In the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, leadership isn’t about titles or corner offices; it’s about survival, sacrifice and the strength of the team. While the Netflix Show Stranger Things, captivates us with 80s nostalgia and supernatural thrills, it also gives us a masterclass in modern leadership.
Lesson 1: Fueling the “Energy Bus” with Positivity
Leadership expert Jon Gordon often teaches that “pessimists don’t change the world.”In Hawkins, the stakes couldn’t be higher, yet the characters who thrive and survive are those who maintain a vision of hope. When Will goes missing, Joyce Byers refuses to accept the “logical” conclusion She builds a communication system out of Christmas lights, fueled by what Gordon calls The Power of Positive Leadership.
Leaders must be the “Chief Energy Officer” of their teams. Like Joyce, you must confront negativity and stay focused on the vision, even when others think you are “crazy” for believing in a breakthrough.
Lesson 2: The Power of “One More”
Ed Mylett champions the “Power of One More”, doing one more rep, making one more call or stay one more minute. This relentless pursuit is what transforms a group of kids into a formidable team. Think of Steve Harrington. He didn’t start as a hero. (In fact, according to the Duffer brothers, he was supposed to be killed off at the end of the first season but they all loved him so much they kept him). Steve consistently chooses to do “one more” brave thing - one more swing of the bat, one more protective stand for the kids. He moved from being a self-absorbed teenager to a selfless protector by maximizing his moments.
Leadership is a “Max Out” game. As Mylett says, you are always “one decision away” from a completely different life, personal or professional result. Are you willing to go “one more” round for your team?
Lesson 3: Raising the Lid on Potential
John Maxwell’s Law of the Lid states that leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. In Stranger Things, we see characters constantly hitting their “lids” and breaking through them. Eleven (El) begins with immense power but zero leadership skills. Through her “found family,” she learns the Law of Connection, that leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.
Your technical “superpowers” will only take you so far. To increase your impact, you must raise your leadership lid by intentionally adding value to others (Maxwell’s Law of Addition).
The ultimate lesson of Stranger Things is that “friends don’t lie.” In leadership, this translates to transparency and trust. Whether you are navigating a department or an interdimensional rift, you cannot lead people who do not trust you.
As Gordon, Mylett, and Maxwell all agree: your culture is not what you say; it’s what you live. When the “Upside Down” of Athletics hits, it is the strength of your connections and the clarity of your vision that will bring your team back into the light.
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