Judge Dredd tells the story of Judge Joseph Dredd (Sylvester Stallone). He’s a street judge in Mega City One, trying to protect the populace. However, there’s a conspiracy brewing.
He’s framed for murder by his clone brother, Rico (Armand Assante), and Judge Griffin (Jürgen Prochnow). Now, he’s on the lamb from the law he’s sworn to protect.
What happens next is chaos. It’s also a storyboard for leadership.
Let’s explore the leadership lessons in the 1995 Judge Dredd movie.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Judge Dredd
1. Pay your respects to what’s come before:
Judge Dredd opens with a montage of comic book images. They were from the classic British 2000 AD comic books.
This is where the movie drew its inspiration from. It’s what started the whole thing. They knew they had to pay respect to the OG Judge Dredd.
You’re probably not the first leader in the organization you’re leading. You probably won’t be the last.
I’ve found it a good practice to pay respect to the leaders who have come before you. Talk about the good they’ve done. Share how they’ve shaped the organization.
Whatever you do, do not badmouth the previous leaders. That’ll leave a sour taste in the mouths of your employees.
2. Your expectations may not align with reality:
Herman ‘Fergie’ Fergusson (Rob Schneider) is released from prison. He’s given his personal effects. Then, he’s told he has a living arrangement in Heavenly Haven.
As he’s being transported to his new home, he sees a beautiful place with a swimming pool. He tells the pilot that it has to be Heavenly Haven. It wasn’t.
The pilot continues to fly. They arrive at Heavenly Haven, a place in the middle of a Block War with rival gangs.
It wasn’t heavenly. It wasn’t a haven. Herman’s expectations were shattered. They didn’t align with reality.
Leadership can mirror this.
You expect compliant employees. You expect things to be running smoothly. You expect an easy transition.
It’s often not.
You’re coming into an organization that’s struggled to find a good leader. You’re finding employees who haven’t truly been led. You’re finding resistance.
It’s okay. Your expectations won’t be met, but you can make them a reality as long as you work with what you have.
3. Judge Dredd:
No, rookie! Hold up.
Judge Dredd enters Herman’s apartment complex. There was a turf war happening, and he needed to clean house. He quickly clears one room when Judge Hershey (Diane Lane) and Judge Brisco (Alexis Daniel) catch up to him.
Both judges are impressed. Maybe even inspired.
Judge Brisco sees what Judge Dredd has done and says he’s got the next room. He rushes out of the room as Judge Dredd calls after him to stop. He opens the door and gets blasted away.
Leaders who have been there and done that have seen a lot. One of those things is how overzealousness can be dangerous.
Great leaders are willing to tell their team members to slow down, hold up… They know that rushing headfirst into situations can cause issues.
Be willing to tell your people to hold up. It can prevent a lot of messiness.
4. Judge Dredd:
You set the standard, sir.
Judge Dredd meets with Chief Justice Eustace Fargo (Max von Sydow). They discuss what is necessary and what is overkill. Chief Justice Fargo even asks Judge Dredd if all of the executions were necessary.
Judge Dredd responded that the Chief Justice would know… if he didn’t spend so much time at the academy teaching ethics. But Judge Dredd did say something critical. He told the Chief Justice that the Chief Justice is the one setting the standard.
Guess what? You are the one setting the standard in your organization.
What you tolerate, you get more of. How you act, those you lead will repeat.
You set the standard. Are you setting the standard you want repeated?
5. Judge Hershey:
No one is supposed to be alone all the time.
Judge Hershey and Judge Dredd talk in the department locker room. She’d listened in to Judge Dredd’s speech to the new cadets. It hurt her heart.
What she had heard was that the cadets’ lives were over once they became judges. They would have to give up everything. Even relationships.
He basically told the cadets their roles would be lonely.
Judge Hershey saw it a different way. Her time as a judge hadn’t been lonely. The new cadets didn’t need to be lonely either.
