Captain’s List — Jaime Lannister #266

Corsair’s Profiles in Leadership Series

The captains of fiction and history have much to teach us. They are leaders who often serve in times of great challenge and turmoil. Articles in this series focus on an individual captain and utilizes their quotes, their writings, and their actions to inspire core leadership elements in all of us.

Lord Commander

Jaime is not technically a Captain. He is Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. But as we are already speaking of a fictional character, this is probably close enough (spoiler alert Jon Snow is also a Lord Commander — look for his leadership profile soon). Jaime is also a difficult profile because his character is so dreadfully flawed. Or perhaps that actually makes him more approachable. It is his leadership traits that are probably the most redeeming and compelling traits of the Lion of Lannister.

Another advantage of fictional characters is their completeness. George RR Martin clearly loves this character, just look at how he spelled his name (wink). He is one of Martin’s best assets for build adversarial relationships and is very well developed through both the book series and the series on HBO. As such, Jaime provides us a clear view of both sides of his key traits — loyalty and sense of self.

House Lannister

The Land of Westeros is divided into noble houses, each with fun an exciting mascots and clever names for bastard children! While some houses seems to only be loosely tied together, Lannister is among a handful of the most powerful who owe much of their strength to their sense of family loyalty.

The Lannisters double down on their sense of loyalty with a heavy dose of honor. These are core principles which Jaime has been indoctrinated with from birth. And likely they would have served him quite well if not for another odd twist of fate, one that would confront him with mixed loyalties.

Kingslayer

Jaime is also a twin. On the surface, that would only serve to further his commitment to family. Unfortunately, Jaime is a twin with benefits. He and his twin sister have an incestuous relationship. In his attempt to escape from that, he becomes a member of the Kingsguard. A career change that sees him move from one creepy relationship to another. Jaime is now committed, honor-bound to new loyalties. To make matters worse, the King is a madman.

The Kingslayer nickname is a memorial to a moment of dark choice. Jaime opts to kill the king he is duty bound to protect. You might expect that choice was one made to protect his family, but in fact they were still defending the king. His choice does create an opportunity for his family to change sides and maintain there power, but Martin leads us to believe it was truly personal.

With any luck, you will not be required to discard loyalty and honor to stop a mad king intent on burning the known world. But loyalty in the real world can be quite challenging. Those who are willing to discard misplaced loyalties when it is warranted will often find themselves propelled into leadership positions. People who can make hard choices are often called to lead, even when others second guess those very decisions!

Goldenhand

Loyalty and incest continue to rule Jaime’s life through much of his backstory and the first book/season of the series. It is only through imprisonment, peril, and separation that Jaime begins to develop a strong sense of self. This is not a fictional concept. Many people maintain strict loyalty and honor by discarding their sense of self. They become selfless. A trait often lauded but equally dangerous.

Early in the story Jaime sees himself as a knight, a Lannister, and a swordsman. But fate intervenes to rip that identity from him, his family is devastated by court intrigue and treachery. He also loses his sword hand — literally. The blow to his ego and identity make for compelling drama. They instantly humanize him. They also send him further down the path of leadership.

Jaime learns to compensate for his losses in three very distinct ways. He builds loyal relationships with others, most notably Brienne. He learns to fence with his left hand. And most importantly, he becomes a leader.

Early in the story, he is overshadowed by his father. He is rarely seen leading people, playing the part of lonely champion. By the latest books and seasons, he is leading armies, negotiating with feudal lords, and of course leading the Kingsguard. He has a new sense of self and evolving sense of loyalty.

Make a habit of it, Lannister, and one day men might call you Goldenhand after all. Goldenhand the Just. — Jaime

Jaime is a model for young and maturing leaders. He does not start his story adept at many things that one looks for in a great leader. But difficult decisions and challenges eventually propel him to that role. Leaders in the real world should consider their own loyalties, the impact that has on their decisions, the way they define themselves, and the path of leadership this has placed them on.

Thanks for reading! For those who haven’t read Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin — you can find it here: