The Wild Robot is a fun, exciting, and interesting computer-animated film. Based on the book series of the same name, the film made me think of the lovely animated film The Iron Giant.
In The Wild Robot, an intelligent robot, Roz (Lupita Nyong’o), is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. Roz was programmed to serve others and complete tasks. Upon completion of those tasks, she would return home.
Since the island was uninhabited, no one was there to give her tasks.
But something interesting happened…
She discovered the animals on the island needed her help. She could complete tasks to help them and then return home. Her main task became to help a young gosling, Brightbill (Kit Connor), learn how to eat, swim, and fly. Brightbill would need these skills to survive and migrate with the other geese.
The Wild Robot is a touching story. One of rejection, friendship, and discovering yourself. I know I’ve heard of multiple people touched by the movie, and maybe they even shed a tear (but I won’t tell on them). Most of all, they had their hearts warmed by the story.
Join us on the Reel Leadership journey for The Wild Robot. You’ll discover the hidden leadership lessons in The Wild Robot.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From The Wild Robot
1. Adapt your leadership style when needed:
After arriving on the island, Roz sees a massive waving coming her way. She begins to “Process” what is happening. She decides to climb the rock wall in front of her.
Her first attempt left her falling. She tried to climb the cliff as you or I would. She failed. Then she saw a crab attempting to ascend.
Roz changed her climbing style to that of a crab. This time, she could scale the wall and not fall.
We stick with our tried and true leadership styles or methods. We believe the old ways are the best.
Guess what? They’re not.
You can always change, shift, and adapt your style when needed. Don’t be afraid to try something new as you lead. You may discover a more effective method to lead.
2. Leaders can create an issue where there was none:
Roz sees large pieces of wood block the river. She believes there’s a problem. This is where she encounters Paddler (Matt Berry).
Paddler is a beaver with a very controlling personality. He wants things done in a particular way. If it’s not, it’s wrong.
What Roz discovered was that the logs in the river were not the issue. Paddler was building a dam. Roz destroyed it.
She created an issue where there was none.
Many leaders can relate to this, especially when you first join an organization. You’re looking for problems everywhere. What can be corrected? How can we improve a quality control process? Where can there be more efficiency?
As we look, we see problems. Problems that must be solved.
Nope…
These problems may not be problems if we take a minute or two to ask the right questions. Don’t rush in to correct problems you see. They may be something else completely.
3. Roz:
Activating learning mode.
Roz continues to try to understand the wild animals around her. She isn’t able to.
A decision is made. Roz will activate her learning mode. In learning mode, Roz begins to study the environment. She hears the animals. Takes in the landscape. Begins to learn what’s happening around her.
Eventually, Roz emerges from learning mode and can translate what the animals are saying. She learned the language!
Leaders have to activate their learning modes. You may discover this after rushing in, destroying projects, and creating issues.
I want to encourage you to do what Roz did. Sit down, turn off the leader mind, and turn on the learner mind.
In this mode, you’ll take in what’s happening, who’s who, and more about the organization. You’ll come out understanding the language, seeing the real issues, and able to help those you’re leading.
4. Great leaders help others:
We soon meet Fink (Pedro Pascal). He’s an obnoxious fox none of the other animals like. And for good reason.
He’s a thief, liar, and storyteller.
Roz is nursing the egg of a gosling after being chased by Thorn (Mark Hamill), a giant brown bear. The chase leads Roz over the edge of a cliff and she lands on a nest. She soon combs through the rubble to find Brightbill’s egg.
She’s tending to the egg when Fink snatches it from her. Roz pursues Fink, who rushes into a porcupine. The porcupine’s quills poke Fink and he can’t remove them. Roz approaches Fink. He begins to freak out, thinking Roz is going to hurt him. Instead, Roz starts to pull the quills from Fink’s face.
Roz chose to help when she could have chosen to leave him.
Think back to a time when someone has hurt you. You probably felt grief, shame, anger. The last thing you thought of doing was forgiving the people who hurt you and helping them in the future. Yet, that’s what leaders do.
They see someone struggling, in need of help, or lost and they help them. Be a leader who puts aside their feelings. Help others, even those who have hurt you in the past.
5. Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara):
Taking care of him is now your first priority.
Roz had to have a priority, a mission, to remain on the island. She found one when she destroyed Brightbill’s family.
Pinktail, a mother possum, helps Roz understand her new priority. She tells Roz that she needs to stay. Brightbill is now her priority. She must fulfill her duty to him.
It’s easy to think your first priority as a leader is to grow the organization, bring in revenue, and reduce waste. Those are important but they’re not your first priority.
The first priority of a leader is his or her people. These are the people you’re responsible for. More importantly, you’re responsible for helping them grow, develop, and become the next generation of leaders.
Make people your priority.
6. Bad leaders create more bad leaders:
Fink tells Roz he can help teach Brightbill how to swim. He would teach Brightbill the same way his mother taught him.
Before Roz can agree, Fink takes the baby goose and runs with him to a pond. There, he punts Brightbill into the pond.
It’s the way his mother had taught him. It should work for Brightbill, right?
Wrong.
You may not have had a great leader in your life before. The lack of great leadership can make leading others a difficult task.
You must understand the leadership methods used by the leaders who led you. Examine them. Understand whether they were positive examples of leadership or if they were poor leadership examples.
If you follow the methods of bad leaders, you’re going to create more bad leaders. However, you can create great leaders if you shift and do what great leaders do.
7. Great leaders lead from the heart:
Roz discovered other shipwrecked robots on the island. These robots are damaged, in pieces, and nonfunctional. However, Roz discovers a way to piece at least one of the robots together.
When she has the new robot functional, they begin to converse. Roz tells the robot she has gone from processing from the brain to processing from the heart.
This was not the right way for a robot to act. They are supposed to act from their logical core.
Yet, Roz discovered a new way. Her way was more effective.
Before I start, I know the Bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceptive, desperately sick. I get that. However, I’m not talking about that heart.
Leaders can lead cerebrally. Most leaders do. They see a problem, process it logically, and then act. The logical method works for most processes.
However, this method doesn’t work for people. People are unique, different, challenging.
You have to learn to lead from the emotional center, the empathy node.
By leading with empathy, you can relate, understand, and gently move your team to action. Learn to lead from the heart.
8. Great leaders offer forgiveness:
Roz had taken Paddler’s home to use as a model for her home. She hadn’t asked; she just did.
Paddler was upset. Throughout The Wild Robot, Paddler would tell Roz he would get back at her.
After Roz lost her leg, Paddler approached her. The audience holds their breath. Will he hurt her?
No, Paddler offers forgiveness, grace, and a replacement leg.
We all get hurt as we lead. Someone may leave our organization, rumors may swirl, or a competitor may swoop in and purchase the company. All of this hurts.
You have a choice, though. You can hold onto the bitterness. We all know bitterness only gets us so far.
The other choice is forgiveness. You can be like Paddler. You can offer up grace when others have hurt you.
Don’t hold onto the unforgiveness. It’s like a poison you take, hoping it’ll hurt the other person. You only wind up hurting yourself.
9. Great leaders build endurance:
The great migration Brightbill has to take would be a long-distance flight. He would have to fly thousands of miles to get to a safe climate.
Longneck (Bill Nighy), an old goose, tells Roz Brightbill that he must build his endurance to migrate.
Roz and Fink begin working with Brightbill. They helped him build his endurance so he could weather the flight.
Leaders, if you want to be a leader that lasts, you have to work on your endurance. You have to build your leadership muscles and make sure they’ll sustain you through the long, dark journey leadership often is.
10. Fink:
Fly like you. Not like them.
Brightbill builds his endurance. He’s ready to migrate. There’s only one problem. He doesn’t fly like the other geese. They all make fun of him.
Eventually, this doesn’t matter. Fink tells Brightbill to ignore what the other geese are saying. He would need to fly like he flew, not how the other geese did.
I’ve seen many leadership blogs pushing people to be something they’re not. They may tell you to give up your faith, a leadership quirk, even hobbies.
I fell into that trap, too. Especially early on. I now know that I fell into a leadership trap many leaders do: One of trying to fit in.
By fitting in, you don’t stand out. You blend in. No one notices you.
Lead like you. Not like others.
