How Frozen 2 Reminded Me What’s Important at Work
By: Megan Lindsay Peterson
Tags: Change Management, Learning And Development, Leadership, Disney, Work Life Balance

Photo by S&B Vonlanthen on Unsplash

Disney’s new movie, Frozen 2, includes many themes parents can celebrate: Equity and partnership between female and male characters, respect for and inclusion of indigenous peoples, mentally and physically strong female heroes, comfort with expressing feelings and being vulnerable and, maintaining authenticity even when it requires significant life changes, to name a few.

I loved the movie for all these reasons. The car ride home buzzed with discussion, mostly led by my 11-and-9-year-old daughters with some keen observations from their 5-year-old brother (people in movies talk in strange voices for their pets, like Mom does).

Sitting in a crowded, out-of-town theater with my family Thanksgiving weekend, I was surprised that my Frozen 2 takeaways were work related. I found many parallels between the movie and my professional experience.

1. Being supportive is a core competency for interns and CEOs

In a key moment when princess Anna is in physical danger, her love interest, Kristoff, arrives just in time to…HELP her, “I’m here; what do you need?”. That’s right, not to rescue or save her, but to listen and respond to her plan as a team player.

Early in my career, a mentor told me the most valuable thing you can be to your manager is an available, capable and humble helper. Leaders are juggling many demands and need people who are committed to advancing the team’s goals, ahead of their own. She said this all-in support mentality plus stellar work and unwavering integrity will beget more responsibility, feeding personal advancement and goals. She was right.

I now know these qualities are also commonalities between leaders I’ve admired and worked alongside and some of the hallmarks of a servant leader: Listen first, be empathetic and self-aware, support and empower leaders, demonstrate core values and drive results via a culture of collaboration and broad recognition.

2. Lifelong learning is a necessity and more attainable than ever

Frozen 2 lead characters are young adults learning new things about the past and themselves along the way. They demonstrate a unique awareness of their challenges and an openness to evolving in response. One example: Elsa steps down and appoints her sister, Anna, queen after realizing she is better suited for the role.

Among my generation (X) and those before, I believe there was more pressure to choose a path in college or soon after and stick to it. I’d say the environment when I entered the workforce encouraged development along that path (e.g. advanced degrees, promotions, work abroad, IT and HR training) and less, across it (building skills to shift direction or role).

Much has changed in 20 years. Today, a growth mindset is often cited as one of the most essential credentials hiring managers are seeking.

And, lifelong learning, development and professional transformation is encouraged and accessible thanks to the use of social professional networking tools such as LinkedIn and PeopleGrove; the rapid rise of the gig economy including work returnship programs; the expansion of higher education formats including exclusively remote and gap year opportunities; the large and growing number of digital skill-building curriculums, like MasterClass, Skillshare and Udemy, and the success of an increasing number of entrepreneurs who are delicious inspiration for those hungry for career reinvention.

As a working mom requiring work-life integration to be successful, I have benefited from nearly all these advances. Shifting between employee and consultant status and client service and in-house roles more than once, I’ve counted on development and networking platforms to identify jobs/gigs, reconnect with and find new mentors and to develop skills to match the changing needs of my clients and teams.

3. Change is the only constant — and it IS scary without a plan

Princess Anna is intimidated by the weighty decisions she needs to make and what impact they’ll have on the health and safety of her village. In a song titled The Next Right Thing she struggles with the pressure of taking actions alone in an unknown environment. She takes it just one step at a time.

While business stakes are not usually on the life or death scale of the big screen, much about this scenario is relatable. Risks and rewards resulting from business decisions can be detrimental and it is important for senior leaders to consider these factors from both an internal and external perspective in order to protect their bottom line. Fortunately, most leaders are not making these decisions or managing the outcomes alone.

In my experience as a communications and change management counselor, leaders who prioritize the needs of their people and consistently dedicate resources to organizational change strategy and delivery are more likely to maintain performance, employee engagement and retention of top talent during times of transformation.

I enjoy working side-by-side with my clients to understand their business, vision and challenges. Together, we build a custom plan of “right things” to ignite and sustain successful organizational change that aligns leaders, reduces risks, empowers employees and meets goals, every time.

I’m done connecting the unconventional dots between princesses and my professional life, for now. It was not the first unexpected response I had to a movie and I know it won’t be the last.