5 Tips on Leadership from Frank & Claire Underwood

Frank and Claire Underwood are a couple on Netflix's House of Cards you don’t want to cross. They’re brilliant, ruthless and absolutely scary! If you can get past the lying, murder and mayhem, you can learn a few great lessons in leadership from these two.

Have you seen House of Cards on Netflix? I LOVE that show. It’s right up my alley with suspense, intellect and the occasional murder. The main characters Frank and Claire Underwood are a couple you don’t want to cross. They’re brilliant, ruthless and absolutely scary!

I am definitely a binge watcher of the show and have been since the show started two seasons ago. It’s important to note that just about everything Frank and Claire do is done with insincerity, coldness and sometimes cruelty. That’s not what I’m advocating. But as I watched the evil power couple strive for domination in the D.C. political machine, I noticed that if you can get past the lying, murder and mayhem, you can learn a few great lessons in leadership from Frank and Claire:

Stay focused on the big picture – Don’t let the little thing derail you. Frank and Claire don’t sweat the small stuff. And they don’t let trivial things prevent them from working with people who can help them achieve their ultimate goals.
Make strategic alliances – Be strategic about the connections you make and the relationships you build as you work to grow your business. There were no casual relationships in Frank and Claire’s world. It’s ok to do a little research via Linked In or other channels before you reach out to a new connection. How can they help you? How can you help them?
Bring only a few into your confidence – The only people that know the full extent of Frank and Claire’s plans are Frank and Claire. Bring a few trusted advisors into your confidence but make your own decisions.
Get good at reading people and situations – Spend some time listening and observing. Frank and Claire are great observers. They understand what motivates the people around them and they use that information to move their vision forward.
Be a servant leader – Help other people get the things they want. A great John Maxwell quote is “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. Frank and Claire constantly help people get the things they want, which often results in positive movement toward their greater vision.