In this movie, the jury of twelve men is entrusted with the power

to send an uneducated, teenage boy to the Death Penalty. The

crime that the boy is accused of is killing his father with a knife.
The jury is locked into a small, claustrophobic room, on a hot
summer day, until they come up with a unanimous decision. The
decision that is to decide a boys life is to be either guilty or not
guilty. The film is particularly important as it examines the
twelve men's deep-seated personal prejudices. These are
reflected in the perceptual biases and weaknesses, indifference,
anger, personalities, unreliable judgments, cultural differences,
ignorance and fears, that are in a position to mar their decisionmaking abilities, and subsequently cause them to ignore the real
issues in the case. This can potentially lead them to a
miscarriage of justice.
What are the key learning for you as leaders?
First and foremost, we learn that every decision should be based
on reasonable evidence and it can be dangerous to rush to
conclusions. In the movie, most of the Jury members were
initially in a hurry to shut the case and pronounce the accused
guilty even when they know its a matter of someones life. Only
Mr. Raina stands against such a decision and demands that the
jury should give appropriate time to the issue and have a healthy
discussion on the entire case. Hence, as managers, we should
always be dedicated and do a thorough analysis before taking an
important decision.

The accused in the movie came from a poverty stricken

background. Some members of the Jury had preconceived
notions against people coming from slums. It was evident in the
movie that this preconceived notion had a big impact on their
decision as they were stereotyping the accused based on his
background. Here, we learn that every decision should be taken
on the merit of the case and a good leader should learn to restrict
pre conceived notions from having an impact on his decision. It
is a good idea to take a step back and have a holistic view of the
issue without any prejudice.
Mr. Raina comes forth as a man with high self confidence. After
the first vote, only Mr. Raina votes not-guilty. This is a cause
for a great deal of irritation and angst amongst the other Jurors.
As a result, Mr. Raina comes under immense pressure to
overturn his decision. He is even threatened by few of the
members. In spite of this, Mr. Raina maintains his composure
and is calm under an almost crisis situation. He does not
succumb to pressure and is strong enough to maintain his stand
without losing his temper. This is critical leadership learning. As
a leader, we are bound to face several situations where the odds
can be stacked heavily against us. It will be of utmost
importance to keep a cool head in such situations and have the
courage to stand by with what we believe in.
Also, we can learn a lot from Mr. Rainas style of influencing.
He influences the other members of the Jury, not by force but
the mere strength of his arguments. Also, he influences others by

creating uncertainties in their minds and invoking them to re

consider the notion that they have already formed. But he allows
the other Jurors to analyze the facts presented by him in their
own capacity and never forces his opinion on anybody else. In
effect, he encourages contribution from everybody else. This
gives us a great example of how to effectively lead from the
back. We as leaders should understand that it is not always a
good idea to start telling people what to do. Rather, it might be a
better idea to present them with facts and let them take their own
decisions based on those facts. It is also important to be able to
tell the truth rather than trying to deceive others into believing
you.
The movie also highlights another very strong feature of
leadership Communication. We see that Mr. Raina not only
effectively communicates his ideas to other members of the Jury,
but also patiently listens to what they have to say on the issue.
Hence, we learn the value of effective communication for a
leader. A leader can make the others feel worthy by effective
listening skills. It is also very important to put your thoughts in
clear and concise manner so that there is no room for ambiguity
and communication has the desired effect.
Another leadership quality portrayed in the movie was that of
Integrity. A person with Integrity never veers from his inner
values, even when it might be easy to do so. Mr. Raina portrayed
integrity by standing for what he believed in. There are several
instances in the movie when other Jurors ask if he thinks the

accused is not guilty, and Mr. Raina is never hesitant to respond

by saying that he is not sure. He tells the truth rather than taking
an extreme stand. Also, Subhash Udagane shows integrity when
he encourages Aziz Qureshi (advertising professional) to take a
decision based on what he believed in rather than to just be with
the majority. Subhash does this even when Aziz was changing
his decision to match what Subhash also believed in. We learn
that Integrity is a key attribute of a leader, one that he should try
to never forego.
Also, Mr. Raina showcases a high degree of emotional
intelligence. He showed the ability to identify, assess, and
control the emotions of himself, of other Jurors, and of the entire
Jury.
In the end, we will like to mention that Mr. Rainas role is a
classic example of Socratic Leadership. In the writings of Plato,
Socrates talks with people, continually asking questions, probing
assumptions, letting the flaws in an argument show themselves,
and helping the other Athenian citizens find their own way to
greater reasoning and truth. He took great pleasure in pulling
people into conversation, questioning their assertions, and
dismantling their philosophies by turning their own logic against
them. Mr. Raina follows a similar approach in the movie and
leads by asking questions, listening attentively, investigating
deeper and encouraging others.