Netflix is once again transporting us into the world of The Old Guard. For those that don’t know, The Old Guard was originally an Image Comics comic book created by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. The Old Guard features a band of immortal warriors who are trying to protect humanity.
You can find the leadership lessons from The Old Guard movie here and catch up on the backstory… The immortal warriors are led by a fierce woman, Andromache of Scythia (Charlize Theron), whom her friends call Andy. In the original film, Andy loses her powers when the Omega Immortal, Nile (KiKi Layne), cuts her. Nile can make immortals mortal, and an immortal we haven’t seen before is looking for her power.
Discord (Uma Thurman) rescues fellow immortal Quynh (Veronica Ngo), a close friend of Andy. Quynh had been at the bottom of the ocean, dying thousands of deaths by drowning for over 500 years. The torture Quynh experienced changed who she was. She was no longer the gentle, caring woman she had once been. Now, she was out for revenge.
All of this leads to a lot of action, some tender moments, and plenty of leadership lessons. We will examine those leadership lessons below.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From The Old Guard 2
1. Andy:
Alright guys, you know what to do.
The team of immortals:
- Joe (Marwan Kenzari)
- Nicky (Luca Marinelli)
- Nile
- Andy
- and non-immortal Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor)
Are preparing to take down Konrad’s (Slavko Sobin) operation. They had staked out his compound, devised a plan, and were ready to execute.
Andy, as the team leader, knew the team was well-prepared. They knew what to do. So, she tells them they know what to do, go do it.
There was no hesitation in Andy letting her people do what needed to be done. She had complete faith in their skills and knowledge of the mission. This is how you need to be with your team.
Train them well. Inform them. Then tell them they know what to do and go do it.
Leaders prepare their teams and set them free.
2. Leaders have to be reminded, too!:
Andy begins to attack some of Konrad’s men. She’s wielding a sword, advancing swiftly with Copley. She may have even been a little reckless.
Copley has to put her, the leader, in check. He reminds her that she is no longer immortal either. This came after Andy had told Copley he wasn’t immortal.
While leading the team, you may overlook important details. Your team may see you slipping or forgetting.
Don’t be afraid to let your team call you out on it. Let your team tell you when they see you’re missing the mark, missing an important piece, or being reckless.
Your team can anchor you back to reality.
3. Know your people:
Nile and Nicky were talking about Joe after Joe left. This wasn’t in a gosspiy manner. No, this was because Nicky saw something in Joe.
Joe had told them he needed time alone. He wanted some space.
Nicky had known Joe for a long time. In fact, they were in a relationship together. Nile and Nicky decide to follow Joe. Nicky didn’t believe what Joe had said. And he wanted to be there to protect him in case anything went wrong.
Do you know your people well enough that you can tell when they’re not telling the truth, are having a bad day, or need some comfort? Great leaders study their people. They get to know them so well that it is scary.
The knowledge they gain isn’t scary, though. That knowledge is vital in leading them well.
They can look at their people, understand something isn’t right, and make an effort to help them. Know your people.
4. Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts):
She was living in her own kind of hell.
Quynh had been freed from her metal and watery prison. She hadn’t been freed from the mental harm caused by the millions of deaths she experienced. She wanted to have revenge on her old friend, Andy.
To do this, she was tracking her through her friends. One of those was former teammate Booker. Quynh kidnapped him so she could torture information about Andy’s location out of him.
Joe wasn’t sneaking off for a romantic liaison. He was sneaking off to meet with Booker, who had been excommunicated from the team in the first film. He was meeting to get information about Quynh and what she was doing.
Booker understood what Quynh had gone through. He knew she experienced a unique kind of mental hell and anguish.
There’s something to take away from this scene. You can begin to understand that everyone has their own, unique version of mental anguish they’re experiencing. Everyone is struggling.
And everyone is struggling in their own way.
Figure out what their struggle is. Be there to serve them. You can help them overcome some of their trials and struggles.
