Top 5 Halloween Movies for Leaders

Posted: Tuesday October 21, 2008 under Movies & Books

In the late afternoon of Friday, October 31, some of us senior partners at 4th Street are making an important presentation to a big potential client. Nothing monstrously scary about that… unless we’re the only ones in costume (ha ha). Afterwards, however, we’ll be spending Halloween night away from home. So… we decided to make a list of scary movies we might bring along to unwind with over pizza and beer in the dark witching hours after our glowingly successful presentation.

All good horror movies, of course, have lessons about staying on the right path, making smart decisions, and all that. But… since it’s us… our list was bound to include some scary movies with specific lessons for leaders. From a long list of great movies, here are our Top 5 scary-good Halloween movies for leaders to escape the horrors of the economy, mischief-making of the national politics, and nightmare intrigues of the workplace.

The Shining (1980)
In this adaptation from a Stephen King novel, Jack Nicholson is at his best (and creepiest) as the caretaker of an isolated snowed-in hotel. It’s just Jack, his wife and son, and lots of nasty ghosts… oh, and Scatman Crothers. The lesson for leaders is this… All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Pay close attention to the leadership advice the ghostly hotel custodian has for Jack.

Psycho (1960)
Marion Crane, a secretary (or “administrative assistance” we should say), stops in at a motel after embezzling from her employer. Big mistake… on both counts. Norman Bates is the lonely motel owner who answers to the inexorable dictates of his cloistered mother. Besides being careful in the shower (which goes for everyone), the lesson for leaders is this… Don’t hold on to old things too tightly or let those voices define you or guide your actions too closely. Have the strength to let go and do your own thinking, living, and leading.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Jack Skellington is the “Pumpkin King” and leader of Halloween Town, overseeing ghosts, goblins, and ghouls of all sorts. Jack has grown bored with his job, so to speak, and when he stumbles into a portal to Christmas Town, he is fascinated with the holiday and soon concocts a plan to kidnap Santa Claus and his job… with some horrific results, of course. The lesson for leaders is this… We shouldn’t be so self-absorbed and obsessive that we forget our goals and the needs of our people. We don’t have to turn everything upside down to find passion and purpose in our work.

Frankenstein (1931)
Dr. Henry Frankenstein is an ardent young scientist who becomes so consumed with his desire to create human life that he commits monstrous acts with a monstrous result. The lesson for leaders is this… Leaders who commit bad actions will produce others who do the same. We “build” (or develop) good people by being good people ourselves… and by carefully choosing the right “brains” for our team to begin with. Note: Young Frankenstein (1974) is a great spoof of this classic tale if you like a bit more comedy in your scary movies.

The Mist (2007)
In another adaptation from a Stephen King story, this is a truly horrifying movie about the beasties that arise inside us when beasties arise outside us. David Drayton is a commercial artist in a small community who must lead himself, his young son, and others away from an unknown and deadly menace that traps them in a grocery store. The lesson for leaders is this… Don’t allow fears of the unknown to overwhelm and paralyze you. Fight on, whatever the odds, and keep faith that, together, we can get through any nightmares, even those that provoke our own baser and primitive inclinations.

Let us know if you get scared watching any of these, and we’ll keep you company. Happy Halloween!