Most grow up expecting to be second best. Second choice leaders will not concede to obvious leader picks for much longer.
The movie Love and Monsters casts a second choice lead, Joel. He’s the weakest link in the chain in his colony and lives in fear amidst doubt in his abilities. Those around him clearly acknowledge a crippling character flaw, yet Joel leaves the nest on his own accord and steps into natural strength.
He wouldn’t have been able to do this without any encouragement. A pair of unlikely travellers are intercepted and a wily journey ensues. Joel could hardly make it through his first day if not for a few good words to inflate the soul. Further encouragement was gained from lost parents that provided hopeful words before being brutally killed. Lastly, friends rescued him from a frozen state at the epicentre of the end of the known World.
Resurgence of Unlikely Leaders
Misunderstood women and men of potential may be weak in the present day, but mineral deposits of worthy gold sparkle in moments leading up to a realisation for them. Failure is understandable. It’s been seen before and it still stings, but lurking dissatisfaction prowls under the surface. Others are too weak to rise from the ashes and the arrogant populus stomps and struts to their own glory. This phenomenon translates into the world of business, yet I believe that the sands of time are shifting and more unrecognised champions are surfacing.
Joel doesn’t care about power, but about purpose. The World has been raised by biological disaster and a new age has given birth. In his quest to reunite with his High School love, Aimee, he meets Cap at the beach colony. Cap immediately influences the colony, projecting his image as Alpha Male and is immediately given admiration and a seat of power. The role of ‘primary’ leader from the old world pervades their post-apocalyptic society.
Joel conquers Cap after a battle which reveals the true colours of the visiting sailor crew and Joel is heralded as the leader of the colony alongside Aimee. How did he achieve this? Success was only possible through companionship, vulnerability and an enigma of strengths.
Three Leadership Virtues
Companionship was highlighted in the final battle through the return of an ally ‘boy’, the dog that helped survive the seven day, eighty mile journey to Aimee. Boy does everything Joel asks him without question. An equal companion and not a subservient one is Aimee, who fights relentlessly alongside Joel. What Joel could not do alone, was done with a small, focused team.
Vulnerability preceded Joel’s adventure away from his colony. He decided to reunite with his high school love by taking a chance, risking rejection. She did reject him when he arrived and it took him until the moment he left again to win her heart. He didn’t let rejection defeat him, which is the sign of a truly vulnerable warrior. He was unassuming and humble, giving structure to his vulnerability which eventually disarmed Aimee.
An enigma of strengths is a special blend of talents, resulting in healthy power, not power selfishly clutched. The term is defined as ‘a competitive advantage realised by combining supplementary individual strengths in a team setting’. In the battle against Cap, Aimee demonstrates physical dominance, Boy agility and Joel cunning. Sheer unmerited favour resulting from the natural synergy between team members helped get the ball over the line.
As the dust settles from COVID-19, the arrogant lead will slowly be forgotten in the workplace and elsewhere. Yes, there will always be an elevation of the same boisterous leadership profile at school level and beyond, but the Joel’s of this World will prevail. If I’ve learnt anything from Gen Z interviews and my younger brother Calvin who is pioneering a career in machine learning, it’s that the companion, vulnerable and collaborative next generation will strive for a higher purpose and achieve it.