Career Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead

After great anticipation, Walking Dead fans were treated recently to the mid-season premiere.  It is no surprise that this drama is so popular. As you might have guessed, there are career lessons to be gleaned from the series. As you watch the post-apocalyptic battle of the undead and survivors unfold, see you if you can take some career advice. Here is my top-five list of Walking Dead career lessons.

Good Leaders Stay Connected, Objective, and on Task

Rick, the sometimes reluctant and sometimes foolhardy leader, provides ample advice in the category of, “What not to do.”  At times, he made brutal decisions to keep his band of survivors alive. Then there are occasions when his jealousy, his ego, and the death of his wife interfere. Lives are lost when Rick mentally checks-out and the group become aimless. More lives are lost when he gets in a battle of egos with the infamous Governor.  Ironically, the Governor had many of the same leadership flaws.

If you are in a leadership role, whether it is as CEO or a project leader, you must be focused on the needs of the organization and stay connected. Ego drive and personal feelings will only distract you from your objectives. You and your team will suffer.

Your Past Will Indicate Your Future Success

As the leader Rick asked these three questions before allowing anyone to stay at his camp, “How many walkers have you killed? How many people have you killed? Why?” It was his way of sizing up the candidate. If a potential camp member never killed a walker, he may not strong enough to pull his weight. The questions about killing living people indicate the candidate’s judgment and ability to get along with others. 

In your career, you will be asked similar questions. Your job may not be to clear a building of a walker, but you may need to clean up thousands of dollars in past-due receivables. Are you up for the task? If you are a sales person, the interviewer will want to know how much revenue you have generated for your last company. Your career history, especially your accomplishments, is the best predictor of your future success.

You Must Be Valuable to the Team

There have been a couple of camp members that were less valuable. At some point, these members had to be trained to step up to carry their weight. If they could not efficiently loot a store, perform intense first aid (like an amputation), or fight off a swarm of walkers, they may not deserve a place at camp. Face it, the camp only needs a limited number of people to cook and do laundry.

This same concept applies to the workplace. The strongest contributors will earn the coveted assignments, the promotions, and higher compensation. On a daily basis, pull your weight and prove your value.

Improvisational Skills Are Necessary

The survivors on The Walking Dead are experts at improvisation. A couple of examples are Michonne’s “pet” zombies that help her safely navigate the woods or Hershel’s use of berries to decrease the spread of the sickness that invaded the prison camp.

Workplace survivors know how to improvise when necessary. This may not require making a fire without matches. Workers who can think on the fly, change direction quickly, and solve problems under pressure will excel.

The Emotionally Intelligent Will Thrive

Andrea, while she was tough, had a history of making emotionally-charged bad decisions. She joined up with the Governor rather than listening to her trusted ally, Michonne. She shot Daryl to prove she was a good marksman, even when she was warned repeatedly not to fire.  It is no wonder that Andrea was an outcast and eventually met her demise.

Emotional intelligence may be the most under-rated workplace skill.  It is important to manage your stress level and control your emotions.  Emotionally intelligent employees form mutually beneficial relationships, make sound decisions, and create a balanced life, resulting in success and admiration.

Perhaps, you do not need to defend your company from flesh-eating zombies. However, you can enhance your career by learning from the failures and triumphs of The Walking Dead survivors.