The Office Academy
Characters from ‘Umbrella Academy’ We All Work With
It might have been Steve Jobs, or some other billionaire who coined the phrase ‘Think Differently’. As we think about a few of the stops we’ve made throughout our career, we have seen an Exec or two who certainly took that to heart, and brought a brand of business strategy and leadership to, not only new heights, but seemingly to a parallel universe. The hit Netflix show ‘Umbrella Academy’ takes us through the Hargreeves family business, where his super-powered children take on the world, past and present. Most of us won’t work in the supernatural universe, but as we break down the strengths, weaknesses, habits and peccadillos of this crew, we no doubt will see that they line up pretty well with many of the characters we work with.
The “Klaus” Office Free Spirit
None of us are immune from the stresses associated with life – whether at home or at work. However, we may sometimes come across those who seem so unphased by the ups and downs of our existence that we give pause to reconsider based how much we react to it all. Welcome in The Klaus. The Klaus has just that personality, impervious to those things that stress out most mortal beings. He is the quirky colleague with a knack for adding a touch of chaos to the office environment, from his off-beat wardrobe to propping unique ideas, all he does injects a creative spirit into the workplace. Without any effort, just the Klaus being himself, he makes the office lighter, adding a touch of comic relief, the ultimate one-of-a-kind spirit, and all of our co-workers that we can still be effective through challenges, and never take ourselves or our work too seriously.
The “Luther” Office Leader
Every team needs a leader, someone to guide, inform, and ensure that everyone is working and doing their part to ensure business success. We call him The Luther. When we’ve hung around long enough, we often see first-hand the full arc of a leader as we have with the Luther, much like his U.A. counterpart. Our Luther was a task master, and incredibly obedient, taking on and completing any project he is assigned. As a deep thinker, the Luther not only completes his work at a high level, but thinks about what he’s doing and the people it impacts, how his tasks were delivered, how he has been trained, and every other aspect. We have seen the Luther as an exemplary employee, learning and honing his craft, working hard and being a sponge, curious and bold to ask the questions he needs answered for his personal and professional development. The Luther has taken all experiences and learnings to emerge as a leader, ready to take on leadership roles within his organization without an obvious ceiling. He has shown the seriousness to be forever curious, which tells us the sky is the limit for the Luther, and we are proud to call him our colleague and would welcome the opportunity to report to him at any point.
The “Allison” Office Persuader
For some operations, the need for people who specialize in presentation and influence is critical, which often falls to the social media or public relations teams. In our office it’s The Allison – Our Office Persuader. Like the influential Hagreeves sibling, the Allison has a way of getting their point across and can charm their colleagues into agreeing with them. The ability of the Allison to use words to achieve objectives is a valuable asset in the workplace. While she can take her gifts to influence people to improve her own standing and situation, she does not. The Allison respects her colleagues, and like the rest, expects to work hard, prove herself and organically move ahead through the organization, knowing she has plenty to learn in business and welcomes the years ahead and experiencing her own development without taking the shortcuts she likely could.
The “Number Five” Office Prodigy
Working with talented people can be intimidating when you size up your prospects of establishing yourself, and your brand, and try to stand out to gain consideration for corporate ascension. As if it is not hard enough to stand out among a group of highly skilled, talented people, what happens when you notice that one of your colleagues is clearly a prodigy? He is Our Number Five, the one with off-the-charts wisdom and intellect, like his time-traveling tv counterpart. The Fives we’ve worked with excel in their work and seemingly everything they do, demonstrating a professional maturity well beyond their years, measured in age and work experience. It can be frustrating, or feel like an unfair fight trying to compete with the prodigy, and why it’s important to create a strategy for how you’ll proceed. If the Five is able to multitask and tackle complex projects with ease, and quickly becomes the ‘next in line’ despite his newness, you don’t let it get you down. He is simply special, so we just tip our hat and look forward to see what that level of genius will do to set the world on fire.
The “Viktor” Office Creative
Creativity and originality may be losing the battle against technology, as ease of use, efficiency, and quality of Artificial Intelligence tools allow ‘something good’ quickly instead of ‘something creatively exceptional’ if it takes longer. That is, unless you have the Viktor. The Viktor’s talents drive a culture of creativity wherever they go, showing that there is art to business, not just process, automation and A.I. The Viktor’s artistiic flair and hidden talents like the musically gifted ‘Umbrella’ character., bring a touch of artistry to all he does. The Viktor is able to go well beyond common tasks for such things as creating a powerpoint presentation, which could hang in an art museum, or simple emails that are both aesthetically brilliant and read like poetry. The Viktor’s one major flaw is that he does not always respond well to pressure. If the Viktor is not given the time to absorb change, process all potential impacts, there is a chance he may have a breakdown, or outburst, that can be a bit unsettling. But at least it won’t destroy an entire city block!
TV has the amazing ability to transform what we think of life and circumstance into a realm that we easily buy into. It becomes second nature to think ‘wow, that’s cool – “I’d love to live there…do that…”, etc. In the workplace, we have some of the same thoughts – “I’d love to have her job…work on that project…launch that new product..”, and so forth. It is not so much about envy as it is human nature. We are curious creatures, and love to think about what makes other people tick. The depth of the characters of Umbrella Academy are no more deep or interesting than the people we work alongside each day. With Talent, Drive, Strength, Creativity, and Leadership all around us, the Hargreeves family proves once again just how well art imitates life and how this supernatural bunch brings to mind many of the Characters We Work With every day.
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