Note: If you haven’t seen the newest movIe of the Hunger Games series- you might want to skip this one!
Katniss Everdeen is a queen of modern women. The main character of the popular Hunger Games series has changed the way many view the leading female role in a movie, family, and office. For years, females have been stereotyped as the gathers rather than the hunter. Katniss smashed this stereotype. What skills does Katniss portray that can be directly related to workplace skills?
• Leadership
• Innovation
• Talent Development
• Motivation
• Critical-Thinking & Problem-Solving Skills
Always Remain Innovative: Innovation can translate to any part of your life, especially work. Katniss has the skills to think quickly on her feet and understand the greater picture. Just like in an office setting, decisions sometimes need to be made quickly. She made bows and arrows to hunt in order to feed her family, she cut down a nest of killer tracker-jackers to defend herself from her attackers, and in a split second decision -she took out the interim president of Panem before she could implement a new form of "the game." Katniss makes a point to continue learning and developing her personal skills and she pushes others to do the same. In the workplace, if you constantly push others to do their best, the team will remain innovative and continue to thrive.
Understand the Competition: There is no doubt about it, Katniss is smart! Many would say, "She is wise beyond her years." Katniss truly understands both her allies and her enemies. She understands that emotions can distort and twist an individual’s true values and beliefs. Katniss understands the strategies of her direct competitors and she is constantly one-step ahead when planning her next move. Having strong problem-solving skills can help prepare you for the unexpected in any environment and this is something that we can all learn from Katniss. Understanding your competitors is a challenge that many organizations face, as a company you never want to be scrambling to keep up with the competition. Make sure to understand your competitors and use that to your advantage, just like Katniss!
Continue to develop your talent: One trait that Katniss possess is the ability to recognize ways to grow skills and talent. She understands that each individual that has joined her in the fight against the Capitol possesses unique skills and techniques that can advance the overall team. Not every team member can shoot arrows as precisely as her, or has the skills from the bakery to camouflage themselves like Peeta. Understanding each team members’ particular strengths and weaknesses can enhance the overall advancements of your team. Every manager can learn from Katniss’ ability to implement individual skills to increase overall productivity. Taking the initiative to develop your team and to constantly enhance their skills is necessary when it comes to the workplace. Your team will be grateful that you understand their unique skills and that you are giving them the ability to use their strengths to enhance the teams’ outcomes.
Leadership isn’t always about the crown: In a world where she is fighting-literally for her life, she is always a team player. She never gives up on her friends or family. When it was only her and Peeta left at the end of the games, she never flinched at the idea of them dying or surviving together. That is the epitome of a leader. She could have easily been sole winner of the Hunger Games, but just as a true leader, it was all or nothing. Even if you are not a manager or senior leader in your organization, leadership is a skill that will help you excel in any role. If other team members look to you as a leader and someone they trust and can confide in, you are doing something right. Katniss was an unofficial leader for her district and stood up for her "colleagues" through out it all. With or without the title, we should all be leaders like Katniss.
Constantly empower others: Many believe the uprising among the districts is because of Katniss. She took a stand against what she believes to be right, many others agreed and decided to follow her. She supports and believes in other individuals even if that isn’t the safest or easiest thing to do. Katniss was a motivator for the underdogs and kept the flight alive in so many that had given up. Giving that type of support and motivation to people that you have never met is empowering. She knew she was a role model for so many and strived to give them the support to believe in themselves. In the workplace, someone needs to be the motivator and everyone needs to have integrity. If you don’t stand up for what you believe in, you are letting your entire team down.
Katniss Everdeen is a true leader with advanced critical thinking and problem solving skills. Katniss maintains her integrity throughout the entire series and this is something that we all should admire. Many of her skills can be directly translated into the workplace know there are many more skills that could be added. What did you learn from Katniss?