Continuing to reflect on Survivor, South Pacific (Season 23 of the reality TV series), I would like to highlight three more players of the game. These three individuals capture some of the essence of the leadership qualities demonstrated throughout the show. This post will explore the winner (Sophie) and two people that many fans might classify as the biggest losers in the game: Cochran and Brandon. I would not share their conclusions. The qualities of the leader are often seen in the eyes of the beholder.
Sophie Clarke (age 22) from Willsboro, NY was the ultimate winner of the million dollar prize. Sophie is a medical student and she played a very strategic game. She aligned herself with Coach and four others on day one of the show. This alliance of five made it all the way to the end. Once there were five and they had to begin voting one another out, she positioned herself well and took advantage of the weaknesses of others. With a little help from Brandon (see below) and her ability to win the last immunity challenge she found herself sitting as one of the last three players. Sophie was intelligent but opinionated; she was introverted but conceited; she spurned the prayers of other players but kept her criticism silent. In many ways she hid behind the visible leadership of Coach and the verbal plans of Albert (other in the alliance of five). She played well behind the scenes and ended up with a great deal of influence at the end. Her conceit and “brat-like” nature almost lost the game for her, but the jury preferred her strategy (despite her selfishness) over Coach’s dishonor.
Lessons from Sophie: 1. Be careful what you say and recognize a need for true humility; 2.You can be a person of great influence without being the visible leader or the mouthpiece for the organization; 3. Although you might win an earthly prize, it does not always reveal the inner character.
Another interesting player was Cochran. John Cochran (age 24) lives in Washington D.C. and is a student at Harvard Law School. Cochran was a self-proclaim expert of the game of Survivor. He had studied the game and knew the details of all 22 previous seasons. He was intelligent and verbally articulate, but his lack of self-confidence and social skills, hurt his game drastically. He came across as a geek (because he was) and failed to gain the respect of the other members of the tribe. His original tribe continually put Cochran down and began early to include his name at tribal council votes. He managed to survivor each council as other tribe members received more votes, but he was seen as a weak link (and criticized to his face). He survived to the merger of the two tribes into one. He then flipped his alliance to the other tribe and voted out one of his original tribe members. This was seen as an act of treason by his old tribe, but Cochran’s original team was slowly eliminated on member at a time – all because they failed to treat Cochran with respect and kindness. Cochran did not win Survivor, but he may have influenced the results of the game more than any player on the island. Cochran’s decision to switch tribes may not have been the wisest one, but I understand it completely.
Lessons from Cochran: 1. Research without experience may lead to misconceptions and blind-spots; 2. Treat all people with respect and honor – team success needs every member of the team; 3.The heart and courage of a leader is not always seen on the surface.
Finally there is Brandon - Brandon Hantz (19 years old) resides in Katy, Texas. He is an Oil Tanker crewman and the nephew of one of the biggest villains in Survivor history (Russell Hantz). When asked why he wanted to play the game he responded that he wanted to show everyone there is more than one side to the Hantz family (other than being mean). Brandon openly proclaimed his Christian faith and his desire to live a righteous life. However, Brandon also made some foolish and impulsive decisions. His religious beliefs did not seem to match his actions from time to time. It was easy to see that Brandon struggled between his commitment to righteousness and his sinful nature. He truly desired to play an honest game, but sometimes shared that honesty in brutal, tactless ways. His words often alienated him from other tribe members who began to doubt his ability to keep confidential information. Brandon won an immunity challenge that would have thrust him into the final five. He confronted Albert about some of Albert’s lies – the rest of the tribe was ready to vote Albert out of the game. Albert came to Brandon and sought his forgiveness for the deception. Brandon not only forgave Albert but he gave Albert his immunity at the tribe council. Without immunity it was Brandon that was voted out by the tribe. This was a stupid move from a game’s perspective, but I think Brandon really won the game of integrity. His Christianity shone brightly at that moment and he left the game with true honor. At the final show (live in Hollywood), Brandon shared that most of his family was disappointed in how he played the game including his dad and Uncle Russell. How sad, because, in my book, Brandon was the true winner of character (not Sophie) and demonstrated a testimony of faith (not Coach).
Lessons from Brandon: 1. Stand up for truth, but speak the truth in love; 2. Tact and confidentiality can exist within a lifestyle of integrity; 3. Winning the battles deep within one’s spirit are far more important than temporal, earthly rewards.
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