The Leadership Qualities of Jon Snow… No Spoilers!

Steve Collins
Aug 28, 2017 · 3 min read

As I was binge watching GOT this weekend, it occurred to me that in every situation Jon Snow finds himself in, he ends up being chosen by the people as their leader. He has no birthright to be a leader, and in fact his lack of nobility should mean (in the GOT world) that he’s not fit to be a leader. Yet he is. So, I jotted down all of Jon Snow’s qualities I could think of that have made him a strong leader, and I share them here for fun, and maybe even there’s a take-away or two:

Vision. Jon has the ability to quickly understand the current challenges of his group (or organization) and what needs to be done. He’s able to articulate a simple vision that others can understand and then follow. Sometimes he fails! But he’s always willing to take a stand for an action plan he believes will result in group success.

Listening Skills. Inherent in his ability to form and articulate a vision is Jon’s innate listening skill. He’s willing to hear out other points of view before he comes to his own conclusions. He gives people the space to speak their minds, but once he’s decided, he’s decisive and clear about the action plan.

Empathy. Jon is not raised as a nobleman with any expectation for the way he should be treated. Because he’s had no status and lived a sometimes difficult life, he’s able to forge relationships with people no matter where they come from. He can feel their pain. For example, he can build an alliance with the Wildlings and even fall in love with one of them, where others might have seen that as impossible. This helps Jon be a strong alliance builder and consensus maker.

Skills Assessment. Jon has a knack for seeing the strengths in people. For example, when he sees Tarly training to fight (and not doing well) when he first arrives at the Nights Watch, Jon understands that fighting is not Tarly’s skillset. Instead of treating him with disgust like the others, Jon eventually sees what skills Tartly can bring and he puts him in situations that utilize those skills, so that Tarly can thrive AND also bring value to the group.

Personal Talent. Jon can fight well. He’s not the best warrior, but he has passion and drive that’s infectious. Moreover, he’ll never force he’s people to do something he won’t do himself. If there’s a battle to be fought, he will be right there with them, on the front lines, not safely behind the back line.

Moral Code (Ethics) and Trust. Jon lives by a strong moral code that determines right from wrong. We might call this ethics in the business world. His people can see that he’s never going to game the system, or do an unethical action even if it might help them get to a worthy outcome. This gives Jon a trustworthiness quality that is unwavering. Jon’s people trust him. Even when they might disagree with his decisions, they understand he’s motivations are to do the right thing in the right way.

That’s my list so far! Do you have any others to add?

This article has also been posted to LinkedIn.

)

Steve Collins

Written by

Marketing Communications management hack, father, husband, & San Franciscan in full mid-life crisis, searching for my Second Act, and the meaning of life.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade