Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a Yautja (the Predator species), is cast out from his clan. He soon finds himself on an alien planet. There, he must fight for his life. And, surprisingly, the lives of those around him.
His partnership with these alien creatures goes against the Yautja code. But the code doesn’t stop him. In fact, it seems to empower him to do more for those around him.
Join us as we explore Dek’s journey as he evolves from a rejected Yautja to something far more through the lens of leadership.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Predator: Badlands
1. There’s always someone above you:
Predator: Badlands opens with part of the Yautja Honor Code. It states:
Yautja are friend and prey to none
We see how everything else was prey as creature after creature is consumed by a larger predator on Yautja Prime. This scene was meant to show there’s always someone above you.
The same goes for leadership. There’s always someone above you.
It could be another leader, shareholder, or God. There’s always someone you will have to answer to.
Know who that is.
2. Kwei (Michael Homik):
You protected me.
Kwei and Dek were brothers. They had a deep respect for one another. Especially after an early revelation.
Dek had lost one of his fangs. How? He had protected his brother, the one everyone else felt was stronger than him.
He put himself in danger. He was injured. He was a protector.
Dek’s actions had endeared him to his brother.
The people in your organization are looking for someone like Dek. Maybe a little misguided, but someone who looks out for others. Someone who protects others, even at their own expense.
What could you do to be the protector of those on your team? Could you:
- Stand up for them in private and in public situations?
- Speak well of them to others?
- Serve them even when they’re struggling?
Finding ways to protect your team will endear them to you.
3. Survey the tools you have available to you:
After Dek’s father kills Kwei, Dek is sent to a death planet called Genna. The planet is teeming with deadly creatures.
Dek crash-lands on the planet. Upon exiting his spacecraft, he begins to do something important. He lays out all of the weapons and tools he has. He examines them. He tests them. He makes sure he knows their function.
Dek wasn’t about to walk into a dangerous situation without knowing what he had. Neither should you.
What tools do you have at your disposal? What tools does your team have at theirs?
Examine the tools. They may be laptops or cell phones. The tools could be software from AppSumo to make your team more productive.
While having tools available is great, you and your team should know how to use the tools in your arsenal. Test them out. Try out the features. Find out how they work and even if they work for your organization.
The more you know about your tools, the more effectively you’ll use them.
4. Thia (Elle Fanning):
I could help you but I need a hand.
Dek is walking through a field of strange plants. They puff out as he walks nearby, and then they appear to relax after he passes them.
Suddenly, a flying creature drops a large boulder near the plants. They begin to shoot their needles. Dek is in trouble.
A voice cries out to him. It’s Thia, a synthetic created by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation (there’s the Alien connection!)
She’s been ripped in half by the beast Dek is hunting. Yet she sees that Dek needs help. She tells Dek she can help him, but she needs a hand.
Thia saw a chance for mutual benefit. Dek needed help she could offer. Thia needed help that Dek could offer. If they teamed up, they could work together and both benefit.
Do you look for mutually beneficial business relationships? These are relationships where both parties help one another. They both gain from each other’s skills, talents, and availability.
Look for ways to help other organizations. In return, ask what they can do for you.
You will find powerful connections that will benefit you and the other organization.
5. Thia:
You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Dek rescues Thia. He begins to carry her on his journey. He now sees Thia as a tool he can use.
As they seek out the Kalisk, a creature Dek must kill to earn his clan’s respect, the pair come across acid-spitting eel-like creatures. Dek tries to run through the creatures. Thia has another plan of action.
She has an idea. She knows these creatures will respond differently to a little act of kindness. Thia begins feeding the eel-like creatures a berry or a seed. The eel-like creatures calm down.
Thia then tells Dek that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. This is in reference to Dek’s violent approach to the situations he encounters.
Thia isn’t wrong in how she dealt with the situation. She understood that kindness goes a long way further than violence. Do you know where else kindness goes further than anger, violence, and outrage?
Our lives! Specifically, our leadership and organizations.
You will get better, more efficient work out of your team members when you use honey instead of vinegar. Learn to be kind, gentle, and understanding to your team members. When you do, they’ll respond in kind to you.
6. Thia:
I can survive on my own. But who would want to survive on their own?
Thia is searching for her sister, Tessa (also played by Elle Fanning). She has found a bond with another synthetic that goes beyond their programming.
Dek is confused by this. He tells Thia, “You need to learn to survive on your own.”
Dek’s words sound good. But Thia wants more than that. Actually, she realizes life is more than that.
Life isn’t meant to be lived alone. You’re not meant to survive alone. We’re meant to live and lead in community.
Surround yourself with others you can lead and do life with. You’re going to find leading and life a lot more enjoyable when you do.
7. Employees are not tools:
Dek accepted Thia’s help because he saw her as a tool. Something he could use and discard at any time.
It’s a sad picture of how many leaders see their people. People have become a commodity. A number. A tool.
Great leaders understand their people are not tools. They’re looking at each team member to find the value within them.
Sure, employees may bring specific skills to the table. However, they’re more than that. They bring emotions, feelings, and ideas to the organization.
Stop treating your people like tools.
8. Thia:
The alpha is the one who protects the clan most.
Thia told Dek about wolves. Wolves hunted in packs with an alpha. Dek heard the word ‘alpha’ and immediately thought Thia was going to say to him that the alpha was the wolf who killed the most.
That’s not how the story went.
Instead, Thia told Dek that the alpha wolf wasn’t the one with the most kills. The alpha wolf was the wolf who protected the other members of the clan.
We’re once again back to the leadership idea that leaders aren’t the strongest, most innovative, or most aggressive. Leaders are the ones who protect their employees.
They look for ways to make sure their employees have what they need. They go out of their way to make sure they’re taken care of.
Be the alpha leader. Just not the alpha leader the world pictures. Be the leader who protects others.
9. Make others part of your clan:
Dek had not only met Thia. He had met a creepy creature. The creature had extremely tough skin.
Thia began to call the creature Bud.
During their journey, Bud hocked a big loogie on Dek. It was disgusting! It was also the way Bud marked Dek as part of his clan. And Dek was glad for it later on in the film.
We soon discover Bud is the daughter of the Kalisk. By spitting on Dek, she protected him from her mother’s rage.
When you welcome others onto your team (ie: your clan), you welcome them into something larger. You find a way to make them a part of the organization.
What does this mean? It means they have your covering from dangers lurking within the organization. You give them a way to walk unafraid.
Make people members of your clan. Just don’t hock a loogie on them.
10. Stories have impact:
Dek had brushed off Thia’s story about the wolf earlier in the movie. However, the story’s impact lingered with him.
As the movie comes to a close, Thia has been betrayed by Tessa. She’s in trouble. And Dek comes back to help her.
Thia wondered what Dek was doing there. He was there to rescue her. He was being like the alpha wolf in Thia’s story.
Thia’s story had changed Dek.
Do you use stories in your organization? Do you share stories of previous leaders, past successes, and future hopes?
When you share stories, you share impact. It’s one of the reasons I love movies. Movies are stories that can change people for the better.
Find the stories within your organization. Begin to share them. Watch your people change.
