One Halloween in the 1980s, when the Indiana Jones movies were popular, my father decided to dress as Indy for a costume party. But he couldn't find a whip anywhere to complete the costume. Enter the Smith Haven Mall on Long Island. Someone suggested he try that shop across from the Sbarro's in the food court —the one with the colorful glass vases (they were bongs). They also had whips. It was the ‘80s.
I'm a huge fan of the original Indiana Jones movie franchise, particular Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade (with Sean Connery as Indy's dad). I even watched “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” when it aired on ABC back in 1992.
In fact, this past Sunday I convinced my friend Laura to join me to watch Raiders on the big screen.
The action scenes are often what we remember from the original trilogy, but the writing was epic. The one-liners stuck for generations!
Given that a new chapter is coming out this summer (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destruction), this is a great time to think about lessons leaders might be able to take away from Henry Jones Junior. (“We named the dog Indiana,” Sean Connery quips at the end of The Last Crusade.)
What follows is a montage of the characters, plot, and dialogue of Indiana Jones movies with some lessons about leadership and success in business.
Take Calculated Risks for Big Payoffs
“Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.” — Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Indiana Jones teaches us the importance of embracing tough work for big payoffs.
Success in business, as in life, often requires stepping out of your comfort zone to pursue opportunities. Go big or go home!
Indy never stays home for long. He's always leaving his cushy job as a university professor behind to risk life and limb to save someone or prevent a priceless object from getting into the wrong hands.
What could taking a big risk get you in your business?
Adaptability and Quick Thinking
“It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.” — Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
When Jones says this to Mary Ann, he's responding to her saying how much he's changed and aged since their affair. But what's the positive angle?
Adaptability and quick thinking are critical skills. Indy finds himself in difficult situations on the regular, but he always comes out ahead because he relies on his experience and resourcefulness. And he has an amazing ability to think on his feet — or hanging from a rope over snakes, riding a motorcycle through the desert, what have you.
Being able to adapt to changing circumstances and make swift decisions is essential in business, too. We live in a VUCA world (VUCA stands for: volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), and the only constant is change.
Experience and adaptability can be a powerful combination.
Valuing Collaboration & Expertise
“Asps. Very dangerous. You go first.”
— Sallah, in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
One of my favorite things about the Indiana Jones movies is that Indy is always teaming up with others on his adventures. He never goes it solo, knowing the importance of collaboration and expertise.
In the quote above, Sallah humorously volunteers Indy to drop into a chamber filled with venomous snakes, showing his playful nature and tendency to lighten tense situations.
Throughout the movies, Jones teams up with individuals possessing specialized skills or knowledge of the local scene to achieve his goals — even if sometimes those people turn out to be bad guys like Dr. Elsa Schneider (who turns out to be a Nazi).
“I didn't trust her, why did you?” —Henry Jones Sr. (Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade)
In leadership, it is crucial to surround yourself with a diverse team and leverage their expertise.
Think about startups. It is often hard for founders to make their first external hires. But they know they need to bring in “talent” to overcome challenges and achieve success. Indy knows that, too. It's a risk, but often worth it.
Persistence & Resilience
“Your persistence surprises even me. You're going to give mercenaries a bad name.”
— René Belloq to Indy (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Business is filled with obstacles and ambiguity. Indiana Jones exemplifies persistence and resilience in the face of adversity in his global adventures.
Great leaders persevere through challenges, remain determined, and refuse to be deterred by setbacks or discouraging odds.
Ethics & Doing the Right Thing
“Archaeology is the search for fact… not truth. If it's truth you're looking for, Dr. Tyree's philosophy class is right down the hall.”
— Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
Indy reminds us about the value of ethics and doing the right thing. Strong leaders prioritize ethical behavior and make decisions that align with their values. Doing the right thing is a people-first point of view. Plus, it contributes to long-term success by lowering risk and helping leaders earn respect and build a reputation of integrity.
So be like Indy. Approach business endeavors with courage, adaptability, collaboration, persistence, and ethical decision-making. And try to avoid snakes.
Maura Charles is the founder of Keep it Human. As a Product Leadership Coach and Consultant, she is on a mission to help teams and organizations embrace human skills like communication and emotional intelligence in their ways of working.
She brings 25 years of experience as an editor, product manager, and digital business leader to bear on the challenges of building human-centered high-performing tech teams.
If you'd like to develop more human business and tech teams that hum together to drive results, check out Keep it Human and follow Maura Charles on LinkedIn.