Angelina Jolie returns as the misunderstood Maleficent in Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil. In this sequel to the 2014 Maleficent, Maleficent and her goddaughter Aurora (Elle Fanning) have their bonds tested by a new threat.
Aurora, the Queen of the Moors, has fallen for Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson). His mother, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), learns of their love and begins to plot against the world Aurora has lived in for so long. Queen Ingrith sees an opportunity to rid the world of the fairy creatures living in the Moors.
When Aurora, Maleficent, and Diaval (Sam Riley) meet with Prince Phillips family, things begin to go south quickly. Queen Ingrith enrages Maleficent. While the moment is hot, Queen Ingrith stabs her husband, King John (Robert Lindsay) with the enchanted needle from the spindle. This puts King John to sleep and sets in motion Queen Ingrith’s evil plans.
The story of Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil was entertaining. It held my attention and I was excited to see what happened next. Not only was I enthralled by the story, but I was also learning about leadership from Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil.
Today, I’m going to share with you the Reel Leadership lessons in Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil. I hope you’re ready. There’s plenty to learn!
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil
1. Young Peasant (Freddie Wise):
Guys, I think we should turn back.
The young peasant had entered the Moors to search for fairies. He, along with two others, set out to capture these creatures to sell to Lickspittle (Warwick Davis). Lipspittle would then use the fairies to experiment upon for the Queen.
The young peasant began to become uneasy about their mission. He felt it would be wise to turn back. The other peasants felt differently. They saw dollar signs and fortune.
Sadly for the two other peasants, the young peasant was right. There was danger ahead.
You have a team of amazing people. They have unique ideas and perspectives. They also have insights you may be missing.
When a team member approaches you with a concern, be willing to listen to them. Don’t discard their concerns. Listen to them.
You may be saved from impending doom. You may be able to avoid a major business mistake.
It doesn’t hurt to listen.
2. Great leaders can be viewed in a negative light:
Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil had an opening monologue. Maleficent shares her side of the story.
She talks about how the humans had made her a villain. She was only trying to do what was right. Then her story was twisted and she became a bad guy.
Watching Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, you can see her point. She wasn’t a villain, per se. She was misunderstood.
The people of the Moors wouldn’t see Maleficent as evil. They would see her as a great leader.
How you’re viewed will depend on how your story is told. This largely depends on the way you treat people.
You may do everything right yet you could still have those who see you as a bad leader. There’s not much you can do with this.
What you can do is to continue to lead well. Don’t let the opinions of others sway you from doing what is right.
3. Aurora:
We must all learn a bit of kindness.
I loved this quote from Aurora. She knew what was going on. She knew what the world needed.
The world needed a bit more kindness. It needed less anger. It needed better people.
Our world needs this as well. We could do well to have a kinder heart. We could become better if we only chose to treat people with kindness.
4. We can make time for what is important to us:
The fairies of the Moors took Aurora’s crown and a chase ensued. Aurora claimed she didn’t have time for the games the fairies were playing. She was getting frustrated.
In her frustration, she fell into the water. Then the end goal of the game appeared. Prince Phillip was there to ask Aurora for her hand in marriage.
Aurora’s attitude quickly changed. She no longer needed to rush off. She was able to make the time for Prince Phillip.
Your day is busy. There’s a lot going. But what do you do when a family member or loved one comes into your day?
Do you brush them aside and tell them you’re too busy? Do you find some way to get around them? Or do you make the time to spend with those who are important to you?
Great leaders know they have to balance leadership duties with their relationships. Make sure you’re making time for what is important.
5. Aurora:
I’m just asking you to trust me.
With Aurora’s upcoming wedding, Phillip’s parents wanted to have Aurora and Maleficent at the castle to meet them. Maleficent was hesitant, even more when Aurora asked Maleficent to hide her horns.
And then Aurora asked Maleficent to trust her. She believed she knew what she was doing and that everything would be okay. Maleficent relents and trusts Aurora.
Later in Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, Maleficent wants Aurora to believe she had nothing to do with the curse put on King John. Aurora wouldn’t believe her godmother. Instead, she chose to side with Queen Ingrith.
How often are we like Aurora? We long to be trusted by those we lead. Even if we’re leading them in a dangerous direction.
When it comes time to trust our teams… do we trust them? If we’re honest, there’s a lot of times we don’t. We doubt their insights and instincts.
The reality is, if we want our teams to trust us, we have to be willing to extend trust to them. Begin to trust those you lead. You brought them into the organization for a reason. Trust yourself, trust them.
