How Movies Provide Leadership Lessons

Leadership isn’t about having the last word. It’s about listening … to the right voices.

In Jaws, the Mayor ignored the police chief’s warning about the shark.

In Jurassic Park, the scientists didn’t listen to the one who questioned their focus on whether they could — not whether they should.

In Ghostbusters, the EPA inspector refused to listen to Dr. Venkman and his team. 

These may be fictional stories, but the lesson is very real:

Leadership failures cost lives.

In the food industry, when recalls or outbreaks happen, we often blame the workers. But who set the conditions? Who trained them? Who created a culture where silence is safer than speaking up?

Major failures in food safety rarely come down to tech. They come down to leadership.

If your team is afraid to speak up…

If your QA leaders are ignored…

If your company rewards “yes-men” and punishes honesty…

Then you don’t have a food safety problem…You have a listening problem.

The cost of doing nothing is too high.

So if you’re leading a brand, a team, or a supply chain — stop asking who agrees with you.

Start listening to the people who are willing to tell you what could go wrong, before it does - even when it’s inconvenient.

Because that’s the voice that could save lives…and careers.