5 Strong Female Leaders from TV to draw Inspiration from

Introduction
What is a good leadership example?
What are some examples of leadership?
Conclusion

Introduction

Did you know watching TV equals research time if you learn something useful from the show you are watching? For instance: we specifically watched a few TV shows with inspiring female characters to draw leadership lessons from.

Before that, let’s understand a good leadership example

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a redefinition of ‘the good leadership example.’ Leaders of various governments and businesses had to change their leadership skills to adapt to these challenging times. While many took decisive actions like imposing complete state/industry lockdown as the first reaction to the pandemic, other thoughtful leaders devised different strategies to minimize the considerable losses that the global pandemic brought about.

What are some examples of leadership?

Interestingly, all major research publications across the globe reported that women-led countries performed better on all parameters, from healthcare to access to basic amenities like rations.

Take the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, for example. On March 21, 2020, in an eight-minute TV statement, she announced a four-level COVID-19 alert system similar to fire risk systems already in use in the country.

Her bold decision supported by the country’s populace who cooperated with their government’s guidelines helped New Zealand tackle the first wave of the pandemic so well that within a couple of weeks, Washington Post headlines read something like this: “New Zealand isn’t just Flattening the Curve. It’s Squashing it.”

This is just one example of an aspiring leader. There are millions of people out there who make some excellent examples of leadership.

While we could cover those real-life examples of leadership in another blog, here we will be looking at five iconic female TV characters who possess inspiring leadership skills:

1. Tokyo (Money Heist)

Money Heist Season 5 is just out. And, we can’t stop thinking of Tokyo’s exemplary leadership in this particular season. Even in her last moments( sorry for the spoilers, but yes, she dies), she is shown with an immovable strength of mind who sacrifices her life to save her friends and the cause her team is fighting for.

Tokyo possesses a resolve with an inclination to take risks and follow them through no matter what the consequences. And, a leader in real life who possesses something of this even in a fraction is a gem that every organization must cherish.

2. Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder)

A smart woman who never lets anything get in the way of work, Annalise has self-possession capabilities of another level. A leader with a no-nonsense attitude, Annalise is unafraid of confronting difficult situations and is yet brilliant. She is every woman leader’s ideal.

As a leader, Annalise possesses a zeal to win in impossible situations. She also takes calculated risks and manipulates difficult work situations to serve her purpose. While that may be a problematic characteristic to imbibe for many, in the real world, a lot of people like to do the same.

3. Miriam Midge (The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel)

Miriam Midge is a cheerful, charismatic woman comedian trying to create a space for herself in the American patriarchal society of the 50s in the TV show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Although she sets examples by mistake, she does take hold of her life and aspires to become a working woman after her husband walks out of their marriage one fine night.

Midge possesses leadership skills of another kind. She comes from a very privileged background and yet possesses empathy and sensitivity to the needs of others and calls out biases that society practices against women. Despite not belonging to the perfect leader’s table, Midge is a humane, intelligent person who deploys a sharp sense of wit in difficult situations, a quality that many leaders can imbibe.

4. Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

Let’s not annoy the Game of Thrones fans here. While many will not agree here with the choice of Daenerys and may prefer Arya Stark, we have our reasons for choosing the former character.

Daenerys’ unshakable will and ‘practice as you preach’ principle are skills that make her a formidable woman character to watch out for. Besides these, she is also passionate and empathetic. All of these qualities are leadership skills to aspire for.

Although the thirst for power does blind her sometimes, Daenerys is an ambitious leader unafraid to break stereotypes and bring forth a new order.

5. Offred (The Handmaid’s Tale)

While many may not picture June ‘Offred’ Osborne as a leader, let’s understand why we have included her in this list. Most understand leaders to be loud, strong, and decisive. And Offred is the exact opposite of this perceived leader type.

She is immensely powerful because her gestures and silences bring more results than a long lecture on leadership would. Offred is also a survivor with an intense empathic sense of fellow feeling for those oppressed in society.

Conclusion

There are many more strong women characters on TV shows and films to take inspiration from. While you may share your go-to inspiration in the comments below, also consider applying lessons you learn from here into your own life. One way of doing this is by enrolling in the Future Leaders Programme (FLP), offered by the prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS) in collaboration with Great Learning.

The course curriculum is designed by Asia’s No 1 Business school through the lens of business managers and leaders and is taught by world-renowned faculty. Want to see what they teach in detail? Click here to read the course curriculum.