Captain’s List — Harvey Bullock #1820
Corsair’s Profiles in Leadership Series
The captains of fiction and history have much to teach us. They are leaders who often serve in times of great challenge and turmoil. Articles in this series focus on an individual captain and utilizes their quotes, their writings, and their actions to inspire core leadership elements in all of us.
Harvey Bullock
Harvey Bullock is a character from the Batman comic book series. More recently, he is a character played by Donal Logue on Fox’s TV series Gotham. Like the comic book series which inspired it, Gotham (and Harvey) are gritty and prone to action.
Okay, in fairness, Harvey is prone to inaction. He is also only Acting-Captain, a title he holds begrudgingly. He would clearly prefer that someone else take the reigns, only there is no one left that he would trust to do it. Essentially, Harvey is the classic leader by circumstance and as such, one hell of a role model.
Self-Awareness
Harvey knows himself. He knows what he wants, what he likes, and what he doesn’t. He understands the impact of his own actions.
While he is inclined to keep his head down and avoid the spotlight, he inevitably makes the right decision. He displays great self awareness and that can be powerful for any leader. The key word is displays, what could be a better one for any role model.
Brutal Honesty
Brutal is not a great adjective in many situations, but for a character who leads in brutal times, by brutal circumstances; it works. Harvey brings it. He says what he means and means what he says. He doesn’t mince words and is occasionally shocking in his openness.
Harvey has no time for political correctness. He states facts and speaks truths. Once again, for a reluctant leader like himself, this is a powerful attribute. Harvey is not going to inspire. He is unlike to charm, at least in the conventional sense. His brutal honesty allows others to trust and connect with him despite his rough character and clear contempt for the role in which he finds himself.
Harvey Bullock is an unusual character and an unusual leader. But there is plenty to learn from his stint as Captain of the GCPD. At times, he has shown moments of passion and resolve. He has his own form of gritty wisdom and can occasionally string together a compelling speech or two. But Harvey is a product of his circumstances. On the mean streets of Gotham, self-awareness and brutal honesty are traits that can serve any leader.
Corsair’s Profiles in Leadership, Captain’s List is an article format created by Corsair’s Publishing in conjunction with our parent company Corsair’s Ventures. This series seeks to focus the reader on core components of leadership by utilizing the larger-than-life and often fictitious stories of the great captains of history.
