Posted by With the eight and final season of Game of Thrones coming to an end, there are great career lessons that we can pick from various prominent characters in the show throughout the series. Now while climbing up your career is not exactly a do or die scenario, there are certainly key lessons that you can adapt to your daily work life.
“You want to lead one day? Well, learn how to follow.”
Jeor Mormont was the 997th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch is capable of recognising and reward individuals based on their talents. He sees potential in Jon Snow and appoints him as his personal steward to groom him for command. This also true in the working field were to be a good leader, one must learn to be a good follower first. Being a follower is a skill on its own, some of the qualities include:
- maintaining your ego
- forming a strong credibility
- commitment toward a purpose
- placing their best effort for maximum impact
- support and help each other
“I’m not particularly good at violence. But I’m good at convincing others to do violence for me.”
Tyrion Lannister is the Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen and a highly intelligent man who recognised from an early age that his mind was his greatest weapon. Due to his superior intellect, he is able to get the better of those who underestimated him. Tyrion certainly knows how to convince a person and bring them to his point of view. Anyone can be good at persuasive and it’s a coveted skill in the workplace. Some of the approaches include:
- be considerate and listen to others first
- be supportive to others
- be credible
- be willing to compromise
“I’m a slow learner. It’s true. But I learn.”
Sansa Stark is the lady of Winterfell and well versed in politics and court due to experience from her traumatic experiences. Her sufferings have made her stronger and more mature shortly holding the title “Lady of Winterfell.” Being a slow learner often signify that you end up getting deeper into a subject in order to truly understand it. Similar to walking to the destination instead of taking a shortcut slow learners usually notice more things and appreciate it. As a slow learner, Sansa is capable of critically analysing and exploring a subject more in-depth while taking the opportunity to learn new things along the way.
“A bruise is a lesson and each lesson makes u better.”
Arya Stark is a trained assassin and uses her skills to avenge those who wronged her family. Throughout her journey, she endures a constant stream of loss and trauma where her loved ones got taken away one by one. With her time spent with ruthless people such as “the Hound” and the “Faceless Men.” That is the point where she gets to learn things the hard way to see the world are not quite so simple always as black and white. Every mistake or loss is a learning opportunity to help you:
- admit your mistakes and own them
- treat feedback as a gift
- adopt new habits
- plan things ahead
- making a mistake once is normal
“Any man who must say, I am the king, is no true king.”
Lord Tywin Lannister was the Hand of the King and the head of House Lannister. He always sought to promote the interests of his family despite known for his cunning and calculating demeanour. He is a firm believer that true power resides from where people believe it comes from and not from those who says they deserve it. Leaders are followed based on the collective will and that requires trust. A trusted leader possess traits such as:
- open to sharing knowledge
- keeping your promises
- get to know people personally who trust you
- be transparent
- admit to mistakes and share credit for those who deserved it
“The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.”
Lord Eddard Stark, also known as Ned Stark was the head of House Stark and the Lord of Winterfell. As a man of principle and possessing a sense of duty, he believes that one should take the responsibility to initiate any task especially if it is a consequence of one’s own decision. Accepting responsibility is not only the proper thing to do, but it will pave long-term dividends than you can now imagine.
What is your key lesson in Game of Thrones? Leave us your thoughts or suggestions on the comment sections below. Head over to Jobstore.com and unveil your next job opportunity.
You Jing is a content writer who writes career and lifestyle contents to inspire job seekers and employers alike on their journey to work-life balance, empowerment and transformation in their career path.
Reach me at youjing@jobstore.com