Braveheart, 1995

In the beginning of the movie that main character William Wallace, later played by Mel Gibson, is a young child living in a small village.  When his father and brother do not return from battle, William is taken from his village and raised by his uncle.  After many years, an adult William Wallace returns to his childhood village and finds true love.  Although, forced to marry his love in a private ceremony, because of things King’s appalling laws, he finds it hard to keep his love a secret.  While defending the honor of his secret wife, he makes himself and her, a target for the King.  When his wife is killed by one the King of England’s magistrates, he forms a crusade against the King and rallies many followers to win back Scotland.  Meanwhile the king is conflicted with his own trials: a preoccupied son, an unfaithful daughter-in-law, land to conquer, and a kingdom to maintain.  Throughout the movie, many relationships are formed and broken, all with their own consequences, whether good or bad.  William Wallace quickly becomes the inspiration that the Scotsmen needed to begin their quest for freedom.  With determination and perseverance Wallace leads anyone who is willing to follow into several battles, while motivating them to fight for freedom.  This movie is an excellent portrayal of one man’s quest for love, revenge, and freedom.

Lessons Learned


Leadership Qualities of William Wallace

* Recognized by adversaries as a leader
* Respected by followers as someone to look up to for guidance
* Followers defend and protect him
* Inspires followers and gives them hope to fight for their rights and defend their beliefs
* Rallies a great many people against a common cause
* Well known even from afar, his reputation proceeds him
* Speeches – has verbal persuasiveness and encouragement
* Remind followers of importance of working together and reminds them of goals
* Faces adversity with a positive attitude
* Makes team goals clear
* Even inspires after he is gone, leaves a legacy


Strategic Intervention

There are several elements of Strategic Intervention that can be seen in Braveheart, including acquisitions, alliances, and culture change.  Acquisition is a large part of this movie, however, characters are not trying to acquire other businesses, but instead are trying to acquire land.  The King of England strives to keep Scotland under his rule and even strives to acquire France.   Alliance is also a large theme that runs throughout the movie.  Alliances are made (Scottish and Irish, Scotsman and Scottish nobleman, and several different villages) and sometimes broken.  These alliances provide support and optimism.  A last element of strategic intervention, culture change, is portrayed in the change of the village culture from that of an attitude of helplessness to an attitude of hope and action for change to stand up for their beliefs and rights.¹


Leading and Managing Change

Leading and Managing Change is another Organizational Development topic that is a theme in the movie.  All five activities of Change Management (motivating change, creating vision, developing political support, managing transition, and sustaining momentum) develop throughout the movie.  Mel Gibson’s character motivates change by inspiring followers by giving them hope and making freedom a possible reality.  He creates vision by believing in himself and making others believe in a better future.  He develops political support by gathering strength in numbers and aligning nobles with his goals.  He manages the transition by fighting at the front lines and a willingness to go to battle to fight for change.  Finally, he sustained momentum by inspiring others to carry on the fight even in his absence.  The desired and eventually reached effective change was freedom!¹


Lewin's Change Model

Lewin’s Change Model is a simple but helpful way to look at the transitions in the movie.  The unfreezing is the revolt of the Scotsmen in opposition to the King and his current rules and the realization that status quo was damaging to their lives and country.  Movement was the actual battles and fight for freedom.  The eventual refreezing represents Scotland’s freedom following the death of the King and the resulting feelings of power.


Discussion Questions

* Why do you think William Wallace’s followers trust him even when they doubt his tactics?

* Do you think that William Wallace wanted to be a leader?  How does this change over the course of the movie?

* Do you think William Wallace was born a leader or made one by his circumstances?

* Give specific examples of when William Wallace displays leadership qualities. 

* What leadership qualities did he not posses and how would these qualities have helped him in his endeavors?


Competencies Addressed

Self Management

* Self Insight – optimism, self confidence, self awareness
* Work Habits – goal orientation, work ethic, follow through
* Work Attitudes – initiative, effort, persistence, energy

Mel Gibson’s character portrays a great amount of self management as a leader.  He has a tremendous amount of confidence and optimism in his goals and the possibility of reaching those goals.  He never gave up and pursued his goal regardless of obstacles. 

Leading Others

* Communicating – communicating with others, public speaking
* Influencing – persuading, negotiating, empowering, inspiring, political savvy
* Developing Others – coaching, developing and instructing
* Motivating Others – taking charge, setting goals for others, reinforcing success, developing and building teams

The main character, William Wallace, was successful in his ability to communicate with others his beliefs and empowering others to stand up for their beliefs.  He constantly motivated with his speeches and was able to inspire others to fight with him as a team.

Task Management

* Executing Tasks – coordinating work activities, task-relevant knowledge
* Enhancing Performance – eliminating barriers to performance, strategic task management
* Solving Problems – analytic thinking, mental focus, decision making, designing work systems

William Wallace has to constantly manage the tasks laid before him.  He had to improvise and adjust tactics based on different circumstances.

Reference

¹  Cummings, T. G. & Worley, C. G. (2005).  Organizational Development and Change (8^th edition).  Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing.

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