Cole Reed (Jason Statham) is a man with a mission. He’s sworn to protect his billionaire boss, Tibu Campallo (Ramon Tikaram). However, he fails shortly after Tibu announces he is selling his shipping company, KMG. The two are attacked and Tibu is murdered. Then, Cole is framed for his murder.
As Mutiny is a Jason Statham film, Cole can’t stand for this. He’s now on the run from the law and the people who killed Tibu. It’s time he goes on a one-man revenge mission to avenge Tibu’s death.
There’s action. There’s intrigue. There’s deception. Most of all, there are leadership lessons galore.
Let’s explore those lessons.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Mutiny
1. Leaders are observant:
The movie opens with Cole standing in a building. It’s the offices of KMG Bangkok, Tibu’s shipping company. Cole’s watching people entering and leaving the building.
There’s a man acting strangely at the door. A woman drops her keys. Cole picks up on so many more incidents.
He’s observant.
Great leaders need to be observant. Observant of plenty of things…
- Customer’s perceptions
- Employee satisfaction
- Business performance
- And so much more
What are you observing in your business? Are you paying attention?
Great leaders do…
2. Tibu Campallo:
All this began with that.
Tibu is walking out of the office. He stops at the model of a freighter.
That model is the first ship KMG ever used. It was how it all began.
Do you know how your organization began? Do you know its history?
If you don’t, learn it. Remind yourself of how your company grew, changed, and became successful.
3. Tibu Campallo:
If you were me, what would you do?
Tibu and Cole are playing chess. It’s implied that Cole regularly defeats Tibu. That doesn’t stop them from playing.
Then, something cool happens. Tibu is placed in check. He stops and asks Cole what he would do. What would his next move be?
How many times do you stop to ask others what they would do in your shoes? How often do you consider that your move may not be the best?
Stop and ask those around you what they would do. Find out new options and opinions.
The more you consult others, the wiser you will become.
4. Great leaders allow others to pursue their dreams:
Tibu shares that he’s selling KMG because he knows it is not his son’s dream to run a shipping company. Kameron Campallo (Chaneil Kular) would rather do almost anything but run the family business.
But why would Tibu sell it? The business is successful. They’re making money.
Tibu had a reason. He wanted Kameron to pursue his own dream.
So often we want to hold onto the best employees. We believe if we hold tightly, they’ll stay. They’ll do what we need them to do.
However, I’ve found that the best leaders hold their people with loose hands. They know the dreams of those they lead may not align with theirs. They’re willing to let them go to pursue other dreams.
Who are you holding onto that you need to give the freedom to leave?
5. Pay attention to what others like:
Angie Ellis (Annabelle Wallis) is a skilled sailor who was ready to go home to her daughter. That all changed when she got the call that she was to head to The Artemis for duty. She was disappointed but went anyway.
When she arrived, Captain Marko Madsen (Roland Møller) wasn’t thrilled to see her. To say the least, he wasn’t impressed with her.
Angie quickly changed his opinion of her. She paid attention to his necklace. She recognized it had a Viking symbol for protection.
That began to change his opinion of her. All because she paid attention to what he liked.
It can be hard to pay attention to all your team members‘ passions and likes. You have so many to care for and look after.
I encourage you to start paying attention to one or two areas in each team member’s life. Look for an easy win. Something that clicks with you.
The more you pay attention to others, the more you’re going to gain their trust.
6. Listen for the small voices:
Cole had made his way onto The Artemis. He’s walking the deck. He’s avoiding Angie.
Something happens. Cole hears small voices coming from somewhere deeper on the ship. He listens to them. Then he follows the voices he’s heard.
Cole stumbles upon a shipping container full of trafficked human beings. He found them because he listened to the small voices.
When we begin to listen for the small voices, we can make big discoveries. The small voices will lead you to understand the larger problem.
Don’t discount the small voices. Listen. Learn. Change.
7. It’s okay to walk out:
Angie finds the container shortly after Cole does. She reports the trafficked people to Captain Marko. What happens next is not what she expected.
Captain Marko tells her she will follow protocol. At first glance, this may sound right. However, protocol for Captain Marko and his crew is to deal with the mess and continue moving the trafficked people.
Angie wouldn’t be a part of that. She walked out of Captain Marko’s office.
People will stay far too long in a bad organization. They may believe they can change the culture. They may think they can’t find anything better. Or they may think there’s no other choice.
There’s always a choice. You can always walk out. To walk away.
Don’t be afraid to walk out.
8. Great leaders reassure their people:
Angie and Cole make it back to Angie’s room. She sees her daughter’s photo and begins to freak out. She may never see her daughter again.
Cole steps up. He reassures her that he’ll get her out. He calms her fears and anxiety.
Great leaders understand that the team they lead may not always understand what’s happening. They may be fearful. They may have anxiety.
The best leaders know how to reassure their people. They talk them down off of ledges. They inform them of changes. They take care of them.
Be a leader who reassures your people that things will be okay.
9. Use what you have on-hand:
Cole is trapped on the ship. He’s in one of the ship’s vents. A grate prevents him from getting out.
Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have much on him. Then he remembers Tibu’s gift: A Rolex watch.
He takes off the watch. He flips the latch. Then he uses it to take screw after screw from the vent grate.
He used what he had on hand to get out.
We have plenty of tools around us. The ones the organization provides. And then the ones with hidden uses.
If you’re feeling trapped, look around you. Catalog the resources you have. Then look for ways you can use those resources in unorthodox ways.
You’ll often find you have more tools than you thought.
10. You have to live with your actions for the rest of your life:
It turns out that Kameron had been partnering with the smugglers and their boss, Taran (Jason Wong). He’d allowed Taran to use KMG ships to transport people and goods.
Taran found out about the sale and had to stop it. If he didn’t, his line of business would be kaput.
Taran decides to take out Tibu. That way, the sale of the company would be halted. Kameron would be made the CEO.
Cole confronts Kameron about this. He tells Kameron that he will now have to live the rest of his life knowing he caused the death of his father.
Ouch!
I hope you’ll never have to live with the weight of this. However, I know you will have to carry a heavy weight because leadership is heavy.
You’re going to make decisions that will live with you the rest of your life. Make sure you’re making decisions and taking actions that you can live with.
