'The Intern'

Read this short and interesting analysis by Debalina Roy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ah, what a sweet little film. As an old friend used to say, That movie hurt my feelings (i.e., made me cry).

But as the article above takes note, there were a lot of life lessons embedded in the movie: The need to be flexible and adaptable, to show grit under pressure and grace under fire, to lead by example and through positive behaviors, to lead by being supportive and affirming, to lead by meeting people where they are and not based on biased expectations. One way of describing what Ben was doing for Jules was targeted mentoring.

Getting beyond merely describing the movie itself, you could also use it as an entry point to discuss broader topics, such as age discrimination in the workplace. Or how our unconscious biases can shape our expectations of gender roles in the workplace.

Did you notice how the venture capitalists backing Jules' startup company — probably all men — assumed that she was not adequate and needed a CEO above her? And did you notice how all of the people they had in mind to fill that position above her were men? Coincidence?