“You’ll never get Matt and Mr. Fabulous out of them high paying gigs.”
“Oh yeah? We’re on a mission from God.”
The Blues Brothers is one of my all time favourite movies.
On release from Jail, Joliet Jake and his brother, Elliot, learn that the orphanage they were raised in is facing closure, and they need to raise $5,000 by the end of the week. During a visit to a local church, the brothers have an epiphany and decide to raise the money by putting their old band back together.
One of the things that struck me about this movie when I rewatched it the other day was The Blues Brothers’ conviction in achieving their impossible goal.
In 1980, $5000 was a considerable sum of money. Jake had been in jail for 3 years, and all the members of the band had moved on, ‘Mr. Fabulous’ was now working as Maitre D at a fancy hotel, and Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy had set up a restaurant with his wife. They had just one week to find everyone, get them all on board, find a venue, fill it, and get the money to the tax office. All while on the run from the police. The odds were not exactly stacked in their favour
But they were ‘on a mission from God,’ and nothing was going to stop them from saving the orphanage.
One of the classic scenes is when Jake and Elwood visit Mr. Fabulous at his 5* restaurant to convince him to rejoin their band. Mr. Fabulous isn’t having any of it, but despite his reluctance and his comfortable position as the Maitre D, the brothers persist with their unique, bold approach. Slurping Dom Perignon and throwing shrimps into each others mouths, they set about disrupting the restaurant’s sophisticated atmosphere. At one point Jake leans over to a diner at the next door table and asks “How much for the little girl? Your children. I want to buy your women?”
As Mr Fabulous gets more and more distressed at the behaviour of the brothers, even threatening to call the cops, Jake says to him quietly, “If you say No, Elwood and I will come here for breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day of the week,” at which point, Mr. Fabulous relents, and the brothers get up to leave, onto the next step of the plan – finding a venue.
This provocative, albeit comical and exaggerated, approach epitomizes their relentless determination. While some, maybe most, may well not agree with the tactics they used, with no money and no time, the brothers, throughout the movie, are prepared to do whatever it takes, and refuse to take no for an answer.
This scene is a perfect tableau of leadership in action, embodying several key leadership qualities:
- Resilience in Adversity: Faced with Mr. Fabulous’s reluctance and the upscale setting’s challenges, Jake and Elwood remain unfazed, a trait indicating a leader’s capacity to withstand setbacks.
- Visionary Zeal: Their singular focus on reuniting the band, despite the improbability of success, demonstrates the visionary zeal that drives leaders to pursue lofty goals.
- Unconventional Strategy: Their audacious behavior in the restaurant breaks norms, showcasing a leader’s need to sometimes employ unconventional strategies to achieve objectives.
- Emotional Intelligence: Understanding Mr. Fabulous’s hesitance, they leverage his hidden desire to return to music, illustrating how leaders must tap into the emotional drives of their team.
- Calculated Risk-Taking: Their willingness to risk public embarrassment and to cause offense for their goal highlights the calculated risks leaders often take to break barriers and create new opportunities.
The Blues Brothers’ journey in this film, especially in this scene, in a lot of ways mirrors the path leaders tread in the corporate world: setting ambitious goals, rallying a team, overcoming obstacles, and ultimately, achieving the seemingly impossible. It’s a lesson in leadership as much as it is in determination and grit.
I’m curious – what does this spark for you?
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