Leadership Lessons from… Jack Bauer

The Jack Bauer Leadership Manual

24 Skills That Transform Ordinary People Into Extraordinary Leaders

In May of 2007, United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia joined judges from North America and Europe in Ottawa for a panel discussion about terrorism and the legality of torture. In reference to a Canadian judge’s comment about the extreme measures that counter terrorist agents may take, Justice Scalia said, “Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles… He saved hundreds of thousands of lives.” He continued by asking, “Are you going to convict Jack Bauer?” “I don’t think so.”

With an abundance of legal knowledge at his disposal, Justice Scalia chose to use as his heroic illustration - Jack Bauer. The oddity here is that this hero isn’t real. He lives for one suspense-filled hour each week on Fox’s cult television series “24.” What is it about this fictional character that has produced millions of hard-core fans? And why would Supreme Court Justices and Presidential hopefuls take the time to him?

The answer is this: Jack Bauer is an extraordinary leader.

At first glance, Jack Bauer appears to be just an average man - then that clock starts ticking. And when it does, he triumphs time and again over overwhelming odds by utilizing his well-honed leadership skills.

Think of all the diverse definitions of leadership you have read and Jack probably fills them all. He is a man of action – guiding teams of various sizes on successful missions. He is man of influence – persuading coworkers, enemies and even presidents. He is successful – it may take him a full 24 hours but he always comes out on top.

But he is not perfect. Perhaps that is his most relevant trait to would-be leaders. We like a good dose of reality, even in our fictional heroes. Kiefer Sutherland, the actor who portrays Jack Bauer, believes the reason so many people love the character is because they “respond to a guy who… succeeds on some level and fails on another.” (Rolling Stone Magazine)

Sure people like him but the question is: Why do people follow him? He often appears unstable, he has several former bosses who wouldn’t hire him as a dogcatcher and most shocking is his history of violence in the workplace, which includes shooting more than one coworker. Despite all of that, people still follow Jack Bauer because of his unique leadership skills.

I have found the top 24 leadership skills that he exhibits in his “fictional” life and how those skills can be emulated in your “real” life. This post is not about Leadership qualities. So many books talk about qualities that you may or may not have been born with. This post is about actual leadership skills that can be observed, learned and practiced.

You may never face biological weapons or have the fate of the world in your hands. Nuclear disarmament may never depend on you but the 24 skills that Jack Bauer uses to accomplish these amazing feats are just as essential to your daily success as a leader.

Bottom line: Whether you work at home, in a small office or an international company, The Jack Bauer Leadership Manual will help you become an extraordinary leader. Of course, these skills will also come in handy if you find yourself needing to save the world or just your part of it.

And the clock ticks on…

The Jack Bauer Leadership Manual

24 Skills That Transform Ordinary People Into Extraordinary Leaders

Skill #1 - Extraordinary Leaders Maintain Integrity

Skill #2 - Extraordinary Leaders Reciprocate Trust

Skill #3 - Extraordinary Leaders Exemplify Sacrifice

Skill #4 - Extraordinary Leaders Retain Perspective

Skill #5 - Extraordinary Leaders Generate Solutions

Skill #6 - Extraordinary Leaders Demonstrates Loyalty

Skill #7 - Extraordinary Leaders Embody Purpose

Skill #8 - Extraordinary Leaders Display Confidence

Skill #9 - Extraordinary Leaders Prioritize Objectives

Skill #10 - Extraordinary Leaders Welcome Accountability

Skill #11 - Extraordinary Leaders Negotiate Terms

Skill #12 - Extraordinary Leaders Develop Teamwork

Skill #13 - Extraordinary Leaders Motivate Others

Skill #14 - Extraordinary Leaders Handle Stress

Skill #15- Extraordinary Leaders Locate Resources

Skill #16 - Extraordinary Leaders Analyze Information

Skill #17 - Extraordinary Leaders Manage Time

Skill #18 - Extraordinary Leaders Communicate Expectations

Skill #19 - Extraordinary Leaders Take Initiative

Skill #20 - Extraordinary Leaders Build Relationships

Skill #21 - Extraordinary Leaders Sustain Self-discipline

Skill #22 - Extraordinary Leaders Keep Composure

Skill #23 - Extraordinary Leaders Execute Plans

Skill #24 - Extraordinary Leaders Embody Purpose

Michael E. Waddell is the co-author of Toy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons From The Toys You Loved As A Child

2 comments | January 20th, 2010

Leadership Lessons from… Micromanagers

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2 comments | August 24th, 2009

Leadership Lessons from… Robert Morris

Robert Morris is a business consultant and a brilliant book reviewer. I was very excited when he said he would review my book, Toy Box Leadership.

