An episode of HBO’s “Succession”, anyone?
Don’t worry, no plot spoilers ahead.
This week’s brilliant episode (S4:E3) was emotionally explosive.
I was really mesmerised by the drama.
I found it so unsettling how the sibling characters were unable, incapable even, of expressing their emotions. Probably because they have got to the stage where they are so complex, so conflicted, it would take a lot of time, an army of therapists and a miracle to unravel them and make any kind of sense of them.
Especially after years of emotional abuse they, the characters, have endured from their father.
This incredible series takes dysfunction and toxicity to stratospheric levels.
These are just some of the behaviours and emotions I noticed in the space of about 15 minutes:
* Coercive control
* Blame
* Delegated ‘henchman’ style leadership
* Emotional blackmail
* Narcissism
* Dehumanising people (“don’t turn me into a word, I’m a guy”)
* Fawning and stroking egos for attention and favour
* Blatant lack of respect, contempt, insincerity
* Fear, panic, rejection, insecurity, anxiety, self-preservation
I mean, it’s a lot to take in in such a short space of time. The acting is so darn good that it’s sometimes easy to forget it’s just a fictional TV show.
But what a world to get lost in for an hour a week.
It powerfully highlights the psychological damage that is done when people are forced to fight for survival in toxic, degrading environments. I found myself exhausted after this week’s episode, watching from the safety of my couch.
And yes, “Succession” takes it to extremes for dramatic effect.
But in reality, do leaders, managers, colleagues really understand the deep damage they cause when they create and contribute to a psychologically unsafe environment?
When people are so fixated on just surviving while dealing with the fallout of rejection, ridicule and exclusion, is it any wonder that they won’t be performing at their most creative, most motivated best, but the complete opposite?
Dysfunction and under-performance becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I heard Dr Timothy R. Clark say recently that we are all ‘cultural architects’. And he’s right. We are all involved in creating and shaping the culture at work. You can’t be an employee AND an uninvolved bystander. By being employed, you’re involved.
In “Succession” the siblings have greedily stuck around their father for the wealth and power that comes with the empire.
But also because of their desperate, misplaced hope that at some point he will show them just a glimmer of genuine heart-felt kindness. And yet even when they think that’s what they’ve had, they question and doubt.
And they’ve prioritised this life above advocating for their own happiness, health and dignity. And been left empty handed every time.
I wish you the strength to empower your personal leadership, and to always self-advocate for what you need to thrive.
