10 Success Lessons from the movie “King’s Speech”


H.M. King George VI of the United Kingdom.Image via Wikipedia

If you have seen the recent Academy Award winning movie, "The King's Speech", I bet you were moved by the struggles and then achievements of "Bertie" who later became England's King George VI . At that time in history over 25 percent of the world's population was part of the British empire. So what can this movie about a time and person in our history tell us about achieving success? I noticed several characteristics and themes that we come across in our own lives and from the people in organizations we are involved with.

1. He had strong core values , beliefs, and strengths to build upon - a strong foundation to grow and build success upon.

2. He was passionate about serving the people of England as their new king. He knew what people expected and knew the powerful value of leader for freedom.

3. He had vision of what was needed to move up to the next level. Although he felt he was not the right person to be king, he did know that a key limitation needed to be addressed for future success. That vision of improvement became possible with the involvement of his loving wife.

4. He had a strong sense of responsibility. To continue the traditions and duties of the role of king. He stepped up to with continual self- improvement. He took over the role of king from his brother who was not a capable leader for his country.

5. He used his core strengths and his strong belief of having the right to be heard to overcome limitations.

6. He had a coach that was a specialist in his craft for not only the mechanics of speech but the much stronger ability to listen, observe, question, connect and provide valuable advice and direction. "Bertie" and his coach developed a personal relationship that allowed for a faster ability for improvement and success.

7. He had a caring, actively involved wife as a partner to become more successful and to help through life's challenges. Side note: Having been married for nearly 40 years to my wife and best friend, I can certainly vouch for the power of this partnership.

8. He was motivated to act, to adapt, and he found a way to move up to the next level. He was motivated to change to achieve his clear goal of being able to communicate with his people, especially with Hitler and Germany becoming a growing world nemesis.

9. He began to understand that a disciplined approach was required - not just once a week but every day! The future king needed to work daily on improving his speech.

10. He became much more aware of himself and how his past family history had caused a mindset of 'limitations'. With the help of his coach and their developing personal relationship, the 'head trash' was greatly reduced, allowing the King to be focused on positive outcomes. I find it is extremely important that you pay attention to what has your attention and who is influencing your thoughts.

As the younger brother, "Bertie", had most of the pieces of the puzzle and he had the foundation. From the discovery of the cause of the speaking limitation and with the help people who cared about him, "Bertie", overcame a missing piece of the success puzzle and went on to help lead his people during the desperate times of World War II.

Author: Dick Wooden, SuccessWithCRM.com