The Leadership Lessons of 'Succession'

On the surface, the premise of the HBO mega-hit show “Succession” is the friction of the Roy children, who are jostling for control of the global media giant Waystar Royco, owned by their ill and aging father, Logan Roy.

But “Succession” is really about greed, power, ego, control, disloyalty and conflict, beginning with the patriarch himself.

Logan Roy is keenly aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his kids, Kendall, Roman, Siobhan and Connor. He recognizes their hot buttons and knows how to spark any conflict he needs to create a distraction and continue in his role atop the empire.

While Connor has no interest in the family politics, the others are constantly leveraging their different abilities. For Kendall, it’s his inherent reputation as the “CEO in waiting.” For Siobhan, it’s her intelligence and persuasion skills. For Roman, it’s about gaining the respect he never received from his father.

While the kids fight amongst themselves, Logan understands their duplicity and knows he can resolve the friction whenever he chooses. But he is the puppeteer, dangling them on strings, fully cognizant of the fact that only he can satisfy their ambitions, greed, and need for power and fame.

By creating conflict, he prays on weakness and uses this against his kids. He has mastered manipulation for his own benefit.

Unfortunately, Logan Roys aren’t unique to “Succession,” though.

Just about all of us have worked for narcissists at one point or another who love to create unnecessary internal conflicts that only they can resolve, while taking advantage of our own dreams and ambitions.

So how does someone deal with a Logan Roy-type?

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts that might benefit us — and would certainly help the Roy children.

Do:

• First and foremost, understand what narcissistic behavior disorder actually is and deepen your understanding of what makes your boss tick.

• Watch and learn — never reveal your personal ambitions — don’t fall victim to these.

• Be willing to become indifferent with the dangling of promotions — never believe the person really has your best interest at heart.

Don’t:

• Neglect your emotional well-being. Find an outlet outside your job that gives you a sense of self-worth.

• Challenge your boss — it will only backfire. Narcissists hate confrontation, so when you differ in opinion, be sure to use sugar, not spice.

• Gossip — whatever you say will likely get back to your boss.

Understand that conflict leadership is much like a Ponzi Scheme. But once everyone understands they’re actually being taken advantage of, the leader loses his/her ability to maintain complete control.

Unfortunately for the Roy children, they’re stuck in a family war that will never allow anyone to succeed, as Logan Roy truly believes that unless he’s in charge, the company will fold.

By knowing how to navigate the narcissist, though, we don’t have to fall into the same trap.