As a kid, I loved the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (who am I kidding, I still love this timeless classic)! I must sheepishly admit that I just watched this movie last night for the hundredth time and every time I watch it I glean another collective pearl of wisdom. There is a profound old adage that says “God picks the simple things to confound the wise” and I’ve often learned some of my most valuable life lessons through simple stories.
Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a story of a poor young boy named Charlie who scores the remaining “Golden Ticket” and wins an opportunity to tour the most eccentric and mysterious chocolate factory in the country – owned by Willie Wonka. Charlie is a fresh faced ‘tween’ dangerously armed with truck-loads of integrity from which the business leaders of today have much to learn.
The metaphoric “Golden Ticket” of this era is having unshakable integrity and exceptional leaders know that they need lots of it to win and win big. They don’t go along to get along, they just do what’s right. They realize that another “Golden Ticket” rests in their employees and in cultivating a healthy corporate culture. These exceptional leaders do the math and equate conflict, chaos, pathos, poor communication and a toxic environment, to high absenteeism, high churn, high stress, low morale, low retention and net losses for everyone concerned.
Exceptional leaders scrutinize the relationship terrain and find effective ways to leverage those relationships and talents to create ‘win-win’ scenarios for everyone. They know that, in this burgeoning 2.0 world, valuing their employees, keeping their integrity firmly intact, and acting in the best interest of everyone concerned is the key to profitability. Mediocre leaders, however, miss out on this winning combination because their egos loom largely, their views languish myopically, and they often fail to see the big picture. So why are organizations like Google consistently successful? It’s because their exceptional leaders know how to value and leverage talent and they are extremely intentional about creating an enviable social culture. They create happy and motivated employees who actually want to show up for work, who want to add their signature contribution; and when you have people showing up for work giving the best that they’ve got to offer, that’s when the magic happens!
Now back to our protagonist Charlie. Charlie is faced with a dilemma early in the movie. The story’s antagonist, a rival candy shop owner named Mr. Slugworth, appears and offers Charlie the opportunity to make his poor family very rich. All he must do is turn over his ‘Everlasting Gobstopper’ so that Slugworth can figure out the formula and create a profitable knock off. How many of today’s leaders are faced with similar temptations – selling out to rivals, bribery, opportunities to cut corners, theft, or any unsavoury means of fast-tracking to wealth or prominence? Just too many.
Sadly, our protagonist Charlie briefly falters when he succumbs to his Grandfather’s coercion into taking a sip of the forbidden “Fizzy Lifting Drink”. This momentary lapse of judgement, however, does not come without its own consequences. We soon find out that nothing has been missed by Willie Wonka, who flies into a blistering rage and informs Charlie that he has been disqualified from receiving the Grand Prize and that he and his Grandfather are immediately being thrown out the factory. Charlie ‘fesses up’, shows complete and utter remorse for his mistake and, upon leaving the factory, pauses, turns back, and gently places his “Everlasting Gobstopper” on the desk of Willie Wonka. There is a brief silence and Wonka’s vitriolic demeanor of seconds before dissipates into a joyful countenance as he happily informs Charlie that it all was just a test – that Mr. Slugworth was actually working for him to test Charlie’s character. He tells Charlie that he only held the contest because he wants to retire and wanted to find his successor. He tells Charlie that he would only turn the factory over to someone he felt was worthy; someone compassionate with a moral compass steeped in integrity. He informs Charlie that he is the ‘chosen one’, the benefactor of the whole chocolate factory and all of the riches contained within.
So the simple lesson in this story; for kids, parents, mediocre leaders, and exceptional leaders alike; is that integrity never grows old. Whether in fiction or in real life, it will always win out in the end!
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Carol speaks the truth, and knowing her personally I can vouch that she walks the walk with regards to integrity.
While integrity can result in a more successful business or relationships, it shouldn’t be seen as a business “strategy”. It is a life choice that infuses authenticity to everything you do and are.
I look forward to reading more of Carol’s thoughts.
Hi Ron,
I couldn’t agree with you more that integrity is indeed a life choice. and thanks for your thoughts and for taking the time to read and leave your commentary. Blessings, Carol
Lovely… very simple thruth!
Hi Ianina,
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave your compliments. This is a wonderful magazine that is a great source of inspiration and hope. Make sure you stop by and check out its other sections too. It’s just as wonderful.
All good wishes, Carol
Carol, a well written story and a gentle reminder that integrity is without a doubt a highly regarded quality and strong moral principle which will always guide us in the right direction. You showed how easily we can comprise our integrity for immediate gains and gratification. I cannot wait to read your next article. And I will also forwarded it to my LinkedIn contacts.
Amazing
Brenda Van Rossum
Hi Brenda,
heartfelt thanks to you for leaving your compliments and most importantly your thoughts. I really appreciate you spreading the word about MOTIVATED Online and my article.
With deep and profound appreciation,
Carol
What a GREAT article ! It is wonderful to read the words of someone who believes that INTEGRITY is one of the most important traits a person can have. It appears that this woman is an exceptional example of putting first things first. Surely, any organization would be enhanced by having such a strong human being as one of their employees.
Hi Ruth,
Much appreciation for your comments and commendations. I most deeply appreciate it and for you taking the time to stop by MOTIVATED to read my article. This magazine is one of my favourite sources of inspiration and hopefully you will find other articles here just as inspiring as mine.
