Leadership Lessons from Rocky Balboa’s Iconic Speech

A note to young leaders.
All you need to know, you can learn from Rocky’s speech to his son in the movie, “Rocky Balboa”.

I make sure it’s played often on the TV screens in EG’s offices. And when I mentor young leaders, I ask them to write the speech out in full and to listen to it repeatedly, until they’ve memorised it verbatim. It’s that good.

The speech has seven motifs:

1. To thine own self be true. “Somewhere along the line, you stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell ya you’re no good.”
2. The importance of self-belief. “Until you start believing in yourself, ya ain’t gonna have a life.”

3. Never cast yourself as the victim. If you fail – look in the mirror, not out the window. “When things got hard, you started looking for things to blame, like a big shadow. … [Stop] pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him or her or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you!”

4. The importance of grit. “Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits.”

5. Don’t get cocky. No matter how strong you think you are, life has a knack of finding your weak spots and repeatedly whacking you there. “I don’t care how tough you are, [life] will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.”

6. Don’t define your success by comparing yourself to others. Success lies in never giving up: fall down seven times, stand up eight. “It ain’t

about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

7. The importance of relationships. “I’m always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my kid and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. … Don’t forget to visit your mother.”

For a 2-minute monologue, Rocky’s speech certainly packs a punch. It’s a masterclass on how to live a triumphant life.