5 Leadership Tips From ABC's "Lost": Jack Shephard

I still hate the fact that Lost is not on TV anymore.  Running for six seasons on ABC, Lost quickly became an American classic by mixing drama, action, and mystery into one successful TV show.  Jack Shephard, the main character, quickly emerges as the leader of the castaways.  Whether you love him, hate him, or have mixed emotions about him, Jack uses his decision making and strategic planning to take on a role that few want or are capable of possessing.  Even with his flaws, Jack provides five major traits that are a necessity to be a successful leader (some a similar).

Decisions & Actions: 

There are many times over the course of Lost where a decision must be made immediately.  Live on the beach or at the caves? Go after Michael or let him wander alone?  Trust Juliet as an Other or not?  Whether he made the right or wrong decision in hindsight, Jack was the only one that stepped up at the time to make it.  He made a choice and stuck with it.  While Jack does not always adapt his strategy to changing situations or admit that he is wrong, he does do his best to make his choice work.  He works hard and he dedicates himself to his strategy.  Whether you succeed or fail, you need to make a decision and dedicate yourself to getting the end result you want.

What Jack Does Wrong: If you are at the point of no return, do not be blinded by trying to finish just so you can be right. Let down your ego, analyze the situation, and attack with a new strategy.

Puts Others First:

Jack does what any good leader should do, he puts others first.  He took blood out of his own body to try save Boone.  He sacrificed himself to let Kate and Sawyer escape the Others.  He eventually takes the role as protector of the island.  The goal of a successful leader is to be selfless.  This does not mean that you do not finish your own tasks or let the quality of your work suffer.  Instead, you add on the work to your schedule or place it in times when you can afford it.  In the business world, this is dealing with clients, co-workers, or interns.  Sometimes we have to cover for an account manager that needs help with a deadline.  We may need to work late nights to get a new campaign ready for a client.  Regardless of your relationship to the person, you need to make sure to put their interests above your own. 

What Jack Does Wrong: Jack can put others first so much that he sacrifices his time and health.  Do not always appear to have everything together; realize that it is okay to take time for yourself and to show that you are not perfect.

Promote Unity:

When Jack and the castaways realize that help is not coming for them, they try to live on their own.  This is when Jack gives a motivational speech with the key phrase "If we don't live together, then we will die alone".  This phrase carries over to any business or team.  Whether your office has six people or five hundred, you must be united.  You must have good organizational communication and strive for the same goals.  A leader helps establish these goals, taking time and effort to communicate with each member of the team they are overseeing.  They also must be able to facilitate tasks for efficiently and effectively.
What Jack Does Wrong: Jack tries to unify the group underneath him for a cause, but does not always facilitate.  Taking on a heavy load is fine and sometimes needed, but it can't be done consistently.  It can wear a person down to the point where they are not effective.

Plan Strategically:

Jack had a plan of how to protect his camp from Ethan.  He later had another detailed plan of how to defeat the Others.  Every great leader has great ideas.  They must be able to weigh all possible outcomes: all successes and all failures.  A leader must play the role of the devil's advocate, whether the ideas come from themselves or others.  Question everything and make sure that the plan has no glaring or underlying issues or flaws.  Another key component of a strategic planner is to analyze and evaluate.  Being able to read previous research and convert it into useful information will give them insight into the future success of their plan.  In the business world this may be looking at competitors, pricing, or consumer trends.
What Jack Does Wrong:
Jack rarely shows the ability to improvise.  Many times over the course of the show, Jack has his plan, and when something changes, he cannot adapt.  This is very similar to deciding and taking action, but Jack's ego is not involved.

Inspiration/Morale:

Jack is a source of hope for those stranded on the island.  They know that he will give his best in planning, fighting the Others, or trying to save their lives through his medical training.  He provides hope in a hopeless place.  A true leader must be willing to go to bat for his team.  They must be able to trust him and know that he will provide in the clutch.  A leader can motivate his team, inspire belief in his clients, and encourage an intern to learn more about the business.  If the work environment is a happy place and morale is high, then the work will be better and get done quicker.