What The Crown can teach us about leadership.
Spoiler alert: if you haven’t made it through episode five, you probably don’t want to read this yet.
There is true leadership gold to be found in the Netflix TV series The Crown. The first time I tried to watch it I only made it through the first episode but then my husband and I hit January and were looking for something to do while in quarantine. Lo and behold, we found The Crown again.
Whether or not you follow the monarchy and/or believe in it, there are some amazing lessons to be learned from watching Queen Elizabeth II develop into her own personal power and leadership. For this article, I am only concerned with the actual show, not with how closely it resembles the truth.
There are times in the show during her development where I am willing her to go own her power. To march up to someone and give them holy hell.
But then we find out that she doesn’t have all the information she needs to make a logical (and yes, even rational) decision. That there are reasons behind what her advisors are telling her.
Research the other perspectives.
Just like being in real-world leadership, whether you are managing five front-line staff people or leading multiple units in a corporation, when you are moving fast, and working hard, there are often times when leaders jump to the wrong conclusions. They make hasty decisions when they don’t know all of the facts, perspectives, and reasons for things that are being done.
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t trust your gut. Nor does it mean that we should just trust blindly. No, on the contrary.
Get curious.
Instead, you need to research the other side’s perspectives. To truly listen to what they are saying.
If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room. — Confucius
Again, I’m not saying to trust blindly.
You should go in and question the authority that is making the decisions.
In episode five, Queen Elizabeth II storms down to her secretary’s office to defy a decision he made behind her back only to find out there is wise reasoning to support what he’s doing.
So many times, we as leaders, focus on the what without finding out the why.
No matter the situation, It always deserves a conversation to discern the facts and more importantly to create shared knowledge of why decisions are being made. And vice versa. Unless you believe in a true dictatorship, you need to share with others where your decisions are coming from and why you made them.
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. — Simon Sinek
Give your people the why.
This has bitten me in the butt more times than not at work when I send out an email and people don’t know where I’m coming from. When you’re on either side it doesn’t feel good, so it’s best to pick up the phone or walk over in person and have a face-to-face Conversation.
During this time of Covid that can be extremely difficult as many of us are now faced with working from home. But the remote technology possibilities are abundant all around us. It is amazing how much more you can feel on a zoom call than you can on a telephone call.
So while I am not condoning the fact that we should always believe what the other person thinks and is saying, it does warrant questioning to come up with a shared truth.
Even famous leaders deal with imposter syndrome.
Another part of that same episode is when she’s dealing with her own version of imposter syndrome.
In the episode, she realizes that she never received the typical education that most people get. Because of this she feels she can’t take part in conversations about science, philosophy, and literature. So she hires a tutor.
As with any good TV or movie story line, the tutor teaches her much more about herself than just the subjects at hand.
Trust where you are and how you got here.
It is always important to try and better ourselves which is what she was originally doing when she hired the tutor. But what’s more important as a leader is trusting why we are where we are and how we got there.
I still deal with impostor syndrome. It doesn’t go away, that feeling that you shouldn’t take me that seriously. What do I know? I share that with you because we all have doubts in our abilities, about our power and what that power is. — Michelle Obama
Many times in leadership we find ourselves in a new position, circumstance, or opportunity only to start to doubt that we are qualified enough to be there. What she learns is what many of us need to learn about imposter syndrome.
There is no way we can know everything.
But what we do know, we need to trust.
Know who you are talking to.
One last leadership lesson in the episode is that at times you need to adjust your leadership style depending on who you are dealing with.
In the episode she does end up standing her ground and getting firm with the Prime Minister and his second in command. She gives both of them a formal dressing down.
However, it is in two very different ways.
Both equally effective according to that person and their style. This is much like Gary Chapman’s amazing work around people and their preferred love language. People respond differently to different feedback, motivation and gestures. Knowing this bit of insight will make you an amazing leader.
At the end of the day, the number one piece of advice I constantly give myself and other leaders is this: ask lots of questions.
Be humble. Surround yourself with smart people and realize there is no way you can possibly know it all.
