Introduction Leadership is one of the most important components of organizational effectiveness and success. Great leaders possess the knowledge and skills necessary for making difficult decisions and proactively dealing with unfavorable outcomes. It is important to maintain high levels of emotional control while making critical decisions. Effective leaders are set apart from ineffective leaders by their ability to control their emotions and actions regardless of the prevailing situation or circumstance. “Lone Survivor” is a movie that demonstrates the importance of effective leadership in the attainment of certain objectives. The film explores the mission of a four-man Navy SEAL operation, known as Operation Red Wings. The main goal of the mission is to mitigate militia activity in Afghan and promote peace. Teamwork, courage, integrity, and character are examples of leadership traits exemplified by actors in the movie. Team-Based and Individual Leadership The movie explores the concept of leadership from the individual and team perspectives. For instance, it demonstrates the importance of teamwork in the achievement of goals. The leader of the squad is Michael Murphy, who is responsible for leading the team in capturing Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader in the region ( The Lone Survivor ). A few hours after commencing the operation, the SEALs face a difficult situation: they encounter a group of herders in the mountains comprised of old and young men. They detain as they ponder the next move. Each of the team members has an opinion on the best course of action to take. The situation is volatile because the herders compromise their mission. A lengthy discussion yields three options: they could kill them, abort the operation, or let them go and request for extraction ( The Lone Survivor ). As members of a team, they discuss the various options at their disposal. Each soldier presents his opinion and explains why it is appropriate for the situation. They fail to come to a consensus and ask their team leader to decide to end the stalemate. Murphy is the team leader and has to make the final decision so that they can carry on with the mission. In a courageous act of leadership, he decides to let the herders go, changes his teams’ location, and reevaluates their options ( The Lone Survivor ). He makes the right decision because it is against the rules of engagement to kill unarmed combatants unless they pose a direct threat to the safety of the team members. As a leader, Murphy frees them because it is in the best interest of his team and he is not ready to compromise the rules of engagement. His behavior in that situation incorporates key leadership traits that great leaders possess: integrity, confidence, and courage. His team members agree with him because he leads by example, even though their location has been compromised. Murphy’s courage and character are evident from his decision because by freeing the herders, he went against the opinions of two teammates who wanted the men killed. Regardless of the potential risks of the decision, he let them leave and embarked on searching for alternative ways to mitigate the risks. On the other hand, he exemplified true leadership because as the team leader, he sacrificed his life, and as a result, led by example. Murphy is killed together with two other teammates: