Leadership professors from the United States Air Force Academy journey to Middle Earth to examine two teams, each engaged in a perilous quest: a company of dwarves seeking to wrest the Lonely Mountain and its vast treasures from the dragon Smaug, and a fellowship of men, elf, dwarf and hobbits intent on destroying the One Ring before Sauron can capture it. While both the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings film trilogies were entertaining adaptations of beloved novels, they also serve as a useful medium for understanding and teaching teamwork and leadership. In this session, panelists will leverage their love of JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth adventures, and their leadership knowledge and experience as military officers, management consultants, educators, mentors, and leaders in government and private organizations to provide insights on teamwork and team effectiveness. Panelists will explore team leadership concepts such as team composition and diversity; power, influence, and shared leadership; fractures and fault lines; and team effectiveness. Each panelist has an extensive background in developing Leaders of Character for the United States Air Force, and has earned a PhD in a field related to leadership and teams, to include leadership psychology, organizational psychology, and sociology. The format for the session will be a moderated panel discussion that engages and interacts with the audience by encouraging questions and dialogue. The session will appeal to all Comic Con attendees, but it will be especially relevant to educators who are seeking new ways to teach teamwork and leadership using popular culture and film. Professionals may also find this panel’s approach to be a valuable way to understand and articulate team challenges in their own organizations. Students may gain insight into what it takes to be a “team player” in social or professional contexts.
