Recently my husband and I started watching The Walking Dead. Yes, I know we’re a little late to the party, but better late than never right? So far, we’re pretty hooked on to the show, but aside from great entertainment The Walking Dead can teach us a few lessons on leadership. Granted, most of what we see in TWD is useful in the apocalyptic event of having to fight off zombie herds, but some can be applied to everyday life as well 🙂 .

1. A leader isn’t Superman.
   
   The Walking Dead starts off by showing us the whereabouts of Rick Grimes, who eventually becomes the leader of a group of survivors. You come to find out that Rick had just come out of a coma, was extremely weak, alone, and to top it all off, he had absolutely no idea what was happening – imagine wandering the streets by yourself to then be greeted by a “dead” human-being trying to eat you! Nevertheless, along his journey Rick encounters friends and family who help him get on his feet and help him survive.

   Sometimes we have the misconception that a leader is supposed to be able to do it all, handle it all, and do a perfect job at it. The reality is that leaders need help too; leaders need the support of colleagues/friends/family in order to do a good job. When our leaders are struggling, it is in the team’s best interest to offer them help in any way possible. However, when the team decides to judge and criticize instead, everyone takes a step backwards. If you’re trying to become a good leader yourself, know that it’s OK to ask for help.

2. Leaders make mistakes.
   

   Rick Grimes didn’t always make the right call. The first mistake he made was riding on a horse into a zombie-infested city, where he became completely trapped and was later rescued by a stranger named Glenn, who eventually welcomes Rick into the team that he will later lead. Rick also (arguably) makes some other bad calls that affect the whole team, but nevertheless they all continue to pull together.

   Sometimes, even with help, a leader might make a bad decision. To expand on the previous point, we have to remember that we are all human, and what comes with this great trait is that we will make mistakes. Once mistakes are made, the four important things to keep in mind are:

   1. What do we do to fix it? 2. What can we learn from it? 3. How do we keep from making this mistake again? 4. How can we be better prepared in the future if it does happen again?

3. Good leaders know how to delegate.
   

   In Rick’s group everyone had a job to do. There was a period of time where Rick actually stepped back into a “farming lifestyle” while others took on bigger responsibilities. Rick was going through some personal issues himself, which made him take a breather from his “leadership role,” and he let others handle that part of the workload. (Of course, when you watch the show and see what happens later, you may or may not feel that this was a good call, but for the purpose of this peace we’ll focus on the positive).

   Having a leadership role is a big responsibility.  At one point or another we all experience burn-out, expressing it through frustration and sometimes even physical illness. It’s good for leaders to take a break every now and again to reboot, and they should be able to do so with the support of their peers. It can’t always just be “go, go, go, Go!” If you’re going through a rough time, but feel guilty about taking a breather, know that you’re not a robot and it’s OK to refresh – after all, how would you expect to kill zombies if you’re all worn out?

4. Good leaders have to make tough decisions.

   
   In TWD there were numerous times where Rick had to make a tough call in which everyone was not in total agreement, or one he had to make completely on his own. One of Rick’s best friends, for example, attempted to get rid of him for good, and so Rick had to make the decision of defending himself and others – thus taking his best friend’s life.

   So, in the real world (thankfully!) making a tough call doesn’t involve the gruesome tasks that are required to survive a zombie attack. Nevertheless, there will be times when leaders have to make a decision that not everyone is going to like – it comes with the job. Although a leader ought to care for his people, they’re not necessarily required to be best friends. It’s kind of like parenting: you love your kids, but you’re their parent, not their buddy. If you’re afraid to make a tough decision for your group, always ask for help if possible, but know that there will be times where you have to make the tough call. And, as peers, it is always best to be respectful of a leader’s decision before declaring (like Rick’s best friend did), “I am a better man than you” – as you will come to find out, pride comes before the fall.

Bringing it all together

We are all leaders in one way or another, and we all have leaders to follow in one aspect or another. When it comes to leadership, just know this:

                   A leader is a human with a job to do, not a robot with a programmed task.

To our leaders we owe our respect, support, and understanding. As leaders we owe our peers responsibility, trust, and care. Who knew The Walking Dead had so much to teach besides the best way to kill zombies? If you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, I would definitely recommend this enticing thriller as your next binge marathon on Netflix. Although, you may want to watch it well before going to sleep – I’ve had several zombie attack nightmares since we started watching it… but totally worth it!

Featured Image Credit: Casey Florig – The Walking Dead Season 5 trailer screenshots

Written by Nayadee Wilson