5. Nile:
If our places were swapped, would you let me go alone?
Booker arrives at The Old Guard’s place. He wasn’t supposed to be there, but they allowed him to come and share what he had learned. That was that Quynh was after her and wanted to meet up.
Andy was gung-ho and ready to go meet her. She was going to go by herself.
Nile knew this. She wasn’t going to let Andy go alone. Nile confronted Andy. She told Andy that Andy wouldn’t let one of her teammates go alone. She wasn’t going to let Andy go alone either.
Great leaders know there’s power in numbers. We even see this in the Bible in Ecclesiastes 4:12. This scripture states that a rope made from three strands of cord is hard to break.
What does that mean? It means we’re better together. We can accomplish more, be stronger, and get through things more easily when we have multiple people with us.
Don’t neglect others. Have them join your mission.
Going alone isn’t smart!
6. There’s a time for leaders to go on the defensive:
Quynh was angry. Rightfully so! She’d been dying for 500 years! I’d be angry too.
Her anger led her to physically attack Andy. Andy didn’t return the attack.
Instead, she went on the defensive. She didn’t strike; she blocked. She didn’t advance; she protected.
Everything she did was from a defensive posture, so she didn’t hurt Quynh.
It’s easy to go on the offensive when you’re attacked. It just feels right. But is it?
You must sometimes lead from a defensive posture. You have to find a way to deflect what is being thrown at you so that you can protect your attacking team member.
A defensive posture protects you and those you lead.
7. Leaders freely give of themselves:
Tuah (Henry Golding) was another immortal Andy had known. He had asked her not to tell the members of The Old Guard about him. He wanted to remain in the shadows.
However, Tuah had also known Discord ages ago. The pair had heard a myth that the last immortal could take away another immortal’s immortality by stabbing them.
There was another part to the myth, though. An immortal could give away their immortality. The gift had to be freely given. They couldn’t withhold it.
You wield considerable influence within your organization. You’re able to command and lead others because of the position you’re in.
It’s easy to feel like you have to hoard all of your power. You don’t.
The best leaders I’ve met are those who freely give of themselves and the power they’ve been entrusted with. They understand that the more they spread their power around, the stronger the organization is.
Don’t hoard your power. Give it away.
8. Booker:
I’d love an expiration date. It gives meaning.
Booker had been around a long time. He had seen quite a bit. But he hadn’t experienced death.
When talking to Andy, he shares his desire to become mortal, to have an end date. With an end date, there came purpose. There came meaning.
If you stick around forever, what’s the meaning in that?
Give yourself a deadline within your organization. Know what you want to accomplish, set a timeline, and achieve it. Then decide if it’s time to move on or take further action.
Without an expiration date on your leadership, you can’t pass the leadership baton.
9. Booker:
You have a purpose.
Booker asks Nile to spare. He knew she could take away his immortality. He also had an idea that he could give his immortality to Andy.
When Andy sees the two of them sparring, she steps in. She asks to join so she can protect Booker. It doesn’t work. Nile stabs Booker.
This allows Booker to pass on his immortality to Andy. She can live forever again.
Booker later tells Andy that she has a purpose. She has something more to do.
Great leaders give purpose to their team members. Booker gave of himself so that Andy could fulfill hers. You must provide your team members with the opportunity to live out their purpose.
Help them find it. Help them cultivate it.
Part of a leader’s purpose is to develop new leaders. Build new leaders, give them purpose.
10. We don’t know what others are going through:
Discord had become mortal. She didn’t know Andy had at one point.
As the two have a discussion, Discord asks Andy if she knows what it’s like to wake up one day and be mortal. Andy did. She’d been there, done that.
Discord didn’t know this. She thought she was the only one going through it.
We believe we understand what’s happening within our organization. We feel that our journey is unique.
More often than not, our journey isn’t unique. Others are experiencing the same thing.
Allow others in. Allow them to share what they’re going through. You’ll find out you’re not alone.
