Six Leadership Lessons From Roald Dahl Books

Roald Dahl is best known as the popular author of a string of wildly successful children’s books. In fact, the popularity of Dahl, who died in 1990, is so great that he even has a day of the year dedicated to him. Today is Roald Dahl Day 2019. 

So, on this special day, what business and leadership lessons can we learn from one of the great children’s novelists of the 20th century? Six authors and experts share their views, based on their analysis of some of his most popular works:

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

“Willy Wonka was the best chocolate maker in the world for a reason,” says David Birss, creativity expert and co-host of the Fast Forward Forum. “He had an invention room that was constantly developing products. And one of his rivals declared he’d give all his front teeth for just three minutes in that room. That's how powerful it was.

“According to a McKinsey study, 84% of CEOs believe that innovation is vital for the future of their business. Yet these very business leaders tend to prioritize what the company is already doing over fresh ideas. Willy Wonka, on the other hand, understood that innovating and breaking new ground require action. And it’s those actions that were the secret to his success. 

“I’m not saying that the managing directors of big businesses need to invest in their own invention room (although, in all seriousness, it would be a great idea). I’m simply recommending that, like our hero, they should be more involved in innovation and promoting change across their organization. Because without support from the top, there’s little chance of it having the desired outcome.”

The BFG

“In a world of algorithms and automation, the ability to think differently is fast becoming one of the most invaluable skills for business leaders,” says Neel Burton, a psychiatrist, philosopher and author of new book, Hypersanity: Thinking Beyond Thinking.

“Some people view leaders who think outside what is 'normal' as mad, but as a psychiatrist, I am fascinated by the concept of 'hypersanity', which is an incredibly liberating and empowering state of mind.

“If hypersanity is a free state of higher consciousness, there is plenty of evidence that the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is hypersane, with many characteristics that business leaders would be wise to emulate. For example, he is ethical and empathetic. Even though snozzcumbers are disgusting, he chooses to be vegetarian. When he hears about how Sophie is treated in the orphanage, he sheds ‘a huge tear that would have filled a bucket’.

“Despite his limited education, the BFG can be very intuitive and insightful. He can hear dreams humming and understands them better than even ‘the brainiest prossefors’ [sic]. He is aware of human evil and hypocrisy, pointing out that human beings have double standards for themselves and other animals, and yet are the only animals to kill one another. For all their evil, not even the giants kill one another.

“The BFG is also brave and resilient. The other giants bully him, but that doesn't stop him from going about his business of catching dreams. He doesn't complain about the bullying, or having nothing to eat but disgusting snozzcumbers. When the other giants have been captured, he offers to go down into the pit to untie them, and, like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is rewarded with a big house in Windsor Great Park.

“Finally, he takes great delight in life and simple pleasures and doesn't worry about what people might think. He is even happy to break wind in front of the Queen — although that's not necessarily something I'd recommend for a board meeting.”

James and the Giant Peach

“In James Henry Trotter, Roald Dahl gives us a fantastic example of an inclusive leader,” says Stephen Frost, the founder of Frost Included, a consultancy dedicated to helping people understand diversity and inclusion. “He is a boy who enables a truly diverse selectionof anthropomorphic insects to draw upon their unique differences in order to succeed in a common goal.

“When James’ parents are tragically killed by a rhinoceros, he is forced to work all day while his cruel aunts, Spiker and Sponge, threaten him with beatings to keep him in line – have you ever had a boss like that? What’s interesting is that experiencing adversity often enables people to empathize better with others from different backgrounds, so once James is inside the peach, he can pull together the quarreling insects and ‘pests’ and act as an arbitrator in any disputes. He draws upon a diverse resource base to make effective, calibrated decisions to get them back to dry land.”

The Enormous Crocodile

“Imagine that there is a leader in your organization who is abusing their power, squandering precious resources and negatively impacting morale,” poses Claire Dale, a director of leadership consultancy Companies in Motion and the co-author of new book Physical Intelligence. “What would you do? We want to believe that we would take action, but that’s easier said than done.

“Too often, we complain about that sort of behavior around the water cooler, but lack the inner strength and conviction to stand up to the leader as ‘bully’ – perhaps because doing so can literally put our jobs at risk.

“In Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile, a very greedy and hungry crocodile intends to gobble up as many juicy children as possible, only to have his plans thwarted when the animals in the jungle band together to save the children. The book teaches the powerful lesson that we don’t need to have the title or the most power (authority) to lead, we can – and certainly should – act as a leader, regardless of our role, especially when doing so is necessary to remaining true to our values or for the good of the team.

“The book illustrates that we are stronger when like-minded individuals band together to speak out against damaging practices or strategies. It also underscores the time-tested importance of leading with integrity, humility and collaboration.”

Fantastic Mr Fox

“Mr Fox is a leadership superhero,” says Andy Cope, a positive psychology expert and the author of Leadership: The Multiplier Effect. “He is a snappy dresser with a razor wit and a great nose for business. He doesn’t just outsmart the opposition, he turns the villains Boggis, Bunce and Bean against each other.

“He has a great work-life balance (he likes his work, but loves his family), is a creative thinker and shows remarkable resilience to bounce back when his beloved bushy tail is blasted clean off by the farmers. No wonder he wears the ‘Fantastic’ mantra with pride and inspires the other ‘diggers’ to share his audacious vision of a new underground society.”

Matilda

“Life is all about ‘being your own performance coach’ and taking ownership for your own development,” explains Royston Guest, an expert in business growth and unlocking people potential, and the author of Built to Grow: How to deliver accelerated, sustained and profitable business growth. 

“If there is one trait that we can learn from Matilda – and it is a trait that you find all high achievers adopt – it is her insatiable thirst for learning and self-development.

“The great news is the tools are more readily available than ever today, not only through Matilda’s beloved books, but also through podcasts, videos and blogs that we have at our fingertips to help us expand our thinking and unlock our potential.”