Leadership is as leadership does...

I watched one of my all-time favourites Forrest Gump on the weekend, then downloaded a bunch of trailers for upcoming movies.

What a contrast!

Forrest Gump shows all the great virtues - courage, honesty, decency, simplicity - and it celebrates them.

All today's movies seem to do is celebrate cynicism, sexual experimentation, revenge, irreverence, and fear.

Sure, there's a place for all of those things in society ... but it seems the only great virtues you're getting on the silver screen these days is in kids' films like Cars.

Which makes me wonder, don't adults need the odd moral lesson or two? Or is Hollywood just jaded, not reflecting the hankering we have for some sort of moral framework to life.

Trouble is, when some people hear "moral framework" or similar, their worst image of religious fundamentalism comes up. Surely there's some middle ground, people?

Anyway, this post wasn't meant to be a beat-up on Hollywood. But it's true that movies affect every single person I talk to in my fragmented life - from my mate who works in a factory, to my wife's workmates in the call centre, to the senior managers and great thinkers I interview.

So, as leaders in whatever capacity, let's take responsibility for the things we take in. We've got a responsibility to be open-minded, yes. But we've also got the ability to choose what's good for us, and what's not.

For starters, I'd heartily recommend a dose of Forrest Gump!