I just made it to the theater to see the new Lion King movie. The simple feat of seeing the whole film, uninterrupted, alongside my three kids, all of whom are under 6 years old, proves that anything is possible!
The re-released classic did not disappoint from an entertainment standpoint. There is some significant value in the film from a leadership standpoint as well, beyond the foundational idea that a “reboot” has great potential to reignite our influence, whether in Hollywood or in ministry.
HERE ARE 3 LEADERSHIP LESSONS I TOOK AWAY FROM THE LION KING:
1. We have got to face our own hurt and regret before we can lead others through theirs.
That stupid stampede! It was just as hard to watch 25 years later as it was the first time. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Simba couldn’t stand that he was the cause of his father’s death (even though he wasn’t). He was overcome with the pain of his failure, the pain of letting an entire kingdom down.
Ever felt that way? Maybe not the Kingdom part, but maybe you’ve let your church or organization down, maybe your family, or maybe you’ve failed to live up to the lofty expectations you have of yourself.
Maybe you’re still carrying around the hurt and anger from a past boss, leader, elder, or church community, and it has driven you away from where you were meant to be. I’ve been there. It can drive you away from that community or drive your heart away from the calling you once had to lead people to Jesus.
Ironically for Simba, it wasn’t until he gave up his pride that he was ever able to return to his pride. He needed the help of two unlikely friends to help him live a newfound problem-free life, as well as a challenge from an old friend to remind him where he came from. until we face our own skeletons, we’ll never be able to lead to our full potential.
2. We cannot truly lead until we grasp the truth about who God called us to be.
Murderer. Disappointment. Failure.
These are the lies Simba believed about himself that led him away from his destiny, away from his calling to lead. Instead of hunting wild game and giant beasts, he hunted cute butterflies and slimy grubs, definitely not something a “real lion” would ever do.
Simba, whose name literally means “lion” in Swahili, believed he was anything but a simba. The observation that he was a lion was perfectly apparent to every animal around him, but not to Simba…at least not until he was reminded who he was…the son of the king and rightful heir to the throne.
The temptation is the same for us all…to believe we are no good, not suited to lead, damaged goods, or less qualified than someone else. But the truth is, we are sons and daughters of the King, we are co-heirs with Christ, and God has called us to build His Kingdom.
Maybe today you need this reminder: “Remember who you are, who God says you are, and remember the calling He has placed on your life.”
3. We will never be the voice others follow until we learn to follow the right voices.
Just because someone says it’s true doesn’t mean it is. And I found myself wishing I could shake young Simba and tell him not to listen to his lying and deceptive uncle when he blamed the young cub for his father’s death. “It’s not true,” I thought, “Don’t listen to him!”
At any given time, we have multiple voices informing us about what we’re encountering.
To name a few, we may hear…
- What the world says
- What our own thoughts say
- What our friends say
- What our family says
- What the Evil One says
- What the Holy Spirit says
We have got to learn to recognize which voice is speaking and then consider the source. The story would have been drastically different if Simba had rejected Scar’s lies. But when he recognized them as lies and listened to the voice his father, of Nala, and of his other close friends, he became a voice that echoed truth, which was a voice worth following.
So what thoughts do you need to take captive? Whose words to you need to reject and which voices do you need to start listening to more often?
What other leadership lessons can be learned from this film?
