5 leadership lessons from The Professor of Money Heist

Imagine a guy who is the sole mastermind of robbing one of the most secured banks in the world. He is smart, good – looking, and also a little weird. But most importantly, he is what we

can call a born leader. Yes, I am talking about our favorite professor aka Sergio Marquina. A few months ago, Money Heist came out with its 4th season and if you are anything like me, you binge-watched all the episodes in one night.

But while watching the heartbreaking scene of Nairobi dying (forgive me if you haven't watched money heist yet) or getting almost a heart attack as Raquel and the professor get caught, did you realize you were learning life lessons from the show? Each of the characters teaches us something different. But the best teacher in the show is the Professor himself. Let's take a look at the five leadership lessons young professionals can learn from this genius character.

A good planner:

A good leader needs to be a good planner. The professor showed us a true example of what a good plan looks like. He planned out the tiniest details of the heist with a lot of caution. He had a contingency plan for everything. These planning helped most of his teammates get out of the bank successfully with the money in the second season. Berlin and Moscow, we miss you!

Hire the best team:

It is not enough for the leader to be competent himself. It's his job to hire the right team with the right qualities that will take them closer to their goal. Professor chose his team very wisely. Rio was hired for his coding skills while Nairobi was an expert at counterfeiting banknotes. When each of these characters came together, the professor ended up with a team capable to conduct an impossible heist.

Stay calm:

Everything rarely goes according to our plan. In the time of adversity, it is the responsibility of the leader to stay calm and keep the members calm as well. Even though the professor had an amazing plan, everything did not always go according to it. This made many of his team members like Tokyo and Berlin get nervous and take several wrong steps. But the professor was calm unlike his team and guided them through the war.

Never mix emotions with business:

This one was one the very first rule the professor laid out when he started the training sessions. His rule was very logical too. Let's face it. Tokyo and her feelings for Rio were somewhat responsible for the ultimate death of Moscow. This golden rule is essential in the work environment as well. When team members start to mix emotions in business, everything tends to get confusing and the lines get blurry. Don't get me wrong. There is no harm in maintaining a friendly relation with your team members. But keep your professional and personal life separate.

Be there for your people:

It is not enough for a leader to just provide instructions to his team. He needs to be a mentor and be there for his people as well. He needs to take responsibility for his teams' failure. The professor excelled in this role. At the end of the first heist, he assigned a delivery guy for each member in case of any trouble. He gathered the entire team for another heist with the sole purpose of rescuing Rio. Did you see how much he broke down when he realized he failed Nairobi? That is what a true leader looks like to people.

We have all heard the saying, "Leaders are born, not made." But, if you take learning’s from born leaders like the Professor himself, you definitely can start your journey in becoming a better leader for your team and organization. So, here's hoping you turn into a better leader and The Professor can successfully escape from the clutches of Alicia in the next season.