🎬 What Can Coco Teach Us About Leadership?
Do what you love—and don’t forget who you are.
Be who you are, do what you love.
🚨 SPOILER ALERT!
Pixar’s Coco is often seen as a heartwarming family film. But beneath the music and vibrant visuals lies a timeless lesson about leadership, identity, and legacy.
At its core, Coco teaches us that real leadership isn’t just about doing what you love—it’s about being loved for who you truly are.
🎸 Leadership Begins with Authenticity
Miguel wants to be a musician.
But his family forbids music.
He’s torn between a passion that fuels him and a tradition that limits him.
“No music!”
“But I’m not like the rest of my family…”
This is the universal leadership tension:
Do I betray myself to belong?
Or do I honor myself and risk rejection?
Miguel’s journey is a reflection of the LeaderNess principle:
You can’t lead from your forces until you stop living from your fears.
And his force? His gift? His voice.
🧓 Legacy Is Built on Love, Not Perfection
As Miguel unravels his family’s past, he uncovers a painful truth:
His great-great-grandfather didn’t abandon the family.
He was erased from it.
Why? Because his purpose (music) was misunderstood.
“I just wanted to go home to my family…”
In the Land of the Dead, he meets the real Héctor—flawed, kind, forgotten.
And he realizes:
You don’t have to be a perfect leader to leave a legacy.
You just have to lead with heart.
🪕 You Deserve to Be Loved for Who You Are
One of the most moving lessons in Coco is this:
Your worth doesn’t come from fame, status, or success.
It comes from the people who know you—and still love you.
Miguel learns that the legacy that matters most isn’t how many people remember you…
…it’s how deeply you’re remembered by those who knew the real you.
“Remember me… though I have to say goodbye…”
💡 The LeaderNess Model in Action
Coco is a perfect illustration of the LeaderNess journey:
🔹 Find – Miguel finds what truly drives him: music, meaning, and connection
🔹 Feed – He grows by embracing his family’s story, not running from it
🔹 Fuel – He uses his voice—not to rebel, but to heal generations and unite love with legacy
He becomes a leader not by becoming someone new—but by being more of who he truly is.
Enjoying your passions
✨ Final Reflection
Coco teaches us that leadership isn’t about rising above—it’s about going deeper.
Deeper into your gifts.
Deeper into your truth.
Deeper into the relationships that remind you of who you are.
Do what you love.
Remember where you come from.
And be someone worth remembering.
That’s the kind of legacy leadership is built on.