Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Sing 2

A Reel Leadership Article

The cast and characters from the original Sing animated movie return in its sequel, Sing 2. The world is still pretty much the same for these characters. But the second go-around is almost as fun and enjoyable as the first.

Sing 2 is an animated musical in a world of animals. There are pigs, gorillas, koalas, and more that are anthropomorphic.

Characters from the movie Sing 2

Your children will enjoy Sing 2. And, I think, you will enjoy Sing 2.

If not, you’ll at least come out of the movie a better leader. Let’s dive into the leadership lessons in Sing 2.

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Sing 2

1. Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey):

Great job, great job.

Mr. Moon’s team of singers had performed a great show. He saw how the audience was reacting. He knew he had to do something.

What Mr. Moon did was what all great leaders should do. He told his team that they were doing a fantastic job while they were still doing the work.

Great leaders are encouragers. They see their team working. They see what is being accomplished. And they let their team know they appreciate it.

Tell your team great job the next time you see them doing it well.

2. Critics can be harsh:

Suki (Chelsea Peretti) was a talent scout for Mr. Crystal (Bobby Cannavale). She had watched Mr. Moon’s team perform.

She walked out after the first act. Mr. Moon confronted her. He wanted to know why she was leaving.

Suki wanted to know if Mr. Moon could handle the truth. She believed his team wasn’t up for the task of performing at Mr. Crystal’s venues.

Ouch…

The words of critics can be harsh. They’re the words we never want to hear.

Sometimes, though, those words are valid. They’re what we need to hear.

I faced this as I wrote my book Reel Leadership. My editor would tell me to correct this or that. It wasn’t good enough yet…

Listen to the critics. They can help you improve your work.

3. Know your worth:

Ash (Scarlett Johansson), the porcupine, had played a show at a music venue. She was getting ready to play an encore song when the club owner paid her.

Looking at the check, Ash said this wasn’t acceptable. She was being paid less than the other acts. The owner told her tough luck and to play the encore.

Ash, knowing her worth, said no. She then walked away without playing the encore.

We have to know our worth. We also have to know the worth of our team.

If you’re being underpaid, look for a solution. If your team is being underpaid, fix it.

This is another situation I’ve run into throughout my various careers. I was grossly underpaid at a previous place of employment. Once I realized my worth, I walked away, found another job, and haven’t looked back.

You have value. You have worth. Make sure you’re being compensated for it.

4. You cannot constantly change your mind:

Gunter (Nick Kroll) was trying to plot the show for Mr. Crystal after Mr. Moon told him they could get the recluse musician Clay Calloway (Bono of U2 fame) to star in the show.

There was a problem with Gunter. He couldn’t make up his mind.

Sets continued to change. The story evolved and evolved and evolved during production and practice.

This caused anxiety and issues with the cast and production crew.

Your wishy-washy antics do the same thing to those you lead. When you constantly shift the goal, change the tactics, etc… you’re making your team question you.

Be firm in your decisions. See the possibilities and make a choice.

This doesn’t mean you’re not open to calling an audible or fixing something down the road. It means you make a decision and stick with it as long as it is feasible.

5. Great leaders aren’t braggarts:

Meena (Tori Kelly) was starring in a role that would require her to be kissed… for the first time ever. Mr. Moon brought in the award-winning actor Darius (Eric André) to be her leading man.

There was a problem with Darius. He was a braggart.

Everything Darius said was about him. All the awards he’s won. All the things he’s accomplished.

Me. Me. Me. Me.

Don’t be a Darius. No one wants to follow someone who’s all about themselves.

Make sure you’re focusing your energy on your team. Get to know them. Find out what they’ve done.

They’ll appreciate it!

6. Leaders can have freak out moments:

Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) was given the lead of the space opera. One of her scenes required her to be on an elevated platform. From there, she would have to jump while wearing a harness.

This freaked Rosita out. She believed she couldn’t do it. She actually gave up the role to Porsha (Halsey), Mr. Crystal’s daughter after she thought she couldn’t do it and Mr. Crystal demanded his daughter be a part of the show.

Later in Sing 2, Rosita takes back the part. And she kills it.

It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay even to freak out.

What is not okay is for you to give up.

You can do scary things. You can get through it. Don’t give up.

7. Beware of nepotism:

Porsha was Mr. Crystal’s daughter. He demanded that she have a role in the show.

Mr. Moon relented. He allowed Porsha to take over as the lead.

This wouldn’t have been bad if Porsha was good. She wasn’t. She was as dry as a bone when performing her lines as the lead.

Nepotism, the act of favoring relatives, is dangerous to leadership.

It is easy to be lured into believing a relative can be the best fit. Many times, that’s not true.

Nepotism can bring down organizations. Through bad choices, relatives can unwittingly sabotage the work you’ve done.

Not to mention, others notice when you give favor to relatives. Make sure your relatives are earning their spot on the team.

8. Not all coaches are for everyone:

Johnny (Taron Egerton) was being coached by Klaus Kickenklober (Adam Buxton). Klaus was an award-winning choreographer. However, Klaus’ methods didn’t work for Johnny.

One day, Johnny sees a cat, Nooshy (Letitia Wright), doing street dancing outside. He approaches her. Johnny asks her to teach him.

By the time Nooshy was done with Johnny, he was a fantastic dancer. The tactics Nooshy used were far different than Klaus.

We may want to approach the best coaches we know for assistance. We believe they will give us what we need to be the best leaders, husbands, or church workers we can be.

Yet, it can be a disaster if the coaches we choose are not aligned with how we learn or what we believe.

Find the right coach that fits with you.

9. Clay Calloway:

Running and hiding away is not what it’s cracked out to be.

Mr. Moon wanted to run back home after being threatened by Mr. Crystal. He was scared, hurt, and wanted to be done.

He couldn’t be. He had something more to do.

Running and hiding is natural instinct. We want to be in a place of safety.

Doing so doesn’t benefit anyone. We may be safe but we’re not better.

Let’s stop running and hiding. Let’s start leading.

10. If a role doesn’t work for someone, find a better role for them:

Porsha’s role as the lead star wasn’t a good fit for her. She realized this after throwing a temper tantrum.

Mr. Moon knew this and tried to find another role for her. Before he could, Porsha stormed off.

Eventually, Porsha came back. She took on a lesser role in the show. And, you know what(?), she crushed her new role.

You may have a poor performer on your team. They lack enthusiasm for their work. Or they can’t seem to get things done in a timely manner.

The issue may not be the person. The problem may be the role the person is in.

Seek to find a role that fits them better. Your poorest performer may become a great asset to your organization.

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