REELLEADERSBLOG is for people who are becoming leaders, studying and teaching leadership, or looking for stories and films that can foster a deeper understanding of leadership.

Here are some great films about leadership that you will discover – or re-discover — in REELLEADERSBLOG: Amazing Grace, Bhutto, Blindsight, Dalai Lama Renaissance, Emmanuel’s Gift, Hobart Shakespeareans, Shut Up and Sing, and Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai. In addition to newer films like Lincoln, classics such as Twelve Angry Men, Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure, and Whale Rider will also be explored.

One of my great interests over the past ten years has been to identify films and documentaries that can be used to teach leadership. I’ve enjoyed countless hours of viewing powerful, informative and entertaining films and documentaries and I have incorporate several of those films into assignments for students in my leadership and management classes. Seeing leaders in action – striving, failing, struggling, or succeeding – is a powerful and memorable experience for students and for all of us who are studying and teaching leadership or aspiring to be leaders.

I’ve spoken on this topic at conferences in London and Prague and written about it in journal and newsletter articles. I have file folders full of notes about various documentaries, journals with scrawled notes taken in dark movie theaters, and I’m the person who’s likely to trap you on the elevator to tell you about a new documentary that you really should see. If you tell me about your interests, I can probably come up with a personalized documentary recommendation just for you. (My recent recommendations include Herb & Dorothy, Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present, Phunny Business, and Kumare.)There are so many valuable documentaries that don’t get the distribution or visibility that they deserve. Bringing awareness to them and helping them reach a wider audience is another purpose of this blog.