instructional+Effectiveness%22">Instructional Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learner+Engagement%22">Learner Engagement</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1002/yd.20656
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  Data: 2373-3349<br />2373-3357
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  Data: While films are primarily created as a means of amusement, their potential values go beyond entertainment. This article highlights how films can be a useful part of leadership development. We underscore how such development can come in self-study by people, in educational programs, or as part of leadership development in organizations. We discuss how research has found particular films and specific uses to be effective. We cover our own examples of how films can be used in engaging ways to help learning. We then cover how this could fully be used in a class. We then offer major considerations in using films effectively. We conclude by offering some warnings and critiques for using film and how to avoid the challenges they present.
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        Value: 10.1002/yd.20656
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        PageCount: 5
        StartPage: 39
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      – SubjectFull: Leadership Training
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      – SubjectFull: Teaching Methods
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      – SubjectFull: Films
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      – SubjectFull: Learner Engagement
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      – TitleFull: Ready, Set, Leadership Development! Using Films in Developing Leaders
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            NameFull: Stephanie A. Van Dellen
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            NameFull: Sy Islam
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            – D: 01
              M: 03
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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            – TitleFull: New Directions for Student Leadership
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