Working in a cube farm since I was 18 years, Apple TV’s ‘Severance’ has spoken to me in ways I can’t even fathom. In this GovLoop post, I circle back and touch base on the team cohesioness the characters in Severance display and how that has helped them escape the doom loop reality of Lumon Industries.

The post Lessons Learned in Team Cohesion: The... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

*This blog post has since been removed from GovLoop, so I’m sharing the original blog post below.

Upon watching Star Wars’ ‘Acolyte’ I noticed how disjointed and chaotic the High Republic operated a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Enjoy these organizational management lessons the force awakened in me by watching this series.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, a new Star Wars series, “The Acolyte” portrays the late years of the High Republic. And as with any governmental body or organization, the management of such an entity encounters challenges in effective leadership. Disney+’s “The Acolyte” is no exception with plenty of lessons learned throughout the series. Here are four organizational management lessons I learned from watching that can help organizations avoid common operational pitfalls.

Spoiler alert: This blog post contains various plot details for “The Acolyte”. Turn back if you have a bad feeling about this.

Effective Decision-Making

According to Gallup, one in four (24%) managers strongly agree their peers make well-thought-out decisions. The study also shares how decisions should be made using a holistic view starting with the “Foundation” dimension.

In “The Acolyte” the “Foundation” pillar was overlooked as Jedi Master, Vernestra Rwoh, failed to stick to the original mission of the plot, which was to find and apprehend the assailant that was eliminating Jedis. Instead, the original purpose of the mission continued to shift as she was persuaded by her counterpart, Jedi Sol. As a result, certain required protocols weren’t followed and reports to chain of command weren’t made. This created an unstable situation which caused further casualties and lack of awareness.  Effective decision-making best practices were not enforced nor transparent.

Transparency

A symptom of poor decision-making in “The Acolyte” is a lack of transparency. A study conducted by Slack shares that over 80% of workers want a better understanding of how decisions are made with half of employees surveyed in the Edelman Trust Barometer stating they don’t trust their boss.

As the season progresses in “The Acolyte” a lack of transparency leads down a path where Jedi Masters Vernestra and Sol withhold information from the Jedi High Council on of the status of their mission. This creates a lack of accountability and eventual investigations by the Galactic Senate into the operations of the Jedi Order. Providing transparency about the prime cause of the Jedi casualties also stemmed from Jedi Sol not sharing complete information after a mission gone wrong 16 years prior. This, over time, resulted in the current threat to the Jedi Order during the series.

After Action Reviews

The lack of transparency with the Jedi High Order and Galactic Senate could have been avoided if Jedi Sol and his team wrote an honest, good ‘ol fashion, After Action Review following their failed mission to Brendok, 16 years prior. According to Harvard Business Review, After Action Reviews were developed by the U.S. Army in the 1970s to chronicle failed operations and how to make sure future failures don’t happen again. In the early 2000s they became a common tool with outside organizations.

Probably the most crucial recommendation the Harvard Business Review study implores organizations to commit with After Action Reports is to “tell the whole story”. In “The Acolyte” it was this lack of full storytelling that hid the true events of the failed mission on Brendok where the two young “Force-sensitive” twins, Osha and Mae, were separated without either knowing the fate of the other for sixteen years. It was also the Jedi High Council’s failure of not requiring a thorough account of the events that took place. They simply took the Jedi team’s word and moved on. Do or do not complete an After Action Report. There is no try.

Team Appreciation

One final organizational management lesson learned from “The Acolyte” is the importance of appreciating the small contributions from other team members. Based on another study by Harvard Business Review, recognizing employee’s contributions is key to not letting them feel isolated from the larger organization or other team members.

Intended for comic relief, two characters in “The Acolyte” that routinely provide support to advance the investigation of Mae’s crimes are Pip, a droid, and Bazil, a tracker (who basically appears as an adorable otter with posable thumbs and stumpy legs). However, no genuine appreciation is given to them despite their honorable contributions. I find their lack of appreciation for them disturbing.

May the Force be with you in applying these organizational management concepts to your day-to-day operations. The full season of “The Acolyte” is now streaming on Disney+.

The post Star Wars’ ‘Acolyte’ and Organizational Management... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

Imagine watching a show that is giving “Who Moved My Cheese” but with a billionaire hyper-dysfunctional family of elites. Well, that’s what “Succession” is like. Check out my post for GovLoop that explores the ways the Roy family master negotiation styles to achieve their goals.

The post Negotiation Styles Used in Max Series,... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some done green gamma-infused skin like She-Hulk and a briefcase. Find out how a lawyer-by-day and superhero-by-night can help use learn work-life balance techniques in this GovLoop post I penned.

The post Work-Life Balance Tips from “She-Hulk: Attorney... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

The OG girl boss always will be Miranda Priestly from ‘the Devil Wears Prada’. I recently was re-watching the movie on syndication for the 1,616th time and began to view it in a different light. Maybe Miranda was right all along (in some ways) on how to manage an organization.

Read my Govloop post on some important lessons we can fashion from the iconic Miranda Priestly.

The post 5 Management Lessons From ‘The Devil... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

The post GovLoop Post: “Hocus Pocus’ Sanderson Sisters... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

October 31, 2019

One of the phrases that always makes my eye twitch is…”performance review.” If you’re like me and can’t help have some (healthy) anxiety whenever it’s that time of year, read my latest GovLoop post. I share ways you can help mitigate the annual anxiety that comes along with performance review season.

The post GovLoop Post: 5 Tips to Ensure... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

September 18, 2018

I have no shame in admitting that I am absolutely one of those people who has wasted many a Saturday relentlessly playing Fortinte. So it should come as no surprise that I pondered how this battle royale game mimicked other scenarios within the workplace. Read my latest GovLoop post to find out how.Saturday relentlessly playing Fortinte. So it should come as no surprise that I pondered how this battle royale game mimicked other scenarios within the workplace. Read my latest GovLoop post to find out how.

The post GovLoop Post: Fortnite Lessons for the... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

September 7, 2017

With one more season left of the HBO fantasy-drama series, “Game of Thrones,” I take a look into what kinds of leadership styles characters Cersei Lannister, Jon Snow, and Daenerys Targaryen rule with up until season 7. Head over to GovLoop to read more.

The post GovLoop Post: Leadership Styles from Game... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.

House of Card fans and Workplace Leadership enthusiasts should check out my latest featured GovLoop post that was published this past week on “7 Leadership Lessons from House of Cards’ Claire Underwood.” Your readership and comments are greatly appreciated!

The post GovLoop Post: 7 Leadership Lessons from... appeared first on Lion's Roar Marketing.