Sunday Supplement #140 (January 14th, 2024)
Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.
Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!
Quote of the Week:
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.”
– Andrew Carnegie
Book of the Week:
Creativity, Inc. – Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace
Co-cofounder of Pixar Animation Studios, Ed Catmull, tells his journey from childhood to retirement.
At first, his mission was to make a fully computer-animated feature film. He accomplished that goal relatively early and had to find another mission to drive him through his later career.
Catmull’s later mission was to be the best leader possible for the people who worked at Pixar to ensure the employees’ and the company’s success.
The book is a dissection of how Pixar became a powerhouse of animation, but it focuses on the business and management side.
If you’re looking for a biography, this isn’t it. The book has some great stories about Pixar and Steve Jobs, but it very much reads like a business book.
Movie of the Week:
Steven Knight, creator of Peaky Blinders and writer of Eastern Promises, wrote and directed the 2013 Tom Hardy solo-performance film Locke.
The movie clocks in at just under an hour and a half and follows Tom Hardy as Ivan Locke, a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, who receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that threatens to ruin his carefully constructed life.
It’s not often you see a film with only one actor portrayed throughout, with all the supporting characters only featuring as voice actors.
Supporting cast members Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, and Tom Holland stand out with their voice acting, but Tom Hardy makes the film work with his performance as Locke.
The film follows Locke behind the wheel of his car as he handles the crisis he created by taking ownership of his actions. It’s worth checking out.
Brainfood of the Week:
Be a Better Leader | Simon Sinek
Sinek is a bestselling author and speaker. He spoke at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in 2016 and has an imprint at Penguin Random House, Optimism Press.
I come across his videos every now and then and usually take the time to check them out. You’ll probably see me feature one of his books soon.
In this video, Sinek answers three questions: How do we become leaders? How do you create teaming? And, As a leader, how do you enforce accountability?
Sinek answers each question with some gems that are worth picking up. My favorite is not pretending like you know all the answers. Be open about needing help from time to time. Be open about not knowing everything and needing to find out.
Check out the short five-minute video if you are interested, and if you like it, check out the previous Sunday Supplements, where I’ve featured Sinek’s content.
Closing Spiritual Passage:
“Believers, why do you profess that which you do not practice? It is most loathsome in the sight of Allah that you should say what you do not do!”
– Surah As-Saf 61: 2-3
I think this passage from the Quran is pretty straightforward, but the intensity with which the statement is made stands out for me.
Not practicing what you preach is a common phrase, and many stories exemplify the maxim.
For me, this Quran passage is a reminder to be impeccable with your word. It is a reminder to think carefully before speaking.
If you want to be a person who can be counted on, be careful of the promises you make. If you don’t want to be a hypocrite, keep true to your word.
Lead by example and keep your word, give credit to others, and have a blessed week ahead!