Movie review on the Martian

The Martian is a movie starring Matt Damon about astronaut Mark Watney, who was accidentally left for dead after a violent storm while on a manned mission to Mars. Despite all odds, he managed to survive, but he soon found himself stuck on Mars by himself with little to no supplies. While waiting for NASA to launch a rescue mission, Watney was compelled by circumstances to devise ways to survive. For those in leadership positions who unanticipatedly encounter plan changes, this movie has a lot to give. The purpose of this essay is to thoroughly discuss how The Martian relates to leadership abilities.
Several management skills that leaders can adapt from The Martian movie include: being strong-willed- this is the ability to keep pushing forward even when facing failure. For example, if Watney had given up he would have died, thus manager should never give up on a profitable project. Secondly, being innovative and accepting change- this involves the phrase ‘do the math’, which means using facts if a leader have them, making educated guesses where they do not have facts and to read useful materials. After considering all that they should act while knowing that there remains a part they do not know and thus they cannot determine its outcome (Miller, Thos & Michael 100).



Thirdly, organizational strategies- leaders should embrace this by believing and assuming that other staff members are performing their jobs as expected. This is because an organization cannot be a one-man show. For instance, Watney assumed that his crewmates on earth were planning his rescue mission. Fourthly, the movie depicts good managerial ethics- that is focusing at goals and not methods. For, instance, when things when wrong for Watney he remained focused on achieving his ultimate goal which was survival (Weir 120).



In addition, planning skill is also depicted in the movie when the entire team came together so as to come up with a rescue mission while putting personal feelings and prejudices aside. Planning is important because things have to occur in a coordinated and systematic manner. Leading is also another leadership skill depicted in the movie, where the commander took opinions from her colleagues and after analysis all ideas she made a decision for going to pick Matt herself from Mars. The leader of the crew depicted organization skills; this is because after people expressed their different ideas the team had an honest discussion she made a calculated decision. This scenario also depicted clarity, frequency, as well as effectiveness of communication (Shirley 150).



Good decision making skills are also depicted several times in the movie- some scenario depicts the team making decisions that put the team and mission ahead of self. By doing this the team exhibits a great purpose and sense of unity that is they stuck together as a team especially when facing challenges. Controlling skill is also depicted in the movie because the leader ensured that the whole team remained steadfast focused on its mission. The leader also ensured that their goals were clear and simple and this created a stout sense of determination. In addition, respect for authority which is under controlling skills is also seen in the movie especially when taking action after decision making (Weir 90).



In conclusion, Astronaut Watney overcame challenges against the limited supplies and elements with resourcefulness and creativity. In addition, when his fellow crewmates worked tirelessly on earth so as to find a perfect way of bringing him home, his strategic planning and quick-thinking made the mission to be very successful. Lastly, The Martian offers an insight to any leader who finds themselves facing unforeseen challenges.







































Works cited

Miller, Thos K, and Michael Stein. Mars in the Movies: A History. , 2016. Internet resource.

Shirley, Donna. Managing Martians. New York: Broadway Books, 2013. Internet resource.

Weir, Andy. The Martian. , 2016. Print.