Here is his review from www.examiner.com:

Hunter and Waddell create a context for the creation and subsequent popularity of ten toys (i.e. LEGO® Bricks, Slinky® Dog, Play-Doh®, the yo-yo, Mr. Potato Head® and Rubik’s Cube®, the rocking horse, little green plastic army men, Lite-Brite®, and Weebles®) and then, devoting a separate chapter to each of the ten, share thought-provoking insights on leadership lessons to be learned from each. (more…)

2 comments | July 29th, 2009

Leadership Lessons from… LEGO

Today is the birthday of LEGO inventor, Ole Kirk Kristiansen (1891-1958). In his memory, here is a excerpt from Chapter 1 of my book Toy Box Leadership entitled Legos: Relationships • Building begins with connecting.

What would make a corporate lawyer give up his six-figure salary to make $13 an hour? One word: LEGO. (more…)

2 comments | April 7th, 2009

Leadership Lessons from… Randy Mayeux

Randy Mayeux and Karl Krayer lead the First Friday Book Synopsis in Dallas, Texas. Each month they provide fresh insight into the most current business books on the market. In December, they were kind enough to feature my book, Toy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons From The Toys You Loved As A Child. Here is Randy:

A copy of their excellent synopsis is available at here.

Thanks Randy and Karl. It look liked you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.

Get your copy of Toy Box Leadership today.

4 comments | January 13th, 2009

Leadership Lessons from… Classic Toys

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2 comments | November 25th, 2008

Leadership Lessons from… AchieveMax®

Harry K. Jones at AchieveMax® pick up my new book Toy Box Leadership and learned some lessons that he didn’t count on. Here’s his blog entry:

Toys as Mentors

This is not a book review. However, there will be a review of this particular book in the next set of ten reviews we add to our website, bringing our total to 190 book reviews.

The book I speak of is Toy Box Leadership (Leadership Lessons from the Toys You Loved as a Child). It recently reminded me of a very valuable lesson I learned years ago and sometimes tend to forget. That lesson was very simplistic, and I guess that’s why it’s so easily forgotten. That lesson: “NEVER ASSUME.”

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5 comments | November 12th, 2008

Leadership Lessons from… Presidential Toys

If you had the ability to ask John McCain and Barack Obama just one question, what would it be? Would you query them about their economic policy? The War in Iraq? Education? Taxes?

Even with all the accusations of media bias swirling around this election, I’m not afraid to ask the really tough question: Which toy best represents each candidate’s leadership style?

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3 comments | November 3rd, 2008

Leadership Lessons from… The Engaging Brand

Anna Farmery maintains a great blog entitled The Engaging Brand.

The Engaging Brand supports companies and individuals who want to create engagement with their brand. Anna is popular speaker throughout England on areas such as social media, personal and employer branding, and leadership. She lives and breathes Web 2.0. Her blog is ranked in the Top 100 in AdAge and has been recognized as a “must read” leadership blog. The Engaging Brand podcast was nominated for the Best Business Podcast at the Podcast Awards in both 2007 and 2008.

I was honored to be her guest on the latest installment of The Engaging Brand podcast to discuss my book, Toy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons From The Toys You Loved As A Child. In this podcast interview we talk about: (more…)

3 comments | October 21st, 2008

Leadership Lessons from… LEGO

What would make a corporate lawyer give up his six-figure salary to make $13 an hour? One word: LEGO. It all started on Christmas 1978 in Colville, Washington, when five-year-old Nathan Sawaya unwrapped his first set of LEGO bricks. As an adult, Nathan’s LEGO interest was merely a hobby until 2004 when he entered a contest, sponsored by the LEGOLAND theme park, in San Diego to find the country’s best adult LEGO builders. After winning the contest he became a LEGO Master Builder assembling elaborate replicas. Making only one-fifth his lawyer’s salary didn’t matter because he was living his dream.

It is estimated that more than 235 Billion Lego parts have been manufactured since the first (more…)

4 comments | October 7th, 2008