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The seventh season of «Game of Thrones» has collected a record number of viewers. According to The New York Times, 16,1 million people watched the first episode. The characters of the series fight for power every fictional day and choose which leader to become. Screen experience will help you understand which leadership qualities you lack and which you need to get rid of.
Can the «white crow» become a leader?
The most popular heroes of the saga are outsiders: the bastard Jon Snow and the dwarf Tyrion. They have to run faster than others to achieve the same results. Climbing the career and social ladders is hard work: obstacles to success change the character and personality of a person.
So, Snow has a heightened sense of justice and a willingness to act, and Tyrion is not alien to sympathy. Thanks to this, Snow and Tyrion have every chance to become leaders and lead the people. Before they came to power, the heroes were outsiders, which means they understand the problems of ordinary people.
A leader who started his career as a simple salesman is more trustworthy than a person who inherited a position or title. But there is another side of the coin. If a person is too out of the environment, he may not be taken seriously.
Should a leader be loved?
In Game of Thrones, the good guys are most often on the sidelines, while the most brutal ones stay in power — Tywin, Stannis, Littlefinger. Even Joffrey, although he ruled for a short time, managed to subjugate the people. All of them combine the so-called «dark triad»: narcissism, perfidy and psychopathy. Those who want to become a real leader should not follow their example.
Yes, a leader must make difficult decisions, but if he manages through fear and threats, then long-term results should not be expected. People will follow the rules, but you won’t get the full return on them. You also cannot trust them: they will use every opportunity to outwit you.
Does a leader need to be adaptable?
In a fictional kingdom, the balance of power and the composition of military alliances are constantly changing. If you do not adapt to these changes, you will not last long in this world. Arya is the best example of this. Wherever she finds herself, she manages to adapt to circumstances and survive. Jon Snow is no stranger to flexibility either. Raised in the Stark household, he quickly adapts to the life of the Night’s Watch, and when required, adopts the customs of the opponents of the Wildlings.
For a leader, flexibility is one of the fundamental qualities: it allows both him and the company to survive in any conditions.
Women leaders: to be or not to be?
All female images in the series are stereotyped. Cersei rules through men: husband, sons, brother and father. In a difficult situation, she will not find a way out on her own, but she skillfully shifts the burden of responsibility onto men. She controls them like puppets.
Daenerys, on the contrary, seeks to rule herself. But she also uses beauty as a means of influencing others. In the real world, only 5% of the 1000 most successful directors in the world are women. Women occupy leadership positions, but there are still so few of them that they are forced to adapt to men and cunningly solve problems.
Source: The Wall Street Journal.