6. It can be easy to believe lies:
I’ve already mentioned how Aurora didn’t believe Maleficent. Instead, she chose to trust Queen Ingrith when the Queen had cursed King John.
There wasn’t much hesitation with Aurora. She immediately began to believe the Queen rather than her godmother. She chose to believe lies.
Deep down, we want to believe the ones we love and the ones we lead. Yet there’s something that pulls us away from the truth. Especially when the truth isn’t to our liking or doesn’t fit our preconceived notions.
We choose to believe what is easier or what we’ve experienced before. We resist truth when it goes against our mindset.
Be cautious of what you believe. The evidence isn’t always true. The past doesn’t always repeat itself.
Look past the evident. Look for the truth.
7. Bad leaders hide the truth:
After King John fell under the curse, some people wanted to check King John for a wound. Queen Ingrith wouldn’t let her people do this.
Why? Because she had pricked him with the needle. There would be a visible sign it wasn’t Maleficent.
Bad leaders are exactly like Queen Ingrith. They don’t want people to look below the surface.
If people began to search beneath the surface, the lies and deceit of a bad leader begins to be found out. People would learn their leader isn’t worth following.
Don’t hide the truth. Be honest, be open about your mistakes. Let people know the real you and that you are there for them.
8. Conall (Chiwetel Ejiofor from The Lion King remake):
Come, let me show you who we are.
Conall was from a race of winged, horned creatures. Does this sound familiar? Conall was from the same race of creatures as Maleficent.
Conall knew who HE was. He also knew more about Maleficent than she did. Conall wanted to show Maleficent who she was.
Great leaders are like Conall. They help people discover who they are. They helped them discover where they come from. And they also help them discover where they can go.
Help your team members to grow. Help them to discover their inner strength and power.
This is a great responsibility of a leader. It’s a responsibility you bear.
9. Conall:
Remember where you come from. Remember who you are.
Conall helped Maleficent realize who she was. She was the descendant of a Phoenix. She had great power. If only she would use it.
She also wasn’t evil. She was misunderstood. So were the people they were fighting.
When Maleficent discovered and remembered who she was, she became more powerful than anyone could have imagined. She rose from the dead and she won back the people.
Never, ever forget where you come from. Your history is a part of you. It is something that will guide you and help make you stronger.
10. Great leaders sacrifice:
There were three flower pixies in Maleficent. Their names were:
- Thistlewit with the green dress (Juno Temple)
- Flittle with the blue dress (Lesly Manville)
- Knotgrass with the red dress (Imelda Staunton)
In a touching scene, Flittle goes to protect the rest of the fairies who were trapped in the church steeple. She discovered what was dispersing the red powder that was killing the fairies.
A red-headed woman, Gerda (Jenn Murray), was playing the organ. Whenever she hit a specific key, the red powder would flow out of the organ pipes.
Seeing an opening, Flittle flies towards the organ. She sees where the powder is coming from. Then she flies into the organ and gets hit with the fairy killing dust.
Her death stops the powder from flowing out of the organ. It also stops the onslaught of death.
Flittle sacrificed herself for the betterment of her people.
Great leaders think more of their team and their safety than they do of themselves. They know without their team, there’s not a lot that can be done.
Because of this, they are willing to set aside their needs and desires to help their team members achieve success. Great leaders are willing to sacrifice for the betterment of their team.
11. Horrible leaders believe fear is the key to leading:
Queen Ingrith believed fear was the key to leading others. Through fear, she would have absolute control.
She made so many others into the bad guy. Maleficent was maligned. The fairy creatures of the Moors were evil. Death was coming to the kingdom.
All of these weren’t true. Yet it is what Queen Ingrith used to control those she ruled over.
What it created was a culture of fear. Of people who did anything and everything to please her because, if they didn’t, they would be in mortal danger.
Horrible leaders use fear to lead their teams. They show them the worst outcome possible. They make enemies out of possible allies. And they use fear to control those they lead.
Great leaders, on the other hand, use positivity to lead their teams. They show them what good is possible. They help them to understand growth is possible. And they help them to see where alliances are possible.
Don’t be a horrible leader. Don’t use fear to lead. Instead, use positivity and possibility to lead your team.
Question: If you’ve watched Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, what leadership lessons did you take away from the movie? If you haven’t seen the movie, what Reel Leadership lessons from Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil that I shared resonated with you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.