It’s often been said that leadership is lonely. That you’re going to feel isolated. You’re going to feel targeted. You’re going to have fewer friends.
I don’t believe it has to be that way for you. You don’t have to be a lonely leader.
You can form great relationships with people. Whether that’s in your organization or outside is up to you.
Just know that leadership doesn’t have to be lonely. That’s a choice you make.
6. Great leaders will step up for their people:
The Chief Justice and Judge Dredd had a great relationship. One powerful enough to make the Chief Justice do something others would see as crazy.
When Judge Dredd is convicted of murdering reporter Vartas Hammond (Mitchell Ryan) and his wife Lily (Pat Starr), the Chief Justice has a choice to make. He can sentence Judge Dredd to death, or he can resign. He can take the long walk (a journey taken by judges who leave Mega City One and wander the wasteland dispensing justice) and request leniency on the convicted.
The Chief Justice chooses this. He stepped up for Judge Dredd and put his needs aside.
You have great team members. Who you know will do anything for the organization. What you also know is that the organization won’t do anything for them.
This is where true leaders come into play.
Great leaders step up. They defend their employees. They have their backs. They’re willing to go the extra mile.
Know how far you’ll go for your people.
7. Your words can get you in trouble:
Judge Dredd was put on the transport ship to the prison. He’s seated next to Herman, someone he had convicted and sentenced. Herman talks to Judge Dredd and reveals his name to the other convicts. One of those convicts attempts to attack Judge Dredd as the Angel family attacks.
Many of the other convicts are murdered by the Angel family. Judge Dredd and Herman are taken captive.
Pa Angel (Scott Wilson), along with his children, Mean Machine (Christopher Adamson), Junior (Ewen Bremner), and Fink (Phil Smeeton), are talking about religious things. Herman hears this and believes he can convince them to spare his life.
Herman begins talking in the same religious language as the Angel family. Pa looks pleased. He offers to release him.
What happens? The Angel family isn’t the good bunch of people Herman thought they were. They were cannibals, and they were now going to eat him.
Herman’s words got him in deep water.
We’ve got to be careful of what we say. Not because we don’t want to share. But because we may misspeak, be negative, or discourage others.
Make sure your words are positive and uplifting. Make sure they bring life, not death.
8. Experience trumps theory:
Judge Dredd and Herman escape the Angel family. Then they move to getting back into Mega City One.
They’re standing outside the city walls. Flames are shooting out of vents. They’re timed to go off every 30 seconds.
Judge Dredd tells Herman how two refugees had noticed the 30-second gap. The refugees attempted to get through the vents. They could do the same.
Herman speaks up. He asks what happened. Judge Dredd tells him that they did not make it… But the theory is sound.
We live in a world where theory can reign supreme. However, experience will trump theory every time.
Make sure you’re not taking unnecessary risks. If past history shows you that something isn’t right, listen to it.
9. Bad leaders turn on other leaders:
Griffin and Rico had partnered together to reignite the Janus Project. This project was the project that created Judge Dredd and Rico.
After reactivating the Janus Project, Rico turns on Griffin.
It’s the age-old story of bad guy betrays bad guy… But it’s often true.
Bad leaders turn on others… And not just bad leaders but anyone in their path.
Watch out for bad leaders. They’re looking out for their own interests.
10. Know your place and value:
Judge Dredd defeats Rico. It came at a cost, though. The Chief Justice was dead. So were the others on the Council of Judges.
The justice system in Mega City One was decimated. But there was hope. The corrupt had been terminated.
That’s when Judge Olmeyer (Balthazar Getty) talks to Judge Dredd. He tells Judge Dredd that he should consider the Chief Justice position.
Judge Dredd does something unexpected. He turns down the idea. He tells Olmeyer that he’s a street judge, not a Chief Justice.
He knew his place. He knew his value.
We need to know our place… Our value.
Don’t overstep your responsibilities. Don’t try to be something you’re not.
It’s okay to be where you are. Sometimes, bigger titles aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
