Leadership Movies: Ip Man

Ip Man is a part of Leadership Movies, a series of films with leadership themes. Learn about how you can become a better leader by watching leadership in action.

LEADERSHIP MOVIES’ RATING: (5 out of 5)

What is the Movie About?

Ip Man
Ip Man

Ip Man is a 2008 semi biographical martial arts action film based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. This film is action packed with many excellent fight scenes. More importantly, it is about how Ip Man stands up for what he believes in against its Japanese oppressors and how he ultimately rallies his townsfolk behind him.

Leadership Takeaways

1. Humility goes a long way.
Although Ip Man was a top martial arts exponent, he never saw the need to prove himself to anyone. His humility won over many friends in the town to him. This is one big lesson for leaders. Although you might be the smartest and most capable of your group, if you choose to stay humble, you will gain a lot of respect from your followers. On the other hand, if you choose to throw your weight around, you will probably end up humiliated, like the man from the North who came to challenge Ip Man.

2. Your values make you a leader.
At the end of the show, Ip Man managed to unconsciously rally the township of Fuzhou to himself through a mix of his values and ability. A leader doesn’t just need talent for people to follow; people will follow a man who is rooted in strong values and knows what he believes in. As a leader, are you clear about who you are and what you believe in?

3. Balance Is the key to life.
Throughout the show, we observe that Ip Man is a man who is family oriented, calm, cool and collected in his handling of conflict and it shows in his fighting style as well. As a leader, we need to understand that success comes not by striving anxiously for a single cause, but by a holistic, balanced approach to all things in life.

Best Movie Quotes

Japanese General: What is your name?
Ip Man: I am just a Chinese.

“You watch your countrymen get beaten to death. Where is your dignity?” – Ip Man

“Every man needs to choose his own path.”- Ip Man

Movie Trailer

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Other Leadership Movies

You can find out more about other leadership movies from the list below.

  1. The Pursuit of Happy-ness
  2. Braveheart
  3. Kingdom of Heaven
  4. The Thin Red Line
  5. Saving Private Ryan
  6. Forrest Gump
  7. The Star Wars Trilogy
  8. The Million Dollar Baby
  9. Twelve Angry Men
  10. The Last Samurai
  11. Coach Carter
  12. Ip Man
  13. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  14. 300
  15. Lion King
  16. Facing the Giants
  17. The Blind Side
  18. Remember the Titans

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