Lessons in Leadership from Resurrection: Ertugul
It is a common practice in business schools and corporations to use movies to drive home lessons in leadership. It is rare to find a movie or a series demonstrating the various qualities and principles of a successful leader. But, an exception to that is the Turkish series "Resurrection: Ertugul," a historical fiction based on Ertugul, father of Osman I, who was the founder of the Ottoman Empire. My wife and I are fully engaged with the series, even though we have to follow the subtitles to understand the conversation. I would highly recommend to watch it purely for the entertainment value it holds with its plots, characters, screenplay, and execution. Let us now turn to the critical lessons of leadership that we can derive from the protagonist.
1.Establish a shared vision with your tribe (read your team or organization)
Ertugul's vision is very clear from the beginning that is to free his tribe and religion from the clutches of the enemies and establish a state where he can hold the teachings of their faith sacred. He will not allow anything to stand between him and this vision, including his brethren. It allows him to establish clarity in the minds of his tribe and inspires them to the extent of sacrificing their lives to achieve their leader's vision.
2. It is all about your people
Ertugul makes no mistake in selecting the team, which can help him achieve the vision. Without having the right people in the right seat, vision remains a dream, and equally important is to empower them. He puts complete faith and backs them to the hilt by assigning them critical missions all along his journey. He stands by their side in their need and fights for their lives.
3. Hire, Fire and communicate based on your value system
People typically want to work with a leader who understands their values and needs and has authentic values they follow themselves. Ertugul has a well-developed value system that is the foundation of his vision, and he seizes every opportunity to articulate to the people who follow him. He hires (makes him his ally) and fires (exiles them or kills them) his team members purely on this value system.
4. Balance hard truths and optimism
Every decision we make will not result in success. We will encounter failures, but it is the factor of resilience that helps us bounce back into the game to win the more massive war.
Ertugul faces several setbacks, there are times where his strategy fails, he is deceived by the traitors in his camp and falls prey to the politics of the state, but he never allows himself to be wrecked. He makes the necessary adjustments to the strategy, plan of execution, and gets back right into the game just in time to win. He does all this with a sense of eternal optimism without ignoring the facts.
5. Act Decisively
As a leader, once you decide, stick with it, unless there's a compelling reason to shift focus. Your goal is to move the organization forward, but that won't happen if you can't decide without wavering.
With a big-picture view, Ertugul can balance emerging opportunities with his long-term goals and objectives. He makes the tough decision to migrate his tribe from one place to another and leaves behind his own family as they do not align with his vision. He never falls for the temptations of pleasures or short-term success.
6. Have an inclusive policy
As you grow, the organization influencing others requires building trust with your colleagues. Focus on understanding their motivations and encourage them to share their opinions. You can then use that knowledge to make a change and show that their voice matters. It is also about bringing diversity to the team - in terms of gender, race, age, skill, and knowledge.
Ertugul can break several such barriers, win people's hearts in distant lands, different ethnic backgrounds, and make them part of his tribe.
7. Great leaders have a Mentor
Leadership is hard and lonely. Achieving great things is difficult. Trying to do them alone is, more often than not, impossible. That's why all great leaders have mentors, and also mentor others. Mentors challenge you by pushing out of your comfort zone, which leads to growth, they pray for your well being, and they are your confidant to reduce stress.
Ertugul has his mentor in Ibn ul Arabi, and he develops an extraordinary relationship, which is like the epitome of any coach and mentee relationship.
Apart from the leadership lessons, there are other takeaways such as the need of journalling for a great leader as you observe Ertugul can pour out his heart to his horse Aktolgali without being judged.