After SyFy Channel’s made-for-TV movie Sharknado became a cult classic, they began pumping out sequel after sequel. I never would have thought there would be another Reel Leadership article about the movie, but here we are.
On a dreary, rainy December day, Pamela and I began to rewatch the first Sharknado on Amazon Prime. Without thinking about it, we let Amazon Prime autoplay the next film in the series. So, we’re taking a look at the leadership lessons in Sharknado 2: The Second One.
Sharknado 2: The Second One takes place after the first film. Fin (Ian Ziering) and April (Tara Reid) are on a flight to New York City. But something happens… Another Sharknado spawns.
April loses her hand to a shark attack on the plane. Fin must try to protect his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew.
It’s hectic. It’s chaotic. It’s fun.
It’s also full of leadership lessons. Let’s take a look at those lessons.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Sharknado 2: The Second One
1. Sky Marshall Ramis (Austin Priester):
You need to calm down.
Fin and April are on a plane to New York City to promote their book. Looking out the window, Fin swears he sees a shark in the sky. He closes the window shade and goes to the bathroom to try to chill out.
He comes back, and this time, a shark hits the wing of the plane. Fin freaks out. He’s getting the other passengers riled up.
That’s when Sky Marshall Ramis steps in. He tells Fin to calm down. Relax. Chill out.
While Sky Marshall Ramis may have been wrong about the timing (it was an appropriate time to freak out), his words are still impactful for anxious leaders. Too many leaders are high-strung, stressed out, and wound up.
It’s okay to chill out. To calm down.
Don’t stay on high alert all of the time. Learn how to relax.
2. Leaders have to disconnect from their work:
Fin’s sister and her family were in New York to go to a New York Mets baseball game. The family consisted of:
- Ellen (Kari Wuhrer)
- Martin (Mark McGrath – vocalist from the band Sugar Ray)
- Vaughn (Dante Palminteri)
- Mora (Courtney Baxter)
Martin had left with Vaughn to head to the game. Martin picks up his phone when Vaughn gently chides him.
Vaughn wanted his dad to be present, in the moment, not connected to work or his phone. Martin struggled with this.
As do many leaders.
We’re so tethered to our phones and our work that our families are missing out on the presence and care we can offer. Leaders have to learn how to disconnect from technology and work to be present in the lives of their families.
3. April:
Go, save them.
April was laid up in the hospital. She’d had her hand gnawed off by a shark and was recovering. Fin knew he needed to help Martin and Vaughn. April knew this, too.
What does April do? She tells Fin to leave her and go save his family.
April was hurt. Yet she saw the greater need.
Leaders have to make difficult choices day in and day out. Sometimes, those decisions will hurt someone or take you away from important people at important times.
Learn to find a balance between caring for those in your organization and those in your personal life. I would even go so far as to say that you take care of your personal life more than you do your work life.
Your personal life will be there long after your work life is done.
4. People may never see your greatest achievement:
Bryan (Judah Friedlander) had gone to the concession stand to get refreshments. There, he sees Harland ‘The Blaster’ McGuinness (Richard Kind). McGuinness was a Mets legend in the film. Bryan wondered why he would be in the normal person line.
McGuinness shared the story of his last at bat. His father was in the stands. He wanted to make him proud. And then he struck out. He was a failure. A disappointment.
That’s why he was in line.
Yet, McGuinness had a chance for a comeback, at least in the film. As the sharks descended on the Mets stadium, McGuinness found himself confronted by a shark.
He had a choice. He could run and hide. Or he could pick up a bat and knock the shark into next Tuesday.
He found a bat, swung at the shark, and hit a shark run! He had a great achievement that no one would ever know about.
Our achievements won’t always be public. There will be many private victories that won’t be shared.
Be good with having your achievements hidden. You don’t have to boast or share everything. Some achievements can go unseen.
5. Fin:
One of these days I’ll have to have you teach me.
Martin and Fin had been great friends… Until Martin began to date Ellen, Fin’s sister. The two had a wild friendship, and Fin was scared of what Martin would do to his sister. This strained their relationship, and they grew apart.
Now, Fin and Martin were face-to-face again. Fences would be mended.
Fin owned up to why they grew apart. He shared that their antics as kids scared him regarding his sister. Then, Fin admitted that Martin was a great family man. He hoped one day to be as good as Martin.
To do that, he would need Martin to teach him how to be a better man.
