It’s handled! Here are the leadership lessons we learned while watching Olivia Pope brush shoulders with high-profile clients on the hit TV show, Scandal
Scandal was a TV show that rocked its fans (myself included) to the core every week when it first hit the screens in 2012. First, we had a black woman on our screens handling tough situations and making big moves in the White House. This served as motivation enough to push young women everywhere to believe they could also smash those glass ceilings.
Second, Miss Pope’s team of gladiators at Olivia Pope and Associates (OPA) were willing to literally ride or die for her. I mean how much more loyal can you get? When your employees are willing to kill and do pretty much anything else for you because they truly believe in your vision, that’s a team you keep around.
Third, and probably the most scandalous element of the show - Olivia Pope is doing something she’s not supposed to be doing with the President of the United States! I won’t give away too much but I’ll leave you to find out for yourself.
Anyway back to the matter at hand. Olivia Pope exuded confidence and great leadership, which made her a no-nonsense go-getter. So what was the secret sauce that made “The Fixer” so good at this leadership thing? And I’m not talking about the wine…
We asked a couple of professionals to share the leadership lessons they got from Scandal. First off, we have Judy Wanjiku Muchiri, the People Operations Specialist at Fuzu. Below are the leadership lessons she learned from the show.
Lesson #1 - Be a fixer
Regardless of the situation Olivia Pope always found ways to get a solution to any problem. She would use anything and anyone at her disposal to ensure that a problem was fixed.
This applies to my career as a People's Ops Specialist since a lot of expectations of my role are around finding solutions or fixes for arising matters that Fuzulets have. To be in a position where you are expected to find solutions that alleviate people's problems requires taking ownership of my role and moving hell and heaven to get the job done! Just like Olivia Pope.
Lesson #2 - Always be presentable
One of the outstanding things that I loved about Olivia was her distinctive wardrobe. Her outfits were in a class of their own and when she entered a room she would command attention. Same with Melly (to some degree).
As a leader, I think it is very important to be presentable to your staff and your clients. It is a show of respect for clients, a representation of how you want to be perceived, and an understanding of the environment you are walking into. OP was going to the "White House" constantly. You have to look the part. Humans are naturally visual beings and our first unconscious bias is to judge people off their looks. Wouldn't it be nice to just stay sharp and let the focus shift to the job without worrying about your looks?
Lesson #3 - Be considerate
There is always this comment that "Everyone is fighting some battle that we don't know about." Whether you are a president leading a nation, a wife scorned, or a forbidden love, the statement applies. Almost every cast member on Scandal was going through a situation that the rest of the people didn't know, even those closest to them.
As a leader, you hold the keys to guiding and serving your subordinates and it is your responsibility to make the workplace feel safe. How you talk to your employees and treat them is very important as work might be their escape from their problems. Don't create more.
Lesson #4 - Hire an A+ team
The right team is crucial to any business. If you have the right team that knows how to "get the job done" you are bound to run a strong business.
The Gladiators at OPA included a collection of people from all walks of life with different skills that they brought to the table. They received instructions and went ahead to do what they do best. Whether it is being creative in solving problems or taking risks that pay off (or not), the situation had to be handled. At the end of the day, OP's firm looked good because she had a strong team backing her up.
Next up, we have Lillian Nerima, an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya currently practicing at Bahati Mwamuye & Associates Advocates. She shared her key takeaways on leadership from Scandal.
Lesson #1- Trust your team to get the job done
One of the first leadership lessons I got from Olivia Pope in Scandal was that even though she maintained leadership with her team, she still empowered them to act on her behalf. Olivia did not have to micro-manage because she knew she could trust her gladiators in suits to ALWAYS get the job done. She selected each person on her OPA team carefully because of their unique set of skills. For this reason, Olivia always knew that even if she wasn’t around she had created a workplace where they had the freedom to use their expertise to handle any scandal that was brought to their table.
This brings me to my next point:
Lesson #2 - Look beyond each person’s flaws to see their value
When hiring her team, Olivia Pope made sure she knew every single mistake they had made in their past. If you watch the show, you’ll see that all her gladiators in suits had a checkered past, which in the professional world might not even have gotten you through to the interview stage. Everyone has made mistakes in the past, but if their skills and capabilities are good, it might be worth looking past their past. You’re making an investment by choosing this person based on their skill set and it will end up paying off long-term. This is probably why her OPA team was so loyal to her - because she saw the good in them when no one else could.
And what was my takeaway from the show, you may ask?
Be authentic
When you are not presenting your true self to the world and your team, it will always show, and you will come off as a fraud. And no one ever trusts someone who is a fraud or seems like one. By this, I mean use your judgment when it comes to the information you share with your team, especially if it relates to them and the organization.
Once you start keeping vital secrets from them and wait until it’s too late to do so, they will lose all trust in you after that. If you withhold information that could impact the organization and the team dynamic they will start questioning your leadership as well. Being open by sharing your authentic self (that’s right, even your strengths and weaknesses) can make you more approachable and favorable to your people.
Even though Scandal concluded years ago, we still look back on the show with a fondness for all the lessons it taught us and the drama it gave us. In fact, I just finished rewatching it a month ago and it still feels as fresh and relevant as it did back in 2012. It’s definitely worth giving a try if you haven’t yet, trust me.
Let us know what leadership lessons you got from the show in the comments below.
