Welcome to another edition of Reel Leadership. It’s where we look at the intersection of film and leadership. There’s always something to learn and grow from in the films we watch.
Today’s film? The sequel to the 2021 Mortal Kombat film, Mortal Kombat II.
Mortal Kombat II is, once again, based on the video game series. In it, fighters are summoned to fight in a battle to the death. The reason? They must save the Earth from the evil Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford).
If Earth’s warriors fail, Shao Kahn will take over the Earth Realm and make it his own. He’s done it before. He’s ready to do it again.
Earth brings in some heavy hitters:
- Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee)
- Jax Briggs (Mehcad Brooks)
- Liu Kang (Ludi Lin)
- Cole Young (Lewis Tan)
- And introducing Johnny Cage (Karl Urban)
These warriors must put their lives on the line to save their world. Their challengers?
- Shao Kahn
- Jade (Tati Gabrielle)
- Kitana (Adeline Rudolph)
- Quan Chi (Damon Herriman)
- Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen)
Who will win? Who will lose? Will Earth fall to the darkness of Shao Kahn? Only viewers of Mortal Kombat II will know.
Let’s take a look at the leadership lessons in Mortal Kombat II.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Mortal Kombat 2
1. King Jerrod (Desmond Chiam):
Strength is not a closed fist.
King Jerrod is Kitana’s father. Shao Khan brutally murders him in battle.
Before his death, he tells his daughter that strength is not a closed fist. It’s not violence. It’s not strength over kindness.
Remember, leadership is not a closed fist. You don’t have to lead through tyranny. Instead, you can choose kindness, gentleness, and meekness.
Don’t let the world tell you differently.
2. Kitana:
You’re the one who taught me everything is a weapon.
Kitana is sparring with Jade, who is like a sister to her. Shao Kahn has raised them to be violent.
Kitana lost her weapons. She did something unexpected. She removed the ribbon from her hair and used it as a weapon.
She found something ordinary and used it in a way that it wasn’t meant to be used.
We’ve got so many tools across our organization that can be used for purposes other than the ones for which they were created. Look around you. What tools are being underutilized?
Is there technology you could repurpose? Are there manufacturing machines that could produce something different?
Everything is a tool you can use.
3. Your team may not be complete:
Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) gathered the champions of Earth. He had Sonya, Jax, Liu Kang, and Cole Young. But there was still one person missing. Earth needed four champions.
The film cuts to Johnny Cage.
Earth’s champion team wasn’t complete. It was about to be, though.
You’re going to find yourself a man down at times. You’re going to feel your team isn’t ready. But is that the truth?
You can begin with what you have. Then you can add additional team members.
Your team may not be complete, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start.
4. Sonya Blade:
You’re going to have to show him.
Raiden and Sonya approach Johnny Cage after a comic con convention. He thinks they’re crazy fans of his old films. They’re not. They’re there to recruit him to join an elite group of fighters.
Despite everything Raiden and Sonya tell Johnny Cage, he wouldn’t believe their story. Sonya knows they’re going to have to show him.
Raiden opens up a lightning portal. Johnny begins to believe.
You will need to show your team that you are serious. That you have the means to do what you say you’re going to do.
Don’t be afraid to show them exactly what can be done. The more you show, the more they’ll be interested.
5. You won’t be ready all of the time:
Johnny Cage refuses to join the battle. He believes he isn’t powerful enough. That doesn’t matter.
First, we see Sonya get called into a battle. She is pulled out and begins to fight. Cole says he thought there were supposed to be two chosen for the first round of Mortal Kombat.
Uh oh…
Johnny Cage is back on Earth. He’s not ready to fight. But he gets pulled into a battle.
We desire to be ready, be prepared all of the time.
Guess what? That’s not reality.
There will be plenty of times when you have to act before you’re ready. Be willing to step into action before you’re ready.
6. Raiden:
You don’t need a lecture. You need perspective.
Johnny Cage had been chosen to fight. There was a large pool of people the gods could have chosen. However, Johnny Cage was the one they chose.
He couldn’t see it. He couldn’t understand it.
Raiden tried to help him understand. He wasn’t going to get lectured. What he really needed was perspective.
Raiden’s quote can apply to leaders and team members alike. For leaders, you don’t need a lecture on how to lead better. What you need is perspective on who you lead and why you lead. When you get that, you begin to understand the immense responsibility you’ve been given. And you begin to work on being that person.
For team members, they need the perspective that they were chosen from a wide catalog of possible candidates. They were chosen for a reason. Once they grasp that, they can begin working on the goal.
Don’t give lectures. Give perspective changes.
7. Show mercy:
Jax had the opportunity to kill Jade after their battle. She even tells him to kill her. He doesn’t.
He shows her mercy.
Why? Kitana had shown Johnny Cage mercy. She chose not to kill him, even though she could have.
Her mercy reached Jax, who spared her friend.
We think mercy is weakness. Mercy is not weakness. Mercy is a way to extend grace and compassion to those in our charge.
You show them there’s more than being productive. You show them that their value is not strictly in what they can do.
Do you know what happens when you do this? Mercy is reciprocated when you screw up. Your team members are willing to give you grace and mercy when you do something stupid.
Choose mercy.
8. Liu Kang:
Kung Lao (Max Huang), remember who you are.
Kung Lao and Liu Kang had been like brothers. That changed when Kung Lao was killed in the first movie.
In Mortal Kombat 2, he is resurrected by the necromancer Quan Chi. He’s no longer a friend to Liu Kang. He’s an opponent.
Kung Lao goes after the Earth fighters by slicing the throat of Lord Raiden, stealing his power.
During their battle, Liu Kang calls out for his old friend. He tries to make Kung Lao remember who he was despite the danger to himself.
Look at your team. There are probably one or two people on it who have forgotten who they are.
Maybe they’ve had a rough couple of months in the office. There may be challenges at home. Or it could be something else completely.
Don’t fire them. Instead, call out to them. Ask them to remember who they were.
You do this by:
- Recalling previous work they’ve done
- Bringing up previous awards they’ve won
- Asking others to speak into their life
Ask your team members to remember who they are. They’ll remember.
9. You can switch sides:
Shao Kahn defeats Liu Kang and Sonya Blade. There are no more challengers from Earth left standing. Shao Kahn stands victorious.
Or does he?
Kitana speaks up. She’s changing sides. She’s taking on the role of Earth’s protector.
Whew! That was quite the switch Kitana made. It wasn’t easy. But it was needed.
You’re going to find yourself in situations where what you thought you were fighting for wasn’t…
Maybe it’s a corporate takeover. There may have been a leadership change. Or it could have been something else.
It feels as if the organization you’re with is no longer the organization you started at.
That’s okay. You can switch sides. You can switch teams.
You’re not stuck in an organization. You can choose to move on.
10. Johnny Cage:
What makes a hero?
Johnny Cage asks this question. I think it’s a poignant question to end this edition of Reel Leadership on, but with a twist.
Instead of asking yourself: What makes a hero? Ask yourself and others: What makes a leader?
When you begin to dig into the makings of a leader, you begin to remake yourself. You begin to take the actions to become a leader.
So, ask yourself today: What makes a leader?
