Leadership Secrets of Disney’s Moana
“It’s called wayfinding, princess. It’s not just sails and knots, it’s seeing where you’re going in your mind. Knowing where you are by knowing where you’ve been.”
— Maui from Moana
I have ten children, so I have seen most Disney movies many times. Moana is one of those, and one that has become important to me as a model for leadership.
For anyone who has not seen the movie or not enough times to recall the story…Moana is the story of a young woman in the South Pacific. The daughter of the chief, she has been raised to be the future leader of her people. From an early age, though, she felt something else call her. One thousand years before, the demigod Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti, the creator deity. As a result, a curse has been spreading through the world and has reached Moana’s island.
Moana sails from her island. First she must rescue Maui from the island where we has bee stranded since he stole the heart. Then together that seek out Te Fiti to return the heart and stop the curse. Along the way, Maui teaches Moana to become a way finder who can navigate on the open ocean. They have many more adventures along the way, but I don’t want to ruin the entire movie.
Even though she is just a teen-ager, Moana demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities.
