As you may know the movie The Kings Speech won three academy awards; Best Picture, Colin Firth for Best Actor and David Seidler for Best Original Screenplay. The story of the screenplay and how it came to be is very interesting. You can read several articles here: http://www.firth.com/king.html Hopefully you have seen the movie. It will make reading this article more understandable.
This article revolves around the behavioral styles and values of the two main characters, Lionel Logue and Mr. Johnson/The Duke of York/Bertie/King George VI, as well as some of the other characters, and how they are exhibited in the movie.
For those that would like a brief primer of the four factor behavioral style model please click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DISC_assessment For a primer on values click here: http://strategic-concepts.blogspot.com/2011/03/values-as-hidden-motivators.html
Princess Elizabeth first meets with Lionel Logue in his outer office where Elizabeth laments, “My husband has seen everyone to no avail. He’s given up hope.” To which Lionel quickly replies, “He hasn’t seen me.”
Ahh, the supreme confidence that Lionel shows us in some of his very first lines. Lionel is a “High D” in the vernacular of the DISC behavioral styles model, meaning that he has a high Dominant behavioral style component. High dominance can show itself in many ways, such as this statement of high self-confidence. Indeed, as Elizabeth’s next line is, “You’re awfully sure of yourself.”
Elizabeth and Lionel’s dialog continues and Lionel tells Elizabeth to have her husband come to the office to which she rebuts, “You must come to us.” Lionel stands firm and lightly says, “Sorry, Mrs J, my game, my turf, my rules.” Lionel is in complete control, which is another High D behavioral attribute.
Further on Elizabeth discusses her referral to Lionel but was warned that he is unorthodox and controversial, which concerned her. Lionel simply states, “I succeed.” Even when Elizabeth lets on that she is actually Princess Elizabeth and her husband the Duke of York Lionel states, “...for my method to work there must be trust and total equality in the safety of my consultation room. No exceptions.” How many doctors would have relented and gone to see the Duke of York forsaking their method? Elizabeth relents and asks when can they start.
So now we have the firmly established “High D” Lionel Logue and His Royal Highness The Duke of York in Lionel’s office where The Duke of York eventually asks, “Aren’t you go to start treating me Dr. Logue.” They spar over what they will call each other with Lionel preferring to call him Bertie and himself Lionel stating, “Perfect. In here, it’s better if we’re equals.”
When Bertie starts to light a cigarette Lionel tells him, “Don’t do that.” Bertie is of course stunned. How many people talk like that to a Royal? Lionel even says, “My ‘castle’, my rules.” We’re equals, end of discussion shall we move on?
Lionel starts by asking Bertie his earliest memory. Bertie wants none of that. He doesn’t want to talk about personal matters. When Lionel asks, “Why’re you here then?” Bertie explodes, “Because I bloody well stammer!” without stammering. “Temper”, Lionel says.
So yes, Bertie has a temper and gets angry. The emotion of a High D behavioral style is anger. So both Lionel and Bertie are High D behavioral styles. This will be very interesting. One of them has to win. In the ongoing conversation Bertie yells at Lionel to stop calling him Bertie. Lionel won’t call him anything else. Bertie retorts, “Then we shan’t speak!”
Lionel proposes a bet with Bertie, a competition using his recording contraption. With a High D person this is sure to get them going, they can’t stand to lose and will rise to the challenge. Think of talking to a strong-willed three year old, “I bet you can’t pick up ALL those toys in less than five minutes.” “You wanna bet!” will be the reply. Furious, Bertie accepts the bet, even though Lionel has to stake him. Eventually Bertie is completely fed up and leaves in a huff without hearing himself speak.
Later, after more failure speaking, Bertie listens to the recording at home. He hears himself speak without stammering. He goes back to Lionel who says, “Got the shilling you owe me?” “No I don’t!” an angry Bertie retorts. Lionel is still using Bertie’s High D behavioral style against him.
There relationship continues like this throughout the movie until eventually Bertie trusts Lionel. He no longer feels that he is in danger of being taken advantage of, another classic Dominant style attribute.
There’s another significant relationship in the movie other than between Bertie and Lionel. It’s between Bertie and David. This one, however, does not revolve around behavioral styles, even though they are quite different, it revolves around values.
David is a philanderer and doesn’t care what anyone thinks about it or what it does to his life or the lives of those around him or, ultimately, even his country. He is only interested in Love and it’s beauty. He is a high Aesthetic. Bertie, on the other hand, has a very high Traditional value system which means that he lives within a set of rules and a system and wants others to do so as well, even if it is not comfortable for him or them.
These values collide when David will not give up his divorced mistress even though he is king. He plans to marry her and stunningly abdicates the throne, turning it over to Bertie. Bertie’s motivation to be king is not based on the more common High Individualistic value. He’s not doing it for power. He’s doing it to save a Traditional value system.
For Lionel’s part he certainly isn’t in it for the money, even though he is making money off of Bertie. Lionel’s hidden motivational value system is High Social, he simply loves helping people.
Once you have a good foundation of knowledge about behavioral styles and values you’ll interpret movies and tv shows like this. Even better, you’ll learn to read the styles and values of those you work with, allowing you to get a lot more accomplished with a lot less stress, well sometimes less stress...
