Boxing to Business-6 Traits of True Leaders

To be a true leader or successful individual, I want to share my findings while I was watching the movie, "Southpaw”.

Movie tells a boxer’s life story who gets into a rut and knows to stay on his feet again. It gives a pleasant taste including little drama, little motivation and success story as well. As you may guess from fighting movies, it has bloody scenes. I don’t know whether you like or not these kind of movies; but from my side it is worth to watch and I did my own analysis that will be shared with you shortly after.

The cast is quite good. Most of players have already proven themselves. We see Jake Gyllenhaal in the role of boxer Billy; Rachel McAdams in the role of Billy’s wife- Maureen and Forest Whitaker played in the role of Billys’ coach- Tick Wills. I guess American rapper-singer 50 cent is joined to the cast to enliven the movie.

Let’s see how one stands up after his glorious life turned upside down.

1. Kill Your Arrogance: After Billy loses everything he has, he goes to Tick Wills’ gym to get trained and to make things better. Tick trains amateur boxers in the city. Former champion asks for a job at the gym. Surprisingly, Tick offers him to clean saloon and toilets at nights. A former middleweight boxing champion and cleaning toilets? Billy gets mad after that offer. Finally, Billy leaves aside his ego, and he takes first step to the victory.

2. Calmness: You must learn how to control your temper no matter how conditions bad are. Coach Tick always instills that philosophy into him in the ring. Billy’s wife is shot and killed and he wants to take his wife’s revenge. Besides, he wants to take his daughter back from Child Protective Services. Therefore, he has extremely strong desire in order to go back to the good old days. However, he should control his desire and temper to avoid making wrong moves. Finally, his calmness will help him to move a step further.

3. Hope: Movie already tells a father, a husband, an athlete who runs after his hope. Billy comes closer to the success by feeling that strong energy and synergy in the veins without losing hope.

4. Things Worth Living for: Bill has only daughter who connects him to the life. After his big lost, he becomes depressed and from now on he lives for his daughter. If you don't have something worth living for, you cannot enjoy your life and you cannot find power to fight in the life . Champion’s little daughter motivates him to move forward.

5. Work with Professionals: Former champion knows that a good coach can spark him up although he lives at the bottom of his reputation . He believes that he can catch his old reputation with professional trainer’s, Tick, support. Hence, he urges Tick to train him for the big game which seen “Last Chance”. While moving forward to your goals, professionals will help you to take your steps confidentially.

6. Work Hard: As you recall from the training scenes in “Rocky” movie series, success is not a coincidence. A body free from ego, controllable temper, optimistic vision, values worth living for and professional support trigger one to work hard by itself. At the end, Billy is announced champion and he reunites with his daughter after a desperate period.

These 6 traits can be applied into your business or personal life. Business is like boxing. You have to fight every single day in the ring. You can get knock down unexpectedly; but you have to know how to stand up to carry on.