A VCR, a great movie, a tub of popcorn and a Management Goes to the Movies Study Guide . . . management training doesn't get any better, easier or more fun than this!
"MOVIES FOR LEADERS: MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM FOUR ALL-TIME GREAT FILMS" is the first volume in a series of self-study guides aimed at helping managers cope with difficult situations and improve day-to-day performance. This guide uses the movies "Hoosiers," "The Wizard of Oz," "Moby Dick" and "The Bridge on the River Kwai" to help managers sharpen their leadership skills, train their staffs to lead, think through key leadership issues and enliven their business presentations. The guide also contains references to online quizzes from moviesforbusiness.com where, after reading the book, readers can take an online examination and earn a Hollywood MBA (Master of Bijou Advice) in Leadership.
Based on a corporate-training program developed by Shaun O'L. Higgins and Colleen Striegel and used in their companies for more than 15 years, "Movies for Leaders" also features an introductory essay on business as portrayed on screen from the 1930s to the 1990s.
"Movies for Leaders" presents reel business lessons for real business performance. Among the lessons in its pages:
* Why "The Wizard of Oz" is one of the greatest leadership training films ever made.
* How minor strengths can blind you to a manager's major weaknesses.
* Why you can't afford not to train every member of your team.
* How to develop a mission statement employees can march to.
Each chapter is filled with practical lessons on the keys to leadership, including motivational skills, decision making, judgment, planning, competitive strategy, ethics, communication and team building. Each chapter also features helpful sidebars with information about the movie, illustrative examples from actual businesses and elaborations on key concepts.
Shaun OL. Higgins is Chairman and CEO of Print Marketing Concepts, Inc., a Houston-based firm specializing in the production of television-listings magazines and advertising services for 135 newspapers from coast to coast. He is a past president of the International Newspaper Marketing Association and a former trustee of the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers. Higgins has addressed media, marketing and advertising audiences in 22 countries. His comments and projects have been reported in "The Wall Street Journal," "New York Times," "USA Today" and in major newspapers in China, Central America, South America, Germany and France. His previous books include "The Newspaper in Art;" "Ice Storm '96: Days of Darkness, Days of Cold;" and "Vachel Lindsay: Troubadour in 'The Wild Flower City'." He recently collaborated with author Ronald J. Fields on the business book "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break: W.C. Fields on Business."
A movie fan since childhood, Higgins began using movies in 1986 to train new managers at Cowles Publishing Company in Spokane, Washington.
Colleen Striegel is co-author, with Shaun Higgins and Garry Apgar, of the 1997 book "The Newspaper in Art" and her professional articles have appeared in "Ideas" and "Campaigns & Elections" magazines. As a trustee of numerous not-for-profit and professional organizations, she has played major roles in hiring executive directors, selecting financial management advisors, and developing capital-works projects. Striegel is a former trustee of the International Newspaper Marketing Association and served on the Political Advertising Task Force of the Newspaper Association of America. She has addressed media and professional womens organizations on topics dealing with audio information services, politics, management, and creativity.
