9 Career Lessons from Leslie Knope

—Amy M. Gardner

 In honor Galentine’s Day (the creation of the fictional Leslie Knope, everyone’s favorite “Parks & Recreation” character) and the ubiquitous Galentine’s Day memes, this week we’re sharing nine of our favorite career lessons from Leslie Knope.

1.)        Be confident.  

Who can forget when Leslie, standing in front of a framed photo of herself, proclaimed, “I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself”?  Or when she declared, “No matter what I do, literally nothing bad can happen to me”?  Obviously a framed photo of yourself might draw some . . . interest . . . in the workplace.  And a delusional level of optimism can be dangerous.  But what if you gave yourself one positive message each day?  Consider how your interactions with intimidating coworkers might be different if instead of negative self-talk, you channeled Leslie and left yourself a voice mail saying “Hang in there.  I love you.” 

2.)        Stay true to who you are.  

We all rooted for Leslie because she embraced who she is, while always striving to be better.  When she was called annoying, her response wasn’t to shrivel up.  It was to proclaim, “One person’s annoying is another’s inspiring and heroic.”  Whether it was her work ethic (she planned to work until she was 100, before going to 80% time) or love of paperwork (“I hate paperwork.  I hardly ever do it in my bed on a Saturday night while listening to old Spice Girls CDs”), Leslie wasn’t ashamed of her zeal and love for doing work she found important and engaging.  If you feel the same, embrace it.  If you don’t, consider whether you are in the right job/career.

3.)        Develop your resilience and stay positive.  

Leslie made mistakes—big ones—and had far more than her share of embarrassing moments, both due to sabotage from her enemies and her own zeal causing her to rush into situations without stopping to think.  (Her bumbling whenever she met one of her heroes was especially cringeworthy.)  But Leslie also knew that past mistakes don’t determine future potential.  She never wallowed in self-pity long and she understood, as she said, that “Positive is always better than negative.”  So Leslie tapped into her resilience, refocused on the future, and kept pushing, with statements like, “If I seem too passionate, it’s because I care. If I come on strong, it’s because I feel strongly, and if I push too hard, it’s because things aren’t moving fast enough. This is my home, you are my family, and I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.”  When your own mistakes or setbacks have you ready to give up, channel your inner Leslie, stay positive, and tap into your own resilience to propel you forward.

4.)        Be prepared.  

Leslie put in the time and effort to be prepared, whether for a meeting (how many binders can any one person make?), driving around with emergency S’mores supplies at all times, or conducting her over-the-top preparations for Galentine’s Day (including writing 5,000 word essays about each friend, crocheting flowers, and making mosaics of their faces from the bottles of their favorite sodas).  You may not need a tabbed binder for everything, but how might your career be different if you made a conscious effort to go into every meeting or call feeling prepared?

5.)        Tap into your creativity.  

Maybe you don’t work in a role where you think creativity will be rewarded.  You don’t have to go completely Leslie by suggesting saving money on groundskeeping by using grazing sheep to mow grass, then turning the tired sheep into food or sweaters.  Just ask yourself “how would I address this problem if my budget was cut?” or have your team brainstorm “what if the way we’ve always done this wasn’t an option this year?”  Those questions can help you start to tap into your creativity and reengage your brain and team.

6.)        Don’t just tell your friends and colleagues that you support them and want to help them – do it.  

Leslie was there for her network, even when it required entering a drinking game to defend her boss’ honor (not recommended), giving her friend Ann over-the-top pep talks (classics of the genre include “you rainbow-infused space unicorn” or “you’re a beautiful, talented, brilliant, powerful musk ox”), showing up when a colleague hosted a big event or community meeting, or supporting a colleague pursuing a passion.  Supporting your own network will hopefully not involve attending a Mouse Rat concert, but you can demonstrate your own support by attending events, sending encouraging notes the day of a big presentation, or just reaching out.  It can make a big difference in your relationships, and your career. 

7.)        Keep balance in your life.

As much as she loved her work, Leslie famously kept perspective about where it fit into her life, saying “We need to remember what’s important in life: friends, waffles, and work.  Or waffles, friends, work.  Doesn’t matter, but work is third.”  As difficult as it can be—especially now, when it seems so many of us aren’t working from home so much as we’re living at work—do what you can to keep things in perspective and balance in your life. 

8.)        Get clear on your goals.

Leslie didn’t apologize for believing, as she said, “Winning is every girl’s dream.  But it’s my destiny.”  While expressing that exact phrasing in the workplace isn’t an ideal strategy, being clear about where you want your career to go will help you stop wasting time sliding along, pondering, and trying to disguise your ambition.  Instead, being clear and direct helps others see how they can help you, and signals that you won’t shy away from a challenge or promotion.  So channel Leslie and copy her “severe tunnel vision about achieving [your] goals.” 

9.)        Don’t go it alone.  

Leslie deeply appreciated her network and the importance of finding a team.  As she said, "Find your team and get to work."  Especially now, when so many of us are isolated, it’s critical to find your team.  Ideally, you want people in the same field but not in competition with you, who care enough about you to give you direct feedback but not so close that they have motives other than wanting you to succeed, and who will truly celebrate your successes. 

If you’re at a crossroads, I hope you’ll take to heart one last direction from Leslie Knope: “Let’s break out a map.  Not the old out-of-date one that shows where we’ve been, but a crisp new one that shows where we might go.  Let’s embark on a new journey together, and see where it takes us.” 

And happy Galentine’s Day.

If you’re a lawyer ready to get clear about your career and embark on a new journey, start applying Leslie’s career lessons by joining Apochromatik’s free Legal Career Clarity Roundtable.  In three sessions February 16-23, you’ll get the clarity and develop the resilience you need to get moving.  Go to www.futureinfocus2021.com/lccr. 

 Amy M. Gardner is a Certified Career and Career Transitions Coach and Team Development and Leadership Consultant.  She coaches attorneys one-on-one, and in our small group attorney mastermind, Future in Focus.  She also works with teams of professionals, including teams of lawyers, to get aligned and become more engaged, effective, and efficient.   Amy is a former Big Law associate, partner at a mid-size law firm, and dean of students at a top 5 law school. Contact Amy directly at amy@apochromatik.com.