Advocates and Antagonists

 

While working out last week on my elliptical trainer, I watched a good portion of the movie Annapolis, starring James Franco (as Jake), Donnie Wahlberg (as Lieutenant Commander Burton) and some other character actors whose names you probably would not recognize. If you’ve never heard about this movie, or, heard about it but never watched it, you are apparently in the majority. The movie, which was released in January 2006, had a $26 million dollar budget but only managed to gross about $17 million at the box office. It also received mostly negative reviews from film critics and failed to receive the endorsement of the Naval Academy, on which the film was based. You may be thinking, “Why in heck did I watch this movie if it were so widely panned?” Well, first of all, it wasn’t like I was going out to the movie theater with my wife and spending $30 for tickets and refreshments. If that were the case, I might have checked the reviews. Even then though, I would have probably ignored them because I don’t care too much about what critics have to say. I like to judge most things myself. Secondly, I was going to be camped out on my elliptical for 40-50 minutes and all I needed was something mildly interesting to focus on. You can only watch so many back-to-back episodes of CSI Miami and Law & Order before going into a drama coma.

I missed the first 30 minutes of Annapolis but I really didn’t “miss” anything of importance. I got the drift of things pretty quickly because the theme was one that was very familiar to me. A “nobody” kid from a tough, blue collar neighborhood achieves honor and acclaim by overcoming his personal demons, people in his hometown who doubt him, “pretty boy have-it-alls” who try to derail him, and authority figures who harshly test him.. Annapolis was a combination of the original Rocky movie (I think there were 12 sequels), Rudy, and An Officer and a Gentleman. I liked all three of those films. In a sense, I got to see them all again at the same time, kind of. 

Now that you know more about a movie that you will probably never watch, what’s the point? My big take away was that one of the most intelligent things we can do as human beings is to voluntarily lay aside our pride and independence so that we can accept help from others. Exercising our independence may free us from the grips of dependence; but, it is the recognition of our deep need for interdependence that allows us to freely relate to others and grow. Jake, the Annapolis cadet, as well as Rocky, Rudy and Zack – the main characters in the other films I mentioned – demonstrated tremendous personal drive and fortitude. None would have achieved anything; however, without the help of others. They needed advocates. These advocates manifested themselves in a number of ways and often came from unexpected places. They offered encouragement and tangible support. The advocates also served as accountability partners, reminding their friends of the importance of what they were working toward. The advocates stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their friends.

Interestingly, even the antagonists in each of the stories played very important roles in spurring the development of the main characters. That’s the beautiful thing about movies; anything is possible. Even the “bad guys” can play a redeeming role. The well-intentioned antagonists challenged Jake, Rocky, Rudy and Zack to rise above their circumstances and set their sights on something higher than their own selfish desires. The hard core Marine commander at Annapolis saw something special in Jake – something that would only emerge by breaking down his false pride and tendency to give up when things got tough. At the same time, the commander maintained unwavering support for the traditions and standards of the Naval Academy. He was not about to give Jake a free pass; Jake would have to earn it. Instead of standing shoulder-to-shoulder like advocates, antagonists position themselves face-to-face, providing the subject of their antagonism with resistance. 

While the methods of the antagonists were perhaps questionable at times, their motives were noble. Their intent was to reshape their reluctant protégés in an effort to instill confidence, strength and a genuine regard of others and the institutions they served. The antagonists knew that there was a high risk of failure but understood that character is sometimes best refined when stakes are high, painful circumstances exist and resistance is applied in the form of tough love. Again, methods aside, the “good” antagonists in these stories were direct, clear, honest and consistent. They left it up to each of the main characters to make the decision to either face up to their challenges or do an about face and walk away.

The application to those in leadership roles should not be lost. One of your main responsibilities as a leader, if not your main responsibility, is to foster the development of people. If people are indeed “human assets” to your organization, then it is your fiduciary obligation to maximize them. If you don’t like the sound of that, then consider that you can get more accomplished and make your work life a lot easier if you devote more time to developing others. If that still doesn’t do it for you, then ponder the notion that it’s just the right thing to do, that is, to help people realize and achieve their highest potential. Hopefully your boss has the same notion about you.

We'll pick up on this theme again next week.  In meantime, please feel free to share your comments regarding ways leaders can enhance the professional development of others.