Prof. Emeritus James March takes his viewers on a journey over the plains of historic La Mancha to the high-tech companies of Silicon Valley and back in pursuit of characteristics that define a leader: imagination, commitment, and joy. He shows us that too firm a grip on reality and too much reliance on the logic of consequences can impede leadership. By not losing sight of who they are, what they value, and what they want to achieve, leaders affirm their commitment to the promise of something greater than what currently exists. As one of March's interviewees says, "Your dream is the promise of what you can become."
Don Quixote's Lessons for Leadership
Passion & Discipline filmmaker Steven Schecter and Professor
Emeritus James G. March
Passion & Discipline: Don Quixote's Lessons for Leadership
Nearly 400 years after its publication, Don Quixote is still providing life lessons for its readers. Passion & Discipline: Don Quixote's Lesson for Leadership is a stylish and compelling interpretation of the contemporary meaning of Cervantes' masterpiece, Don Quixote. The program answers the paradoxical question: How can the romantic knight, who failed at all he attempted to accomplish, be a source of inspiration for modern leaders? Quixote's message is to find meaning in life, to understand oneself and to define success other than by material means. Narrated by Professor Emeritus James G. March of Stanford University Graduate School of Business (pictured at right), this unusual program breaks down the boundaries of filmic essay and traditional documentary through rich use of archival footage and beautifully realized original sequences filmed in Spain, France, Denmark and the United States.
Just as Quixote traveled far and wide in search of adventure, this film leaves no stone unturned in its quest for the meaning of Quixote. Spanish and English language versions of the Quixote story are interwoven with scenes of flamenco dancing; remembrances of leaders from Martin Luther King to Bill Gates; well-chosen references from Japanese, French, and American feature films; engaging interviews with contemporary leaders drawn from business, government, and education; and finally March's erudite narrative commentary, together form a fascinating tribute to Quixote's message. The film's triumphant ending proclaims: "After 400 years, Quixote lives!"
The film is an outgrowth of the renowned leadership course Prof. March taught at Stanford for nearly two decades. The course, which drew 300 to 400 undergrads and graduate students each year, took its lessons in leadership from great works of literature, including the Cervantes classic, War and Peace, Othello, and Saint Joan.
Quixote lived his life with passion and discipline, March says, much as a flamenco dancer performs with seeming abandon, yet acts within the strictures of his art. Leaders can learn from Quixote, whose life was dedicated to imagination, commitment, and joy. "The critical concerns of leadership are not technical questions of management or power, they are fundamental issues of life," March says.