3 Lessons from House of Cards

I am a Netflix junkie. Some weekends, I have barely seen the light of day, especially if I have started a new series. My latest addiction was House of Cards, featuring Kevin Spacey as a corrupt politician that you love to hate and hate to love. His southern drawl and manipulative chess game were worthy of the Emmy award they just received. As soon as I finished Season 1, I was blown away and immediately craving a Season 2. I wasn’t the only one that fell in love with the show, Felena Hanson had a hard time walking away from the television set when congressman, Frances Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey) was getting ready to throw another politician under the bus.

When we consume media, there is always something to be learned. Evaluating what you have witnessed and questioning what you have digested is the most powerful tool that we as media consumers have. Felena took a moment to evaluate Underwood’s influence. While his behaviors are not exactly “saint worthy”, there are some valuable lessons that can be absorbed. Here are three things we learned from the House of Cards (and killing a Senator is not one of them, R.I.P. to the character, Peter Russo):

1. Know your Network
Everyone is in Frances Underwood’s back pocket. He knows his colleagues’ quirks, idiosyncrasies, and much to their demise, he knows their vices. His deep knowledge of other’s strengths and weaknesses allows Frances to use each person for his benefit. He knows where he can go in the massive city of D.C. to get the best BBQ and who to visit to get the President of the United States to pass a bill. He knows the homeless man down the street to the top of the “food chain”. We do not want you to run out and manipulate your neighbors so they buy your product but we do want you to be mindful of the connections you have in place and the strengths of each person. The next time you are struggling with something, need input or a strategic alliance, you will know exactly where and who to turn to.

2. Delegate
This is something I have never been very good at. I would rather complete something myself, then wait for someone else to finish it. When I do it, it’s under my control. I have to remind myself that there is great strength in collaboration. We all know this but how often do we do it and use it to our advantage. The next step in knowing your network is actually UTILIZING it. For those of you that have ample work and employees or interns, why aren’t you sharing the load. Delegation is about trust. The conniving congressman, trusts that when he tells someone to do something, it will be done. He has selected his inner circle and has placed his trust in them. Being confident in who selected to be part of your network–use your employees, trust your interns, involve your assistants, and delegate to your significant others (you have washed your last dish!).

3. Always see the Bigger Picture
House of Cards features an image of Frances Underwood that says “Bad for the greater good”. This is exactly why you hate Frances but also love him, he does evil in order to achieve political influence and to create real change; something that can be difficult in D.C. due to all of the politics (hahaha, I had to). He also donates money, supports non-profits, etc. to be able to support the community (and while he does usually receive a kickback) he thinks strategically, always connecting the dots.  France’s day is revolved around the bigger picture, even though he is in the weeds (like a true snake in the grass) he is constantly asking, “will this get me where I need to go?”

House of Cards is a political chess game that is mystifying, terrifying, but thoroughly engaging. We all have a little Frances Underwood within us (a chilling thought I know). Comb out the best elements of his audacious personality to improve your business, strengthen your network, delegate tasks, and always work with YOUR big picture in mind.