Business Lessons from The Walking Dead: Don't Be A Shane

Let's be honest. Shane from The Walking Dead was a complete asshole. He was violently jealous, wildly unpredictable, and unbearably arrogant ' and probably one of the absolute worst people to have with you in a zombie apocalypse. Granted, the man could shoot a walker in the head like no other, but you never knew how he was going to react on a day-to-day basis, and that's just plain scary. What does this have to do with you? Well, lately I've been noticing business owners exhibiting some of Shane's most undesirable characteristics. Are you one of them?

Find out if you're a Shane with business lessons from TWD below:

Jealousy

One of your competitors is doing better than you and it has you seething with envy. Maybe you try to sabotage them in some way, bad-mouth them all over town, or just let their success eat away at you internally (not unlike what zombies do to the living). Regardless of how your Shane-esque jealousy is rearing its ugly head, it's time to do something about it. How? Well, part of being a business owner is not only knowing that you're going to be faced with companies who offer similar products or services as you, but being prepared for it to happen. Stay ahead of the game by constantly researching what your competitors are doing and expanding your skill set with ongoing education, how-to books, and informative classes. Use your creativity to differentiate yourself from your competitors so you can fight them off with your head held high.

WWSD? Simply put, he'd kill them. Don't be a Shane.

Unpredictability

Recently, my friend was telling me about her boss. 'He's so unpredictable,' she said while drowning her sorrows in her third abnormally large margarita. 'One day he's so nice and helpful, the next, he about bites your head off if you ask him a question.' Sound familiar? If you're managing your employees this way, you're creating an environment of fear. If they're afraid to ask you for help, advice, or even freely share their feedback or opinions with you, ultimately, it will only hurt your business. Remember how most of the survivors stopped asking Shane for help because they never knew what he was going to do or how he would react? You can avoid this scenario entirely by remaining consistent with your employees. If you find that you get overwhelmed at the beginning of your workday, designate a block of time in the afternoon for employees to ask you questions. This will ensure you're not biting anyone's head off or creating negativity in your workplace. This will also help to keep the amount of slightly drunk employees who talk crap about you on the weekends to a minimum.

WWSD? Who knows ' that's the problem. Don't be a Shane.

Arrogance

This was one of Shane's worst traits. Is it one of yours? If you're arrogant when it comes to your company, it leaves room for competitors to move in by preventing you from seeing potential cracks in your business plan. It's great to be confident in your abilities and your company, but when you're over-confident, you fail to see ways your company can improve and you lose the respect of your employees and customers. Ultimately, Shane's arrogance not only caused him huge problems in the group and made people start to hate him; it also got him killed. Twice. He was fatally stabbed by his best friend (totally deserved if you ask me) and then when he came back as a walker he was shot by that annoying little Carl. What's the lesson here? You can be a respected leader without being an arrogant douchebag. And by mixing a little humility in with your confidence, you might even make it past season two ' unlike Shane.

WWSD? Remain a cocky jerk, alienated by his own arrogance. Don't be a Shane.

Once it's in the workplace, the Shane virus can quickly spread. If you've been infected, use these business lessons from The Walking Dead as your remedy. DeShane-ing might take some time, but luckily for you, it's still a curable condition. For now.

Image courtesy of AMC Networks