10 Leadership Lessons from Maverick: TOP GUN

*Read if you've seen the film.

WOW Just WOW. I just walked out of MAVERICK, TOP GUN and quite honestly, dear peers, I went to see it because it fuels my creative capacity to write, to lead and to grow as a speaker and a coach. If you're familiar with going into the flow state, where you consciously and subconsciously grace your life by doing what you love without even thinking about it, you'll know that music, walking, yoga, meditation, and even movies help fuel the most courageous of creatives.

Going into the film today as part of my own leadership mix of tools, I spoke to a good friend of mine, a fellow sales director, Sarah Zambuto, and we both knew we'd like to weigh in on some leadership takeaways and here are mine.

1. Maturity rules all. Maverick grows into who he is as a leader in this film, carrying less ego and more integrity in the moment. What I do love is that he still takes risks. He still goes for the thrill... a true leader never lets an opportunity go by where they can show their skills or up level their performance. In his character development, he grew into a man of integrity and being put on the spot as a teacher, he jumped in the first moment he could by being different, throwing the book into the trash and teaching instinct.
2. Reinvent yourself to get to where you're headed. Of course Maverick reinvented himself but so did Rooster, and even Hangman at the end. From one lens to the next, these characters saw what they needed to see in order to step into the shoes of who they wish to be as a team. It was heartwarming to watch it in action.
3. It's time to let go. When ICE talks to Maverick about "work" and the team, he reinforces the idea to let go of the past. How many of us are so hung up on our own past that we forget the present or make it hard on ourselves to depict the future. One of the greatest leadership lessons that is so hard to grasp is that letting go of anything that pulls you back will propel you forward.
4. Talk to me Goose. Maverick's spirituality shined through when he often asked Goose to give him direction. We all have leaders, mentors and teachers in our lives whom we can look to for guidance, and a large lot of us have someone from the skies to call upon. I love that he brought in spirituality to help him find his confidence in the air.
5. Don't think, just do it. This is a great value for leadership lessons on instinct and experience. So many of the new young generation think too much or put way too much emotionality into everything from office feuds to why they think they can't do something. This lesson bears fruit for all of us to work on our instinct and inner knowledge of how, why, who, what, when and where to do what we do best.
6. Time is your greatest enemy. Lead today and now. There may not be another time to do what you're called to do, so do it well and don't wait. Excuses are not a part of the leadership journey.
7. Lead with your self-identity. Know who you are. Maverick knew that he was an aviator. He reinstated that's who he was. This effort was far from ego and within integrity to step into the power of his personal belief system. If you don't believe in who you are, who else will?
8. Lead by Example. Maverick raced to show the team what he could to do incorporate their faith to know what they can do. Many leaders often miss the mark on this... stop telling them. SHOW THEM and they'll see for themselves.
9. Teamwork is not always built in a classroom or an office. The scene with the beach football game really rang into my heart to see that when leaders color outside the lines and they take their teams towards another context of the goal, they can inherently get the mission, and in this case, they instinctually became a team.
10. Lend a helping hand. We saw this with Rooster and Maverick and then with Hangman. They came back, they fought for their partners and their teams and they supported them. Leadership is about support. It's about what we can do together to fly and rise, not what the most perfect, fastest, best or quickest can do. And as we saw, even the best, need a helping hand...

And a bonus lesson: Face your fears. This lesson was shared throughout the film, and especially when Maverick went back in to show the team what he can do as their leader and it worked!

I too had to face my fears going to see this film. I lost my partner in the water 2 years ago and it took a LOT for me to sit in that movie seat with the water scene from the first movie, and yes, I cried my eyes out, but I faced my fears. Instead of not seeing it due to my sadness and grief, I saw the movie and I cried a lot.

What are your fears that you have to face? What makes you fall back and think that you can't... whatever that is... use these 11 lessons to get back in the game again. You deserve a good cry, a good win, and a good flight of life.

Leadership is ingrained in me and I really feel that so many of us have so much to learn when we fly or fight through life. When we try to get out of a sticky situation, when we need a helping hand from a peer, or a way to believe in ourselves again after a fall.

What I'd like to say is that no matter what level of leader you're at, this movie really sets the stage for all of us to put on our masculine side and energy and to go for what we believe in. In yoga, the right side of the body is known as our masculine side and it was powerful to walk out of that movie with the type of energy that it gave me. Your sun energy gives you the momentum to get SH*t done. Use it wisely and believe in yourself.

I also drive a Corvette convertible so driving out of the theatre, I felt like I was getting in a cockpit!

If you feel the need to lead and get in a plane towards a coach that can get YOU into the cockpit of your dreams, unafraid... let's talk. That's what I do and I would love to be your MAVERICK. xoxox Talk to me here and click on any link to schedule a chat.

Elizabeth Barry is an Executive Communication Coach, Keynote Speaker and Workshop Host that focusses on emotional intelligence, public speaking, confidence, mindfulness and leadership. She has written six books that continue to change peoples lives and is interested in speaking and coaching at offices nationwide to teach adults the art of calm through the way that they speak and feel.

Click here to set up a conversation, or learn more at www.thekindcommunicator.com

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