Fin saw Martin as a possible mentor. He let Martin know this.
Who could be a possible mentor in your life? Is it a former leader you were under? Could it be a youth pastor who poured into your life? Or how about looking at the new hire who has skills that you haven’t yet developed?
You can find mentors almost anywhere… And you need a mentor.
6. Pay attention to the issues, even little issues:
Fin is on a subway car when the sewer begins to flood. He’s on the subway with Martin, Vaughn, and his ex-girlfriend Skye (Vivica A. Fox). He encourages the trio to get off the subway while he saves a woman being attacked by a shark.
He makes his way to the last car. He begins to fight off the shark. And then we switch to the trio.
They’re wondering if Fin survived. As they’re worrying about him, he walks toward them. They notice he has a baby shark attached to his hip and remove it.
Fin didn’t notice the baby shark attached. He was worn out, tired, drained after fighting off the large shark. Others did notice.
We can typically see the significant issues in our lives. The strain our work puts on us. The troubled employee who causes havoc in the office. Or the financial issues bubbling up.
What we rarely pay attention to are the minor issues.
We can’t put all our focus on the significant issues. When we do, the little issues pile up. Eventually, the minor issues will overwhelm you.
7. Don’t let success go to your head:
Skye questions Fin about what’s so bad about being famous. Fin didn’t think being famous was the issue. There was something insidious that came with being famous.
Fin shared that the last Sharknado isn’t what made him famous. He had experienced fame as a surfer. He was popular, well-known, and loved.
All of this made him develop a big ego. Fin began to believe he deserved everything.
That’s what was wrong with being famous. Being famous can make your ego grow faster than it should.
Most leaders will never become famous in the traditional sense. Leaders will often become famous within their inner circles, community, and churches. People will see what they’ve done and flock to them.
Their success is their fame.
You have to guard your heart against the issue of pride that comes with success. Don’t let it all go to your head. Stay humble. Realize your success doesn’t make you deserve anything extra.
8. Leaders aren’t always sure:
Skye and Fin were about to throw homemade bombs into the middle of the Sharknado. Bombs had worked on the Sharknado in the first film.
Skye wondered if it would work this time around.
Fin answered truthfully. He wasn’t sure. Still, they had to give it a go.
You will be placed into situations where you won’t know the outcome. You may have an idea of whether or not your plan will work. Still, there’s that uncertainty. Things could go wrong.
You have to act, anyway.
You will never be 100% certain that a plan will work. You just have to trust the plan, the preparation, and the people you have.
9. Great leaders adapt:
April escapes from the hospital to help Fin stop the Sharknado. She wasn’t medically discharged and had to sneak out.
When she got to Fin at the Empire State Building, she saved him.
How?
April had adapted. She no longer had the stub at her wrist. Instead, she had attached a saw and used it to kill the sharks.
Where do you need to adapt? Is your thinking stinking? Do you have old, outdated ideas of leadership? Could it be that you’re unwilling to listen to others?
Great leaders know adaptation is the key to longevity. It’s also the key to success.
They’re willing to adapt to the situation at hand.
Will you adapt?
10. Get great people on board:
Sharknado 2 had a great cast of cameos. I was shocked while watching it. Director Anthony C. Ferrante pulled in some great names to star. The cast and cameos included:
- Kelly Osbourne
- Robert Hays (from Airplane!)
- Rachel True (from The Craft)
- Wil Wheaton of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame
- Kelly Oxford
- Andy Dick
- The Naked Cowboy
- Al Roker
- Matt Lauer
- Salt-N-Pepa’s Sandy “Pepa” Denton
- Stephanie Abrams from The Weather Channel
- Tiffany Shepis
- Judah Friedlander
- Judd Hirsch
- Ex-Subway spokesperson Jared Fogel
- Benjy Bronk
- Biz Markie
- Downtown Julie Brown
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- Shark Tank’s Daymond John
- Perez Hilton
- Richard Kind
- Robert Klein
- Kurt Angle (WWF/WWE Superstar)
- Kelly Ripa
- Michael Strahan
For a made-for-TV movie, these cameos were huge. It was great seeing so many familiar faces.
Many of these actors weren’t in the film for long. They had bit parts. Then they were gone.
You don’t need to bring in great people forever. You can bring them on for a specific time period and purpose.
Agree on the specifics beforehand. Then bring them in. Let them shine. Let them bring awareness to your project or organization.
