Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Monster Hunter

A Reel Leadership Article

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Monster Hunter is a movie (you can watch it on Amazon Prime) based on the Capcom video game series of the same name. I remember playing the original Monster Hunter game for the Playstation 2. It was an interesting game, but it has very little to do with the movie.

Later entries in the Monster Hunter game series have more to do with the movie. I’m sure this excites those who have followed the series more than I have.

Still, with that in mind, I really enjoyed Monster Hunter. The action was fast, and it brought me into a world I never knew.

Milla Jovovich and Tony Jaa in Monster Hunter movie

Monster Hunter finds a team from the United States Army transported to a strange, new world full of mythical creatures. There, they discover there’s more going on than they believed.

Sadly, not all of the Army members make it out alive…

Today, we’re going to dig into the leadership lessons you can find in Monster Hunter. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the lessons as much as I enjoyed the movie.

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Monster Hunter

1. Opening of Monster Hunter:

IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT BEHIND THE PERCEPTION OF OUR SENSES, NEW WORLDS ARE HIDDEN OF WHICH WE ARE TOTALLY UNAWARE

Monster Hunter opens with these words. It seems a strange warning, but it is altogether purposeful.

The Army team discovered this to be true. There was another world hidden behind what they’ve always seen.

For those stepping into a leadership position, we discover this warning to be true, too. There is more to the world than we realize.

There are inner workings the average employee never sees. There are things going on behind the scenes that you never saw before.

Be prepared for a whole new world that you were never aware of before.

2. Artemis (Milla Jovovich):

I’m a ranger not an archeologist.

As Artemis and her team were headed to investigate Bravo Team’s disappearance, they came upon strange markers. One of her teammates asked her about them.

Artemis responded that she didn’t know what the markers were. She was a ranger, not an archeologist.

Artemis knew her strengths. Figuring out ancient markers were not one of them.

Do you know your strengths? Do you know what you are good at?

This is the area you need to focus on. You need to make sure you’re working where you know what you’re doing.

3. Trouble comes quickly:

While checking on Bravo Team, a storm moved in quickly. The team tried to escape, but they were swept up in the storm.

They were transported to another world. They didn’t know where they were or what was going on.

This happens to leaders regularly. A strange storm creeps upon them (COVID-19 anyone?!!?), and they soon find themselves in a place they have never been.

Don’t be shocked when trouble comes. It comes to all leaders.

It will shift how you lead. It will change the way you think. It will make you move forward in a new way.

4. Leaders have to continue to move:

The team found Bravo Team. Unfortunately, it was not what they wanted. Bravo Team had been decimated. Their vehicles were destroyed, and the team was killed.

There was no time to wait after this discovery. They had to continue to move or they would be in trouble.

They began moving right away.

Trouble will come. What you do after the trouble comes will determine the fate of you and your team.

The leaders who survive are the ones who move quickly.

5. Our actions can be too late:

Artemis’ team was under attack from one of the monsters in the new land. She told Lincoln (Tip “T.I.” Harris) to get the rocket launcher.

Lincoln goes to get the rocket launcher. He readies to shoot. Then the monster flips their vehicle.

His actions were too late. He didn’t fire his shot in time.

As much as we try to be on time, executing our plans… we can be too late to act.

This doesn’t mean we have failed. This means we were late. Things we may not have wanted to happen happened.

We have to pick ourselves up after this and continue to move.

6. Artemis:

It matters because we’re soldiers.

Artemis knew certain things mattered not because they were people but because they were soldiers. They had certain responsibilities and needed to fulfill those.

As leaders, we need to take on Artemis’ mindset. We need to realize there are things that matter in leadership that don’t matter to others.

Figure out what are the things that matter to you and your leadership. Live and die by those.

7. We can misconstrue messages:

Hunter (Tony Jaa) shot an arrow toward Artemis and her crew. They believed Hunter was trying to attack them.

He wasn’t.

Hunter was trying to warn them of an upcoming threat. They misconstrued the message, and they paid the price.

We have to pay attention to what others are trying to tell us. Their messages can be misconstrued, and we may think they are against us.

This isn’t the case most of the time.

People aren’t out to get us. They’re out there to see our success.

We have to believe people want the best for us and we can’t assume negative intent.

8. The light will repel the dark:

The monsters began to attack Artemis. She was in a dimly lit place.

As she backed up, she stepped into the light. This did something to the monsters.

They stopped pursuing her. The creatures couldn’t go into the light.

Know that the darkness will have a hard time stepping into the light. Those who are challenging you unnecessarily cannot stand when light is shone on them.

Stay in the light. Keep doing the right thing. The light will repel the darkness.

9. Artemis:

I am not your enemy.

Artemis finally met Hunter. She tried to communicate with him. They spoke different languages, so it was hard to understand one another.

Artemis wanted Hunter to know that she was not his enemy. She was friendly.

We have to communicate to our teams that we are not the enemy. A leader isn’t an enemy to the employee.

Rather, leaders should be the advocate for those they lead. They should stand in the gap. They should be looking for ways to help them.

Communicate to your team that you are not the enemy. Then show it.

10. The more you work with your team, the more you understand them:

Artemis and Hunter spoke different languages. Understanding one another was difficult, especially at the beginning.

The more they worked together, the more the two understood each other. They became more in tune with each other.

We discover this as we lead our teams. The more we work with our teams, the more we synergize and understand each other.

The language of leadership can be difficult for someone outside of leadership to understand. Working with your team, you can help them understand it.

Work with your team. Help them understand the language you speak. Seek to understand the language they speak.

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