Our Movie of the Week puts a perfect wrapper on our theme this week: New Eyes for Discovery.
If you know about the movie, skip the overview, grab the popcorn and push play.
Overview: Dead Poets Society is set in 1959 at a conservative (and boring) prep school. Robin Williams plays the role of a new English teacher with a very unique teaching style. He inspires his students to think for themselves which requires them to have “new eyes”. He tells the students that they may call him “O Captain! My Captain”(the title of a Walt Whitman poem) when and if they feel daring. He is eventually asked to leave the school but boy! has he made an impact on his students!
Grab the popcorn and enjoy.
How can you put this clip to work for you?
- Watch this clip (or the entire movie, if desired) for inspiration and as a reminder of the benefit of taking a different view. And of helping others do the same.
- If you have a management team, show the clip to them for the same inspiration and reminder.
- When running a brainstorming or problem solving meeting, stand on the desk (carefully) as a physical demonstration of your commitment to take another view. Then invite other meeting participants to do the same. You can mention this movie clip as your inspiration for doing this exercise. Or you can show this clip. Your choice.
- The part about suggesting they call you “Oh Captain! My Captain”? That’s up to you.
- The part about getting fired. That’s up to you too. Use your judgment in accordance with the rules of your company.
- If standing on the desk is not your style, use one or more ideas from the Related Articles below.
- Put them to work, have fun with it and discover away!
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