Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

• There may be some lessons we could learn about leadership from watching horror films.  
• Research from Durham University Business School finds that experiencing regular disruptive events strengthens an individual’s leadership identity and capabilities. 
• So maybe we should be looking to the heroes and heroines of horror films to show us how to survive the world of business.  

Most of us have probably had those moments watching a horror film where we think we could have done better. Don’t go into the abandoned house. Don’t walk through the cemetery alone in the dark. Don’t walk towards the creepy noise. 
 
All good lessons to take into our real lives. But as well as survival skills, there might also be some lessons we could learn about leadership from these films.  

What doesn’t kill you… 

Makes you stronger. A phrase true, and perhaps more literal, for a plethora of horror heroes.  
 
Laurie Strode from Halloween, Sidney Prescott and Gail Weathers from Scream, Julie James from I Know What You Did Last Summer. Classic examples of ‘final girls’. These characters defy the odds to survive their respective murderous pursuers, facing adversity and crises throughout until they come out on top. 

Just to face more trials and tribulations in endless sequels where they survive again and again. 

Whether you think it’s inspiring or predictable, after surviving once, you might feel more confident in your ability to survive again.  
 
And regular challenging experiences impact how we view ourselves as leaders. According to research from Durham University Business School, experiencing regular disruptive events strengthens an individual’s leadership identity and capabilities. 

Whilst many believe that impactful or disruptive events could be detrimental to building a leader’s confidence, the study demonstrates that experiencing strong events actually made people more aware of their leadership capabilities. 

Conducted by Dr Karolina Nieberle from Durham University’s Department of Psychology, alongside colleagues from Durham University Business School, Binghamton University, and Alliance Manchester Business School, the researchers wanted to understand the impact of daily events and event chains on people’s leader identity.  

Experiencing strong events (disruptive and extraordinary) made young adults feel more like a leader than usual, while experiencing weaker events (ordinary and non-disruptive) made them feel more like a follower. 
 
“Facing new and challenging situations, as well as dealing with unexpected or even disruptive issues, are common experiences at work and especially for leaders. This often creates a lot of uncertainty, especially when leaders are early in their career, as there is no clear guidance available on how to handle these situations,” says Dr Nieberle. 

These challenging and disruptive experiences have positive effects on what we call a leader identity, that is, on how much people feel and act like leaders, Dr Nieberle explains. 

“Strong events will push leaders to explore new leader identity states outside of what they usually feel most comfortable with. Every time leaders experience these pushes, they will be likely to acquire new leadership-relevant skills and knowledge, which will likely make them stronger leaders over time,” she adds. 
 
Like how Laurie and Sidney become stronger and more resilient each time they face Michael Myers or Ghostface, we also build on our views of ourselves as capable leaders as we face more disruptive events.  

The researchers say organisations should enable young potential leaders to seek events that feel disruptive and extraordinary to explore their leader identity beyond their current comfort zone and strengthen it over time. However, this should be done in a ‘safe’ environment to allow less experienced individuals to take risks. 

In that case, I wouldn’t recommend throwing young potential leaders into slasher movie scenarios to build their confidence. 

Be present 

As well as the ‘final girl’, another common trope in horror is ‘the invisible threat’; the elusive demon in Paranormal Activity, the camera-shy witch from The Blair Witch Project, the mystery monsters from Bird Box, and The Invisible Man himself.  

These monsters illicit fear by always being just out of sight, while still terrorising their victims, representing our fear of the unknown. What you can’t see can hurt you. 
 
And it’s not always the absence of a tangible monster that heightens the level of fear, but also the absence of saviours. No signal to call for help, no competent authority figures, isolated in a secluded horror setting of choice à?la The Shining. The fact no one is coming to help creates greater feelings of fear and stress.  

As a leader, these are certainly not feelings you’d want to promote in those around you, so being present is incredibly important. In fact, researchers from a number of UK business schools, including the University of Sheffield, show that when leaders are absent it creates a more toxic workplace. Workers turn against management, and levels of stress, absence, and turnover increase. 
 
A toxic work environment where everyone is stressed and turning on each other; that alone sounds like a horror film to me. 

For workers whose senior leaders were present and supportive during a crisis, the research reported a much more positive take on their ability to work through and cope. 

“During a crisis, team morale and maximum output are crucial so team togetherness is essential. Leaders who don’t get stuck in potentially create a workers vs management environment leading to toxicity, increased stress for workers, and likely a diminished workforce,” says Professor Peter Hamilton from Durham University Business School, a researcher involved in the study. 

As a leader, don’t ghost your team during a crisis – show up for them when the going gets tough.  

Don’t panic! 

Any horror film will demonstrate that panicking is never the best route to survival. Whether it’s evading aliens with super-hearing, solving a life-threatening escape room, or escaping one of Jigsaw’s traps; panicking will only be a hindrance. 

 For a leader, it’s important to avoid letting panic take over in tricky or uncertain situations. According to a study from ESSEC Business School, leaders should focus on mastering their mental and emotional capabilities. 

When faced with a terrifying situation, even the most experienced leaders can fall into terrible decision-making as they panic. The researchers used extreme rock climber Alexander Honnold as a case study to learn more about how an extreme sportsman, for whom panic may have lethal consequences, prepares and avoids such reactions.  
 
From this, the researchers developed strategies for leaders to adopt in times of uncertainty to help them avoid panicking: 

• Holistic preparation: Use simulated crises, mental preparation, and imagination to ensure you are ready physically, mentally, and emotionally to face potential crises. 

• Mastery and humility: Build specific confidence that allows you to remain grounded and capable in the face of uncertainty. This is done by staying open-minded and always ready to learn more. 

• Mindfulness and pre-crisis training: Creates mental resilience needed to stay calm and make effective decisions during crises, completed by mental practice and preparation for the unexpected. 

Think outside the box 

Characters in horror movies are often placed in situations where they need to think outside the box to survive. It’s not just about being traditionally intelligent, but being able to think differently and approach problems from various angles and perspectives to find solutions. 
 
Ellen Ripley in Alien: Resurrection using her lighter to trigger sprinklers to aid her escape, or Nancy booby-trapping her house for Freddy Krueger, like some sort of horrific Home Alone; horror heroes need to think wildly beyond the norm to survive dire situations. 
 
Leaders need this level of radical creativity to think big and break free of old patterns, claims Nana Salin, Director of Alternative Funding at Aalto University Executive Education and Professional Development. 

“Radical creativity is about charting a path to futures unbound by tradition. For enterprises, the aim is to unlock new potential despite the field they work in. What’s best is that anyone can adopt this skill,” says Salin. 
 
Whether leading a team towards victory over the undead, or towards a successful financial quarter, remember these leadership lessons and you might just survive.  

By Kyle Grizzell

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