Leadership Legion

Ahoy! We're the Leadership Legion Podcast. Our goal is to create a legion of nerds like us who want to become better leaders in our communities, in our organizations, and with ourselves. We do this by examining the words and actions of our favorite characters in nerddom, and understanding the lessons that they reveal to us with their stories. Our hosts, Adam and Travis, are consummate nerds who love to engage on this challenging and incredibly rewarding topic of leadership and do their best to apply these lessons to their lives. Dig in with us as we recount the stories of these characters and analyze different scenarios in which leadership applies.

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Leadership Legion

002 - Tony Stark (Iron Man)

January 11, 2021 • Leadership Legion

0:00 | 1:18:19

“The truth is...I am Iron Man.”

Adam and Travis examine the leadership qualities of Tony Stark in Marvel’s Iron Man Trilogy (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Iron Man 3). Arrogant, quick to judge, but very smart, Tony frequently acts off the cuff in a Han Solo-ish, never-tell-me-the-odds manner, using his intelligence to steamroll his way through the “spin cycle” of problems in his life.

The leadership lessons we can learn from him as he grows into the superhero we know and love are incredible and very applicable to our lives. Here's a few things we learn throughout this journey with Iron Man:

1: Remember those who helped you get where you are, keep an eye on the bigger picture, and make big decisions with a clear head.

2: Trust the people who support you; erratic behavior causes strife that can be prevented by consistency; and it’s better to discuss and tackle issues when they arise, rather than have hidden problems come to light in the worst way.

3: “The universe will keep teaching you the same lesson until you learn it,” “with great power comes great responsibility,” give credence and value to the people around you, and intelligence is not an indicator of value in all things.

The Takeaway:

Tony Stark will always be a hotshot to some degree, but despite his “elephant,” his character arc demonstrates how to grow as a leader and learn from past mistakes. His leadership strengths lie in his ability to think and act decisively in high-pressure situations, but his weakness is his inability to take a pause before making big decisions that could lead to heavy consequences.

Resources:

Iron Man: Amazon or your favorite streaming/rental service
Iron Man 2: Amazon or your favorite streaming/rental service
Iron Man 3: Amazon or your favorite streaming/rental service
Protagonist website: http://protagonist.life/
Rivet City website: https://rivetcitypro.com/