Leaders Assemble! Leadership in the MCU

by Gordon B. Schmidt, Sy Islam

In this volume of Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture, Schmidt and Islam examine how you can learn about research and evidence-based leadership concepts through examples drawn from the popular MCU movies and related superhero films. Leaders Assemble! Leadership in the MCU includes sound research and evidence-based advice on how to improve as a leader on topics such as leadership development, conflict management, mentorship, sensemaking, shared leadership, servant leadership, authentic leadership, servant leadership, and selecting your team. Examples from your favorite MCU films make these concepts come alive so you can easily see how they can be used to improve your own leadership skills. Each chapter focuses on a core leadership concept and shows you how you can use it to be a successful leader, with MCU films and superheroes leading the way with relevant examples, before finally summarizing the main points you can use in your own leadership practice.

120 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2022

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun introduction to a variety of leadership topics, perfect for Marvel fans. Despite the academic topics discussed, the superhero references made for solid examples of leadership concepts. I could see this being part of a geek-themed introductory course. However, I would have appreciated more visuals (e.g., diagrams) to illustrate the concepts. More practical applications for practitioners in each of the chapters would have also been a nice way to wrap up each section.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pamphlet on leadership and the MCU that does a poor job of addressing either. Neither a literary criticism of the MCU and a superficial academic treatment of leadership as it applies to daily workadayness, comes up short of providing any critical linkages to the material or provide any new thoughts or avenues for inquiry.