Madam Secretary is a Masterclass.

I recently rewatched the TV series, Madam Secretary, and let's just say every episode is a masterclass in leadership. Thank you, Netflix ---- so much leadership knowledge to be shared from Elizabeth McCord!

For those of you who never watched the series, Elizabeth McCord is a former CIA analyst turned college professor, mom of three teens, and wife of religious professor Henry who is asked to join the White House Team as secretary of state. The series begins as she is snatched up from her horse farm and placed into the new role where she not only battles with other countries but within her own administration and on the home front.

The series has six seasons, so you really get to see her develop into the role and get more confident and decisive in her work. As a leader, she is authentic and relatable, and those writers had a fierce grip on her personality and how she would respond to key situations.

Five leadership lessons from Secretary McCord or "Bess" to those of us who are familiar:

1. She is true to herself. Bess is one of those leaders who acts the same way when she talks to her husband as she does when dealing with her counterpart in China. She is thoughtful in her words, educated in her point of view, and can disagree without totally losing it. She stays true to herself in all situations.

   
   

2. She is collaborative. She has a great team of thinkers and doers and you see her tapping into the gifts of each of her team members and finding opportunities for them to shine. She is a true Jackfruit Leader in that she sees what is special about team members (and her children!) and she appreciates those qualities.

   
   

3. She is calm in the face of crisis. Have you ever had a boss who was in a constant panic and kept everyone upset all the time? Nobody likes that and seasoned leaders realize a big part of their job is buffering all the craziness from the top. Whether it is a nuclear threat to the country or the fear that her daughter is in a bad relationship, Bess can handle the pressure and focus her energy on the work at hand.

   
   

4. She can make the hard decisions. In one episode, a member of the White House starts behaving erratically and the other leaders had some hard choices to make (25th amendment anyone?) and she rose to the task. She approached the situation with care and compassion just like authentic leaders should.

   
   

5. She has high emotional intelligence. Having a high EQ means that I understand my own emotions so that I can recognize them in others and respond appropriately. She can see past the anger or the hurt and see what is going on with someone. Most leaders are not this self-aware ---- but our girl Bess figures it out.

   
   

   If you are looking for your next binge-able show, give Madam Secretary a try - but keep a notebook handy and jot down the leadership examples she demonstrates. I admit I laughed and cried in almost every episode --- a true masterclass in humanity when life is complicated.