Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Baby Driver
A Reel Leadership Article
ShareTweetShare+1PrintEmail
Do you remember the last time you thanked someone? If it wasn’t yesterday or today, you
need to go and thank someone. Take 5 minutes to let someone know you appreciate them and
the work they’re doing.
Your thank you will cost you a few minutes. But your thank you will pay off in spades.
Yet in Baby Driver, we see Baby (played by Ansel Elgort) achieve success by blending in.
He’s being pursued by the police. There’s a police helicopter flying overhead. And he needs
to get away.
He finds two other vehicles that are red and look like the car he’s driving. He pulls in-
between the two cars. Then he switches places as they head under a bridge.
While you may not desire to blend or fit in, doing so can help you get where you need to go.
By blending in, you can hop in on the latest trend and draft on the success of others.
Don’t be afraid to blend in once in awhile.
3. Doc:
There’s nothing wrong with a little quiet.
Doc (portrayed by Kevin Spacey) tells the heist crew there’s nothing wrong with silence after
one of the crew members complained about the silence.
Are you afraid of silence? Many leaders are. They believe you always have to be doing
something or receiving input. Silence is for fools.
Those leaders are wrong. Silence is good. Silence allows you to focus and recenter.
Allow silence into your life. You’ll gain new insights you were missing because of all the
static.
4. Joe:
You don’t belong in that world.
Joe adopted and raised Baby after his mother and father passed away. He was the only father-
figure Baby ever really knew.
He was also a voice of reason in Baby’s life. After he saw Baby was the getaway driver in a
recent bank heist, he told Baby he didn’t belong in that world. He was better than that.
Great leaders do that. They instill value in the people they’re leading. Joe knew Baby had
potential. He helped him realize it.
What are you doing to help your team members realize the potential within them?
He would sample audio he’d recorded and make the samples into music. Good music.
So, Baby had two skills he used well. He probably had more but that’s what we saw.
You, you’re a lot like Baby. You have skills. Multiple skills.
Are you using those skills to lead and thrive? You need to find ways to creatively use the
skills you have. They’re what is going to keep you moving forward.
There was inspiration all around him. Baby knew he had to capture it. And he did.
Be ready for inspiration. Life will throw inspirations at you all the time. Capture and use that
inspiration.
Bats (Jamie Foxx) questioned why he was always listening to music. Doc spoke up for Baby
and told Bats the reason: Baby had tinnitus, a condition where his ears were constantly
ringing.
Listening to music helped ease the ringing. That was Baby’s reason for always having his
headphones one.
People have a reason for their actions- Leadership lessons
from Baby Driver #ReelLeadership
CLICK TO TWEET
People rarely do things without a reason. Even if it seems like they do.
Baby then recited word for word the plan Doc had laid out for their next heist. Baby was
listening.
You will have times where you think your team isn’t listening to you. But they are.
9. Deborah:
So… What’s your story, Baby?
Deborah (Lily James) had a romantic interest in Baby. And she wanted to know his story.
She knew there was something special about him. He had a great story to tell.
Great leaders desire to hear the stories of their team members. They want to get to know them
better. They know when a team member shares their story, connection grows.
Go ask your team members their story. You’ll be amazed at the skills and abilities they have.
Great leaders don’t have to threaten those they lead. They build trust with their teams and
don’t force them to do things they don’t want to do.
11. Baby:
I worry that I’m not good enough for you.
Baby had his faults. He knew that. That’s why he had self-doubt over his worthiness to date
Deborah.
Can I be honest? I doubt myself just like Baby. There are days I don’t feel like I’m good
enough to help lead the youth group. There are days I don’t feel like I’m good enough to
write leadership blogs.
If you do, don’t be ashamed. Self-doubt is normal. We doubt ourselves because we know the
value of the work we’re doing.
The best thing you can do when you doubt your worth or abilities is to continue to push
forward. Reach that next success.
This will remind you that you’re worthy of doing the work you’re doing.
Why? Because he was scared to tell Doc the truth. Instead, he gave Doc what he wanted to
hear.
Bad leaders rarely hear the truth. They hear words that tickle their ears.
The people they lead are scared. They know they may be fired for telling the truth.
Allow your people to speak freely. You need to hear the nitty-gritty. You need the truth.
13. Baby:
I say we all get some sleep.
Baby told the rest of the gang to get some sleep. They were going to need it for the heist in
the morning.
While Baby had different plans, he was planning to escape with Deborah, this Baby Driver
quote still rings true.
Most people need 7-8 hours of great sleep to be at their most effective. Go get some sleep.
Joe’s apartment was broken into. He was tossed to the ground. And his wheelchair was
stolen.
Baby failed.
No matter how hard you try, you will face failure one day. The failure will sting.
But there’s good news. Failure isn’t final. You can move on from failure and see success
another day.
15. Even bad leaders can have good moments:
Yes, Doc was a bad leader. He brought Baby into a job he shouldn’t have and that resulted in
the deaths of a lot of people.
But Doc showed there is good even in the worst people. Doc protected Baby as the police
descended on them. He even laid down his life for Baby.
Even though we don’t want bad leaders on our teams, we need to realize there is good in
everyone. Be gentle in letting them go or moving them on.
16. Great leaders don’t let other people pay the price for their actions:
Baby and Deborah were on the run. They come over a bridge only to see the road blocked by
police cars.
Deborah threw the SUV into reverse and began to backup. Baby pressed on the brake. He
turned off the vehicle. And exited with his hands raised up.
He knew Deborah would pay a hefty price if she went down with him. He took the fall for his
actions.
Great leaders don’t let others pay for their mistakes. They own up to what has been done and
take on the consequences.
Don’t let your team suffer for your mistakes. Take the hit.
Baby Driver was filled with great music. The car scenes were exciting. Everything seemed to
flow well.
If you’re looking for a great action flick, check out Baby Driver.
One word of caution: There is a lot of crude language and violence in Baby Driver. If those
things will bother you, skip this.