Woody, the cowboy sheriff and his inspiring brand of leadership !!

Lately I’ve been smitten with Toy Story 3 bug. A decade too late, I know, but the timeless theme of the movie has turned me into an instant fan.

One of my all-time favourite Toy Story-3 scenes happen towards the end of the story, after the toys fall into an incinerator.

All the toys are holding each other’s hand ready to face their fate but Woody is still trying to fight his way out. He then exchanges a look with Buzz and sadly understands the futility of his fight, realising that it is time to give up and be brave in a different sense. Joining hands with Buzz and Slinky, as they all slowly inch towards the fire, it is Woody who puts himself in front of the gang and braces himself up, like a true brave heart that he is, to be the first to face the fire.

Even in those supposed final moments of his life, he is ready to give in but like a true leader. It puts a cinch on to his position of a truly inspiring leader of the toy gang. It was my awe at this brand of leadership, at display, throughout the story which often made me wonder if there was a lesson to learn and write about here.

1. Throughout the story, he is absolutely clear and convinced about his MISSION — to be there for ANDY when he needs him and leaves nothing out in reinforcing, again and again, his mission statement on to his toy family.

Even as they grapple with Andy’s growing up and hence Andy’s apathy towards them, he keeps reminding everybody about why they are there in the first place and that being there for Andy takes precedence over their longing for playtime with a kid. Of course, the third story also shows him moving on but the preceding adventure sets the tone for that change. At least till the end of story 3, he is still remembered as ANDY’s toy.

2. He believes in people and is always for the team. He always takes everybody along and forever talks about everybody being together. Poor Wheezy cannot be lost to a garage sale, dear Buzz cannot be left on his own at Sid’s and Jesse & Bullseye can also be a part of Andy’s happy toy family!

3. He rises above his own problems in tough situations, gives direction amidst confusion and inspiration in times of chaos. While others get mired in the individual helplessness that comes along with any uncertainty, his voice emerges above all to bring them back to focus on the most accessible notion of hope. He feels responsible for all of them and not just for himself. “We’ll all be fine if we stay together”, he harps once more as his toy family gets bull dozed onto a conveyor belt in a garbage treatment facility.

4. He believes in helping everyone including helping an enemy like Lotso and even if it means falling back on a conveyor belt and taking the risk of slowly heading towards a shredding machine. No dearth of help-escapades to mention here. (Woody almost got lost because of trying to help Wheezy the penguin in Toy Story 2).

5. He knows when to do and when to delegate. He is always leading from the front, not hesitating in taking risks, testing new waters himself before asking others to follow but he also knows when to call in others where they may be better than him for the job. Hence, Slinky, Rex, Buzz get to shine as heroes to the rescue as Woody lets them lead from time to time.

6. He knows when to move on. As much as he loved ANDY, when he sees through the impermanence of being with him he knew that it was time to move on and he knew also that he can do something much more for himself and his toy buddies. There it was in action — the quality of recognising the need to change oneself as the realities around change with times, for the greater good (for the good of other toys like Buzz, Jesse and Co.)

Of course, he is a movie character and never mind the very real voice over by Tom Hanks, his adventures are restricted to the few inches wide TV screen or maybe just a file on a computer. However, it is the human virtues that makes him so much like who we are or aspire to be that makes him come alive from those files.

Hence, even as the story eventually ends and gives a sense of being a finale of (Andy’s Toy’s) Toy Story series, Andy’s Woody, the cowboy sheriff leaves a legacy which inspires as much as it entertains.