It’s Our Time Down Here – Lessons in Team Motivation from the Goonies

It was June 7, 1985. President Reagan had begun his second term that January. New Coke premiered. Michael Jordan had just finished his rookie season. The Cosby Show and Family Ties dominated on TV. And on that specific day, The Goonies had its theatrical premier.

That’s right, folks, one of the most – dare I say the most – iconic movie for those of us who came of age in the 1980’s is now 35 years old. I was 8 years old that summer in 1985, and the number of times I’ve now seen The Goonies has to be well over one hundred. Maybe eclipsing two hundred. 

There are a lot of reasons that we love The Goonies and continue to watch and rewatch it as adults. Kids taking charge, hidden pirate treasure, snide remarks, gangsters. And, Mikey’s motivational speeches. Oh yes, remember his soliloquies and one liners that made everyone pause, take stock, and forge ahead?

His most important speech is delivered at the bottom of the wishing well. The kids are about to give up, about to be rescued by the town bully, Troy, in the well’s bucket. 

This scene is the crossroads, the turning point of the story’s arc. If the kids go up in the bucket, they will be safe and they will also go on as before, with them all losing their homes to Troy’s dad’s real estate scheme and moving away from one another. If they choose to forge ahead past the wishing well, at least they will have a grand last adventure together (or die, as Andie reminds Mikey but he dismisses that quickly) and at most, find the rumored treasure to save their homes and therefore their childhood together. 

In one speech, Mikey must convince them to keep going.

This is a great metaphor for motivating teams. How many times do you find yourself at a crossroads – where one path is the easy, safe answer, and the other involves greater risk but far greater reward, if successful?

How do you get people inspired to push ahead, motivated to engage in the harder but necessary task?

How do you create the loyalty needed to go further?

Let’s look at how Mikey did that at the bottom of the wishing well.

Here’s his speech:

Don’t say that, don’t ever say that. Goonies never say die.

[some dialogue with Andie]

Don't you realize? The next time you see sky, it'll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it'll be in some other school.

Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what's right for them. Because it's their time.

Their time! Up there!

Down here, it's our time.

It's our time down here.

That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket.

Cheesy as the speech is, it is also a classic pep talk. It’s one we can learn from as we seek to create loyalty and motivation in teams to go the “extra mile.”

Here are three things Mikey did that we all can learn to do:

• He inspired them with a positivity that was contagious. Negativity can spread quickly in a team, taking people down the path of disengagement and demotivation – but positivity can have the opposite effect. Mikey’s upbeat encouragement literally changed the plot.
• He reminded them of the relationships they had fostered and what they stood to lose. He ensured that they felt like a unit. Mikey connected them to one another, to a community bigger than any one individual.
• He created a common goal and ensured that they understood the importance of their task – that it mattered, that it was more than a fun adventure. Mikey connected to them to an audacious purpose.

What happened next furthered the plot and changed the course of the kids’ lives. All the kids exchange knowing glances, silently agreeing that what is driving Mikey is driving them too. They are in this together, come what may. What started off for most of them as merely a diversion to the afternoon has become a true quest, for something more than “rich stuff.”

They forge on, each accepting their role and their devotion to one another and the quest.

So next time you need to engage, motivate, and inspire loyalty in your team, unleash your inner Mikey Walsh and give your own “wishing well speech.” Inspire with positivity, build deep relationships and community, and connect to a sense of purpose and a big goal. It's YOUR time - You just may find One Eyed Willy’s treasure!

#leadership #teambuilding #employeeengagement #lessonsinleadership #teammotivation #thegoonies #neversaydie

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Angela Heyroth’s 20-year career has spanned several Fortune 500 firms, in leadership roles across the full lifecycle of talent management and employee experience, delivering results and guiding teams in talent attraction, acquisition, retention, development, performance, planning, and engagement. This breadth of experience has resulted in a unique understanding of how to build and deliver lasting legacy through a focus on talent. As a systems thinker, change agent, and ardent learner, she has various musings about the employee experience (and random other topics), and enjoys sharing her insights, opinions, observations, and ideas.