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Tune In to Wow Leadership

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Tune In to Wow Leadership

10 Lessons Learned from America’s Favorite Shows

Greenleaf Book Group,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

American TV series present fascinating examples of good and bad leadership qualities in action.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Sheri Staak examines examples of good and bad leadership traits in action, using characters and plotlines from America’s favorite TV shows. She discusses NCIS, Homeland, The Simpsons, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and many others. Most real-life leaders fall somewhere in the middle on the spectrum from great (“WOW”) to terrible (“DUD”), but Staak’s choices illustrate the extremes. She covers rotten bad guys, like The Simpsons’s evil boss Monty Burns. She admires the leadership traits of better-than-gold good guys, such as cop-show heroes Leroy Jethro Gibbs of NCIS and Steve McGarrett of Hawaii 5-0. She explains that good leaders demonstrate honesty, authenticity, humility, respect for others, and a desire to constantly learn and improve. But the duds are narcissistic, egotistical bullies, who are quick to blame others and can’t communicate. Despite her simplistic premise, readers who like TV will enjoy Staak’s approach. Those not vested in American TV series may have difficulty with her references. getAbstract recommends Staak’s lessons to managers, supervisors and pop-culture fans who’d enjoy finding some actual information amid the merriment and mayhem of television.

Summary

Good Guys and Bad Guys

Fictional narratives on TV depict both good leaders and bad leaders in action in a variety of settings. Good leaders include New York City police commissioner Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods and the approachable but decisive commander Bill Adama of Battlestar Galactica. Villains, megalomaniacs and bullies abound among the bosses on TV, including Monty Burns, Homer’s evil boss on The Simpsons, the ego-driven Michael Scott on The Office and the morally challenged lawyer Patty Hewes on Damages.

Most real-life leaders fall between two extremes. “WOW” leaders on TV provide positive examples, work hard, and have self-assurance and optimistic attitudes. “DUD” leaders are egotistical, dishonest and manipulative bullies who blame others. Bad leaders seek money, power and status at others’ expense.

The 10 Traits of Wow Leaders

Television programs show viewers that great leaders share 10 qualities:

  1. They are “honest and trustworthy.”
  2. They are “humble and respectful.”
  3. They are “dedicated to self-improvement.”
  4. They are “authentic...

About the Author

Sheri Staak, who blogs about leadership on The STAAK Report, often mentors young professionals. She was a vice president at Pharmacia, Pfizer and the former Upjohn Company.

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