Does Leadership Really Matter?

 In the film, Horrible Bosses, it is highlighted why leadership matters so much in any workplace. Leaders who lead well, will lead to empower and inspire, but the bosses in this movie help us see how some bosses create fear and resentment. 

This cautionary tale, helps remind the audience that leadership is about responsibility and empathy. Without these traits, leaders make everyone around them miserable and they will fail. A couple of reasons for failure are:

Leadership doesn't take ownership or responsibility. Great leaders take full responsibility for what their followers do under their leadership. Trust is a huge aspect when it comes to leading a group of people. When leaders refused to take accountability for their mistakes, their teams will feel unsupported. Being a true leader means owning up to all mistakes. 

Employees live in fear of failing and making mistakes. When people are afraid for being punished for their mistakes, they stop bringing creative solutions to the table. Great leaders create mental safety for their followers, and giving encouragement that mistakes are learning opportunities. 

The work environment is a “gotcha” environment. The "gotcha" environment creates distrust and defensiveness. Employees are always worried about being caught if they make mistakes rather than focus on growth. This also ultimately crushes, teamwork and communication leading to a very unhealthy work environment. As said before a healthy work environment should be encouraging, especially when making errors.

Works Cited: 

Harris, T. R., & About The Author      Thomas R. Harris  Thomas is the owner of The Exceptional Skills. He has taught and worked in K-12. (2023, December 12). 25 major signs of leadership failure - tes. The Exceptional Skills. https://www.theexceptionalskills.com/signs-leadership-failure/

Passive-agressive vs. True Leadership

The 1999 cult classic Office Space is best known for its hilarious takedown of corporate drudgery, but beneath the comedy lies a masterclass in bad leadership. From passive-aggressive micromanagement to soul-crushing bureaucracy, the film exposes exactly how not to lead a team. Let’s break down the leadership failures in Office Space and what real leaders can learn from them.

According to Keller Executive Search, leadership failures come from a couple of different aspects on how a leader treats his followers. First off micromanagement, excessive control over employees' tasks. One of the main things seen in the film, was the boss constantly walking all over his employees and micromanaging their tasks. This led to the main character going to get hypnotherapy and start living his life, stress free. 

Next, poor communication, lack of transparency often leads to distrust and confusion. The leader in the film only communicated demands, nothing more. Communication is key in every relationship, even a professional one. It is important in the workforce to communicate effectively among every individual within the workspace. Effective communication within the establishment leads to greater productivity,  healthier relationships, accomplishing company and personal goals. It is especially important for leaders within the company to have strong communication skills, this helps their teams and employees complete their day to day responsibilities and ensure that goals and tasks are understood and completed efficiently and to the highest level. The results of this can lead to company growth and expansion as well as a stronger morale within the organization.

Lastly, inadequate emotional intelligence, failure to empathize with and manage team emotions can cause leadership breakdowns. This can lead to complete distrust and discord throughout the entire organization. This can cause distractions drama and lead to individuals falling short of their goals and the company performing poorly to their set standards.

True leadership revolves around compassion and active listening. When a follower or an employee feels like you listen to them as well as show compassion towards them not only will that make you a better leader, but that would make them a better follower and employee. In today's society, we see a lot of employers overwork and burn out their employees. With the outrageous amount of workloads is employees get they don't even have time to have a proper work life balance. Being able to connect with your peers and listening to their ideas, complaints, and even random thoughts can help you be a better leader so that way you can connect with them.

Works Cited:

Leadership fails, leadership failures, leaders fail. Keller Executive Search. (2025, March 5). https://www.kellerexecutivesearch.com/insight/why-leadership-fails/

Are We Getting Manipulated?

Politicians are known to be some of the biggest liars in the world. Washington D.C. is the "home of the liars." The movie Wag the Dog, is The title is a play on the old saying, “the tail wagging the dog." In other words, the dog is in charge. He wags his tail. That phrase means, the dog is no longer in charge. The tail is wagging the dog.  

The 1997 film Wag the Dog, is a dark political satire that explores the dangerous intersection of media, deception, and power. In the movie, a spin doctor and a Hollywood producer fabricate a war to distract the public from a presidential scandal. This story is exaggerated yet plausible portrayal of how easily perception can be manipulated to serve political agenda's. Could our leaders really go this far to win votes or cling on to power? 

According to Merriam-Webster, "The tail wagging the dog is a idiom that usually refers to something important or powerful being controlled by something less so. Its earliest use is in the 1858 play Our American Cousin. The 1997 film Wag the Dog shortened the phrase and added the additional meaning of "superfluous (military) action in order to distract from domestic scandal" (America's Most Trusted Dictionary). 

The story intruded into real politics not long after its release. In 1998, when Bill Clinton's scandal regarding Monica Lewinsky broke, he was accused of wagging the dog: Three days after admitting he had inappropriate relations with Lewinsky, he ordered missile strikes against two countries, allegedly to divert public attention from his sex scandal. 

The phrase "wag the dog," refers to a strategy where a political leader engages in diversionary tactics, often involving military action or another high-stakes maneuver to distract the public from a pending or existing scandal. The "wag the dog," strategy capitalizes on the rally-around-the-flag effect, where citizens tend to support their leaders during times of crisis. This is a well-documented psychological phenomenon where, during crisis, the public tends to support national leaders and overlook their shortcomings.  

Works Cited:

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). America’s most trusted dictionary. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/

An essential guide to the language of power. Political Dictionary. (n.d.). https://politicaldictionary.com/