Blessings and all good wishes, Carol
Excellent article Carol!…very thought provoking! I look forward to your next article.
Hi Charmaine,
Thanks for your encouragement. I appreciate it
Cheers and Blessings,
Carol
Wow, this article is a great reminder of the lessons from Willie Wonka for kids and adults alike. We all have to be honest and fair and treat other people even better than we expect to be treated. I believe that you are never too little to make a big difference in this world and that everyone has to teach their kids that if they do it the right, honest, and fair way they will grow up to be amazing leaders! I believe youth are the leaders of tomorrow but, as Charlie shows (and I always say), we are the leaders of today – thank you Carol for a great article!
Hi Amanda,
Thanks so much for your thought provoking comments and for your encouragement. You continue to be a role model to our youth and adults alike in the GTA and I’m glad that a young lady like you (Philanthropist, Author, Entrepreneur, Youth and Community Leader), actually can relate to this article.
Blessings and all good wishes be heaped upon you,
Carol
Well done Carol, I hope all your other readers gleamed the truth behind your simple story, I did!
Well done, and keep writing more of these simply but profound truths.
Hi Fritz,
Thanks for stopping by MOTIVATED Online and taking the time out to leave your good wishes. Make sure that you check out the other sections too. This is a wonderful source of information and inspiration. Happy reading
Much Appreciated,
Carol
A refreshing article Carol – great to be reminded that Integrity wins in the end – regardless of circumstances within the workplace or the community – regardless of scale ie. local, regional, national or international.
Angus Brown
Hi Angus from the UK,
Thanks so much for taking the time out to read my article and leave your kind comments. Much appreciated and Integrity certainly does always win in the end.
Many Blessings and profound thanks,
Carol
Words to live by…thanks Carol
Carol, read your article, enjoyed it, and will try to keep the lesson of integrity close at hand. There should be a lot more individuals writing articles like yours.
Keep up the good work.
Sincerely
David Harris
Hi David,
Thank you for your encouragement and it is deeply appreciated!
Cheers,
Carol
Ms. Roberts’ excellent article brings business leaders back to the important basics. Proof that everything we need to know we really did learn in kindergarten!
Thanks Alaina,
So happy that the article resonated with you and I guess that God does indeed “pick the simple things to confound the wise”. Thanks for your comments and encouragement.
Cheers and all good wishes,
Carol
Congratulations on your first article Carol!
-Yvette Menard
Hi Yvette,
Thank you so much for your comments and encouragement.
Cheers and all the best,
Carol
Great article. I’m passing it on to some of my PR associates who also manage ‘internal communications’ with clients. It’s a great 3rd party reminder to CEOs of their leadership role examples to employees and their other key audiences.
Thanks Katita,
I’m happy to know that you have found relevance in this article and more importantly that you have chosen to share it with your PR Associates and your Clients.
Much appreciated and thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. This is a wonderful publication and I’m honored that they have given me this great opportunity to give voice to my opinions.
Cheers,
Carol
Great article Carol, look forward to the next one! What you have written is so true. In order to create a healthy corporate culture it’s important that leaders have integrity and understand, value, empower and inspire their employees.
Oh and hey, got to love lessons involving chocolate!!
Cheers,
Nicole Murray
Hot Chocolate Coaching
Hi Nicole,
Looks to me like you’ve created your own Chocolate Factory and I’m sure it’s filled with integrity. Thanks for your encouragement.
Blessings and much success to you,
Carol
This was an exceptional analogy, I have not seen the movie in years but will be re-watching it, with my kids for starters…great reading, thank you!
Hi Suppinder,
Thank you for your encouragement and deciding to share its relevance with your kids.
Cheers and appreciation,
Carol
Fabulous & fun article at the same time! The lesson is clear from Carol’s perspective. Good analogy. I will share this with others. And I too wish there were more organizations that followed the Google model. Everyone benefits!
Hi Fatih,
Thank you for taking the time to read my article, and leaving your comments and visiting MOTIVATED Online. This is an inspiring magazine that I’ve personally found to be a great source of encouragement. Please do yourself a favour and check out the other sections. I promise you that you will only continue to be enlightened.
Blessings and Cheers,
Carol
I loved this article! As a manager I understand the importance of valuing your employees and customers. It is very important – in times like these where there is much more competition – that we value our employees by recognizing their contributions and rewarding them. When your employees feel valued they will put in the effort needed to succeed.
Thanks for this refreshing article.
Hi Liza,
Thank you for your great thoughts and for your encouragement. I deeply appreciate it.
Cheers,
Carol
What an excellent example of leadership integrity through the film lens of Willy Wonka! I guess you could say, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you just never know what you’re going to get but if you act with integrity you get your self-respect and dignity – and sometimes the golden key to the chocolate factory.”
Hi Sharif,
Thank you for your profound thoughts and for your encouragement.
Much appreciated and all good wishes to you
Carol
Well done. Yes I remember watching the movie with my kids, and this article will be passed around the dinner table.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you Michael and so happy that you are going to make this article a topic of discussion with your kids. I’m totally humbled and honored. Thank you!
Carol
Great job Carol!! Excellent message and delivery.
Thanks for your kind words Celeste!
Carol
Great article Carol. Excellent Read
There is great benefit in reviewing things we have seen/heard before. Thanks for reminding us…and of course thanks for reminding us of the role of integrity in the way we conduct our day to day affairs.
Cheers
Wel written Carol! I am so proud of you.