Leadership Theory through a Zombie Apocalypse

I have had a chance to look at the different leadership styles and my goal with this post is to enlighten those of the different styles and to use characters from the best show ever (The Walking Dead) to help identify these styles among leaders. It's fair to note that while leadership styles of all sorts exist, I think the key is to be a dynamic leader and be able to approach each situation, person, obstacle as you see fit.... thus I arrived at my DYNAMIC thought process.

People & Task: People and Task theory fall into a similar continuum as all things do. People is highly focused on the idea that everything revolves around the individuals involved in a given task or situation. On the other end of that continuum lies Task orientation. This theory places an emphasis on initiating structure and focusing on end results; production. In other words, "I don't care who does it, it just needs to get done."

Leadership Style: This theory also runs on a similar continuum with an emphasis placed on the decision-making processes. Or the leader's general feelings of autonomy... to give or not to give that is the question.

And lastly X/Y Theory, which is by far my favorite because reflecting on my own experiences as a leader, and coming into organizations where leadership already exists, we've usually done our research and use assumptive techniques based on available data to come to our own conclusions.

Theory X: assumes that individuals are incapable or lack autonomy to exceed on their own. Rather, performance and work must be drilled into them. On the other spectrum, Theory Y suggests that a leader assumes team members' eagerness to work and thrive at given challenges are innate.

Rick: Authoritarian during the first few season, the will to survive and make sure those in his group survive meant its his way, or the highway. As the seasons go, Rick's breakdown as a leader turn him into more delegative, relying heavily on Glenn, Michonne and Hershel for advice and assistance in leading the others. Rick during this new season, seems to have come full circle, embracing emotions that he once bottled up, and the desire to lead "his people" to live and take back the compound. He is a leader by example.

Glenn: Is a combination of both Task and People leadership. His love for Maggie and his parents who he refers to in the newest season as his reason for keeping on really connect to the people aspect. Additionally, his discretion and willingness to help Rick's wife (in early seasons) when she found out she was pregnant was commendable, risking his safety to bring back vitamins and maternal needs. While these strong interpersonal skills exist, his task orientation is equally attributed, and he is not above and task, or killing to survive. However, we do see a intellectual approach to how Glenn handles both people and tasks. Something to be admired.

Daryl: Definitely relates well to Theory X. Raised with just his older brother, who is only in the show briefly, Daryl is accustomed to hard work and that people shouldn't be trusted... well, add post apocalyptic world + zombies and you get the mentality that everyone is out for themselves and there is a general lack of ambition and will to survive. Daryl has a strong, quite presence and rather than asking for help, we see Daryl take responsibility and ownership in everything he does. The general consensus when he and Beth are together is that he views her as weak and incapable of surviving on her own. While his assumptions do lessen as he spends time with these people, Daryl displays high Theory X traits.

Michonne: Demonstrates high task orientation. This I believe is due to the fact that pre zombies she had a loving husband and baby, and then when the disease broke out, she was left alone, losing both of her loved ones. And yes, you could argue that losing a loved one happened to 100% of the cast at one point or another, but task orientation is prominent in Michonne, cutting all emotion and people out of the equation. Her focus on the task, whether on a run for food, or to kill zombies is evident. A clear example of this is when Michonne kills The Governor’s zombie daughter intentionally, disregarding emotion because of her will to survive, and task orientation to kill all zombies.

While all these characters display prominent characteristics of different leadership styles, it is clear that as the seasons unfold, they ability to transition and become more dynamic has strengthened. Hopefully it gets them through the next episode tonight!