The story of the movie ‘12 Angry Men’ is about a boy who is in trial for the charge of murdering his father. After six days of prosecution, the jury is to decide the final verdict. To achieve that, twelve jurors need to arrive at a unanimous decision. If they found the convict to be guilty then the convict was supposed to be awarded the death sentence. All the jurors were of the opinion that the boy was guilty except juror #8. The movie focuses on the persuasion and analytical skill of juror #8 who through his logical and polite approach was able to convince the eleven other jurors that the convict was not guilty.
Initially, juror #8 seemed to be silent and neutral in his approach. However, when the rest of the eleven jurors expressed their decision of the convict being guilty, he disagreed to their decisions. The rest of the jury tried hard to convince him otherwise but juror #8, maintaining a calm demeanour, placed his rationales one after the other in front of the jury. It was through his battle of wits, that juror #8 was successful in reversing the decision of the jury. The leadership that he demonstrated before the jury helped him manage the counter arguments in the room and to lead the jury to the most logical decision in the end.
- He influenced the other jurors in the movie thereby demonstrating his ability to motivate others
- He made others to think rationally despite their personal biases
- He was a good listener and a keen observer throughout the trial and while the jury aired their decisions and reasons
- He had analytical and calculative mind. He used the phrase ‘there is a possibility’ which showed his ability of keeping possible options open while placing his logics
- His demonstrated empathy when, time and again, he placed himself in the environment of the convict’s life
- He exuded confidence. This was demonstrated through his conviction with which he pulled the jurors one after the other to his side
- He was never prejudiced in his approach. He adopted simple strategies to weigh different perspectives
The movie is one of the classics on the demonstration of leadership and also an example of social duties and responsibilities.
