What Leadership Lessons Can You Learn From Your Favorite Game of Thrones Character?

Career Management

Spoiler Alert: The following article contains spoilers from all 3 seasons of Game of Thrones. Read at your own risk!

If there’s one thing the fictional land of Westeros doesn’t lack, it’s leaders. The place is positively overflowing with ambitious men and women who are starving to gain power and influence — some doing a better job at it than others.

While it’s unlikely your workplace contains dragon-wielding managers or tyrannical child bosses, all business leaders can benefit from taking note of what actions and traits lead to the triumphs and failures of these characters we love (and love to hate).

Daenerys Targaryen: Do Inspire

It’s been amazing to watch Daenarys come into her own as a leader. What’s been most impressive is her ability to inspire intense loyalty through her quiet strength and kindness.

Khaleesi fans will all remember the moment she gained the respect and service of her army of 8,000 Unsullied. In an unexpected turn of events, Daenerys offers the enslaved soldiers their freedom after she’d already bought them. However, they all wordlessly agree to fight for her anyway.

This approach can teach leaders a lot about how to gain true loyalty from employees. Though the soldiers would have fought for her out of duty, we assume they will fight more passionately now that they have chosen to be there. While those who work under you may do what you say out of duty, wouldn’t it be nice if they also listened to you out of genuine respect?

Daenerys doesn’t apply Machiavellian principles of leadership, and neither should you – these practices just breed contempt. Be authentic, communicate respect and avoid intimidation tactics.

Tyrion Lannister: Do Seize Opportunity

Tyrion Lannister may be small in stature, but he is not at all short of character. Not only does he have a firm sense of right and wrong; he’s got the courage to speak up when he sees a violation of those ethics, despite the fact that he’s rarely taken seriously.

Even though most people seem to think of him as a punchline, Tyrion continues to soldier on and do what he knows need to be done. Both leaders and leaders-to-be should take note of the fact that the littlest Lannister was the one who saved the day with his secret Wild Fire plan when Stannis Baratheon attacked King’s Landing.

Like Tyrion, you may not be the head honcho in your company, but that shouldn’t stop you from addressing the big questions and stepping up to offer ideas. It wasn’t really in his job description, but Tyrion worked behind the scenes to solve a problem he saw coming. Though you should be careful not to step on your superiors’ toes, you shouldn’t stay quiet if you have something potentially genius to add to the conversation.

Jaime Lannister: Do Pay Your Debts

Up until the end of Season 3, the handsome Kingslayer seemed nearly as evil as his little nephew/son, Joffrey. But, after all, “a Lannister always pays his debts.” What finally saves Jaime from the audience’s eternal hatred is his relationship with Brienne of Tarth. They are both witness to one another’s horrible suffering at the hands of a group from House Bolton, which builds a sort of bond between them. She cares for him after he has his hand cut off and comforts him after an emotional breakdown over the real events of the infamous king slaying.

After he’s set free, he sees Brienne being made to fight a bear. He could very well let her die, but he steps in and rescues her. Leaders would do well to be inspire by the Lannisters’ commitment to paying their debts. You should keep a mental log of all those who have saved your hide in difficult situations. No matter how high you rise in the ranks, never hesitate to repay these past favors when you can, regardless of whether or not it benefits you now.

Rob Stark: Don’t Break a Promise

Rob Stark’s demise is, arguably, the most difficult and heart-wrenching turn of events in the show thus far. When Rob, his wife, his men and his noble mother Catelyn are all summarily slaughtered by the vindictive Walder Frey at the infamous Red Wedding, we suddenly understand the high price of breaking a promise. To gain access to a valuable bridge, Rob promised to marry one of Frey’s numerous daughters. We must remember that Rob was a mere hormone-addled teenager who forgot his promise as soon as he laid eyes on the comely Talisa. But the fact that Rob can’t keep a promise has far-reaching consequences that will likely reverberate for years to come.

The lesson for leaders is that your word should be gold, because once it’s tarnished, there’s no going back. In business, many agreements are made verbally, and it’s critical that you establish yourself as someone who can be trusted to follow through on a promise. If you continually go back on your word, you and your family may not be slaughtered by a lecherous old man, but your team will lose faith in you, which is nearly as bad.

Joffrey Baratheon: Don’t Demand Respect

“King” Joffrey is probably the most obviously evil character in the story. We certainly have yet to see any redeeming qualities. His title is in quotation marks because he is essentially a figurehead with little real power and no genetic right to possess the Iron Throne. Despite all of this, he is a cruel despot who demands respect merely because of his position. Needless to say, he doesn’t get that respect.

Just because you’re the boss, that doesn’t mean people respect you. And they are certain to despise you if you throw your weight around because of your authority. No one likes a power trip, least of all those who work beneath you. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Joffrey comes across as a petulant, laughable puppet because of his failure to listen to those around him. His fear of appearing weak prevents him from becoming strong. As a leader, you should wear your authority with grace and quiet strength — true leaders rarely need to shout about their power.

Ned Stark: Don’t Act Without a Plan

Dear, noble Eddard Stark was the first beloved character to be taken from us, and all because of his unwavering honor and honesty. Of course we admire Ned for his willingness to publicly reject Joffrey’s unlawful claim to the throne, but we also see that he kind of brought that beheading on himself — did he really think Joffrey would stand for such blatant treason? Ned would have been wise, instead, to keep his knowledge under wraps until he had a solid plan and a group of allies at the ready.

There will certainly be conflicts in which you are positively sure you’re right. But, before you rally against your opponent, you should consider how doing so might make you vulnerable. Don’t let your passion or emotions run away with you before you’ve thought things through. Instead, play the situation out in your head before leaping to action. You just might find it’s best to wait it out and do a bit more preparation before starting a crusade. Think how different Ned’s fate would have been different had he waited.

The beauty of Game of Thrones is that almost every character has a somewhat ambiguous morality — the best have significant flaws and the worst have saving graces. While their problems may be quite foreign to us, their underlying qualities and internal struggles are very similar to our own.

As a leader in your realm, you can certainly learn a few valuable lessons from the best and the worst leaders of Westeros. And, as you watch the new season, keep your eye out for both the tragic errors that lead to one’s downfall and the shining examples of leadership that inspire you to do better.

What has Westeros taught you about leadership in your own life? Share in the comments!

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