Life and workplace lessons from cartoons and animation

Cartoons, animations and the characters in them open a new world for all of us. We all are partial to a particular cartoon or animation, whether it is Tom and Jerry or Toy Story. With the advancement and sophistication in technology, the way cartoons are delivered to us has definitely changed. There is animation too from Disney to Pixar and many others. Cartoons and animation actually provide more than entertainment. We can learn from cartoons when we pay close attention.

As children, all of us had our own favourite cartoon we would be glued to. We could watch reruns of the same episodes numerous times and with the same wonderment each time. Now, in my thirties, mother to a cartoon fanatic and studying leadership, I view cartoons from a new and different lens.Some cartoons are very violent and do not appeal to me but here are some cartoons/animation that teach us a few things about personal and workplace life.

Sheriff Callie’s Wild West– the Sheriff is a transformational leader. She always puts people of her town first. When one of her team members or a person in the town makes a mistake, she always explains the consequence of the wrongdoing and shows them the right path. She believes that everything can be solved displaying a positive attitude and emotional resilience. The sheriff does not hesitate to learn from others. As team and organizational leaders we need to put people first. They truly are the organization’s assets, helping build reputation and bottom line and even teaching leaders. So it becomes very important for a leader to nurture their people.

Tangled– the girl with the long hair that glows has been captive in a tower all her life. Yet at the opportune moment she knows the importance of win-win. Often at work we have to give something to get something. Rapunzel makes a deal with Flynn Rider that she would return the stolen crown to Flynn only after he takes her to see the floating lights. May sound political but it is a glimpse of what happens at the workplace and life too.

Dora the explorer– apart from her “unbelievable” backpack that houses everything under the sun and the talking animals that can be creepy to some, we can learn from Dora. First lesson is that she always starts with a map. Cynics may say that she has a talking map that shows her the route and how to get to her destination but the important idea is that a map or plan is useful to us and helps achieve our goal. We know where we are and a well laid out plan helps reach our destination. I particularly like the ‘fiesta trio ‘ playing music upon achieving every milestone. Second lesson, celebrating every achievement gives us the required confidence to keep on going on.

Frozen– the recent Oscar winning movie with its beautiful animation teaches us that love is important and above all “Letting go and that the past is in the past”. How profound and critical for each one of us. We need to put the past in its place to be able to move on. A rear view helps us learn from our mistakes and with this learning we need to keep moving forward. A professor once told me “We need to look ahead that is why we have eyes in the front of our body”. I agree. You?

So, the next time you want to watch Daffy Duck or Popeye go ahead, you might learn something important.

Share with us a cartoon/animation that teaches a life or workplace lesson

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