Mary Poppins is far more than simply an amazing nanny who can fly above the rooftops powered by an umbrella – although this in itself would be more than enough for most of us!
On the contrary, the heroine of the 1964 Walt Disney film is also an expert in inspirational leadership. Although the plot of the story is aimed primarily at kids, adults recognise it’s full of important life lessons and valuable advice on being creative and innovative at work.
Packed with magical wonder, wit and imagination, the musical is an exhilarating journey through childhood for its young stars, Michael and Jane Banks. Growing up in Edwardian London with a cold, authoritarian father and a ditzy mother who’s more interested in women’s suffrage than her kids, they run away from home all the time. This results in every nanny handing in her notice very quickly, leaving a gap in their life when it comes to a role model and authority figure. However, with their father being at work at the bank all the time, nobody takes the time to resolve the issues.
All of this changes when Mary Poppins arrives, played by the legendary Julie Andrews. The new nanny’s no nonsense attitude, combined with whimsical scenes of chalk drawings coming to life and people floating to the ceiling due to laughing too much, changes their lives forever. Not only does she make every family member re-evaluate their actions, but she also utters some memorable quotes that can teach us all how to be a better leader.
Transfer her skills to a modern workplace environment, such as our serviced office space in London, and you’ll see how strategic leadership lessons can be learned from unexpected sources.
Lesson 1 – Infuse playfulness into the work environment
A dull and over serious workplace environment is never an inspirational place for your team: if you combine fun into the working day, this will inspire creativity and thinking outside the box, while encouraging employees to grow and thrive.
Of course, not every task immediately seems like fun, but as a leader, it’s up to you to find a way of making even the most mundane jobs enjoyable. As Mary Poppins famously says to the children, “In every job that must be done, there’s an element of fun. You find the fun and – SNAP – the job’s a game!”
Try to add humour to meetings, or gamify deadlines and tasks by introducing a points system, with manageable challenges, leader-boards and meaningful rewards for achievements. Provide more interactive elements like puzzles to engage the team. Finding new ways to incorporate play in the office can boost connection, reduce burnout, build morale and increase engagement.
The suggestion from Mary Poppins – “Let’s go fly a kite!” – is worth remembering. You don’t have to literally do this – it equates to encouraging moments of group connection and fun. Maybe it’s a creative brainstorming session, a team outing, or even just going outside for some fresh air on a sunny day. Leaders should create an environment where work and play can co-exist. Flying a kite is a metaphor for lifting each other and dreaming big – something every leader should strive to achieve.
Lesson 2 – Lead with kindness and empathy
Leaders must balance authority in the workplace with the well-being of their team, demonstrating kindness and empathy to achieve the best results. The famous quote from Mary Poppins, “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” is a massive hint on how to deliver tough messages with understanding.
Whether you’re announcing a challenge, introducing changes that may not be popular, or having a difficult conversation with a team member, a leader who adds a touch of kindness to the discussion will ultimately receive a better response. You don’t need to sugar-coat bad news; it’s more about finding the right balance between the “medicine” of the hard truth and the “sugar” of explaining it with encouragement and respect.
Lesson 3 – Trust in your team’s abilities
Leaders should trust and encourage employees to grow, just as Mary Poppins encourages the children to look beyond appearances and first impressions to realise the unique talents within. She advises, “Never judge things by their appearance – even carpetbags! I’m sure I never do.”
Her average looking bag instils a continuous sense of awe in Michael and Jane as she pulls massive items from within such as a plant, a hat stand, mirrors and more. Transferring this philosophy to the office means looking beyond surface quirks or imagined limitations as you cultivate your team’s hidden skills that they might not even be aware of themselves.
An open minded approach will build trust and encourage innovation and creativity. Delegating tasks and responsibility will help your team thrive and grow, as it shows you have faith in their abilities, boosting their own self-belief and confidence, which encourages them to take ownership of projects and show initiative. In general, it leads to a more positive working environment.
Importantly, Mary Poppins encourages the children to see a task through to the end, even though it may seem challenging. Telling them they’re going to play a game called “Well Begun is Half-Done”, she explains they’re going to tidy up the nursery, which is in chaos. However, once they’ve started, they must follow through the task with the same enthusiasm they display at the outset. When they start flagging, she follows her own advice and injects some fun into proceedings to fire up enthusiasm again.
All the best stories, whether in print or on screen, contain deeper truths that the audience will notice and respond to. This is why tales such as Mary Poppins not only resonate across different generations, but they also lend themselves to different settings, showing us how to use their wisdom to improve our own situation.
© Allstar Picture Library Limited. / Alamy Stock Photo
