What Stranger Things Teaches Us About Everyday Leadership (No Spoilers, Promise!)

With Season 5 of Stranger Things finally dropping, I found myself cuddled up on the couch with my family over Thanksgiving, soaking in every moment. And while I won’t share any spoilers here, I will share this: the show reminded me once again how much everyday life — even a cozy holiday binge-watch — can teach us about leadership. Leadership lessons don’t just show up in boardrooms or books; they show up in our living rooms, our communities, and the stories we connect with.

Because leadership isn’t just something we learn from books, workshops, or company offsites.Leadership lives in everyday moments — conversations with our kids, community experiences, and yes, even Netflix shows we binge after a long day.

Here are some of the most meaningful leadership analogies inspired by Stranger Things:

1. The Upside Down = Leading Through the Unknown

The Upside Down is unpredictable, tense, and full of surprises — much like the moments leaders face during growth, crisis, or change.Great leaders don’t panic in uncertainty.They pause, assess, and guide people through the fog with clarity and calm.

2. The Party (the friend group) = High-Trust Teams

No one survives alone.The Party wins because they communicate, trust each other, and honor everyone’s strengths.In organizations, teams thrive when:

• People feel safe speaking up

• Strengths are recognized

• Collaboration is real, not performative

• Everyone is aligned on the mission

Leadership is a team sport.

3. Eleven’s Powers = Everyone Has a Superpower

Eleven reminds us that strengths don’t always look traditional. Some people lead through strategy, others through creativity, intuition, relationship-building, or problem-solving. Leadership is recognizing the brilliance in your people — and creating the conditions for those gifts to shine.

4. Hopper = Leaders Who Create Safety

Hopper represents what it means to be a stabilizer. Not a micromanager. Not a hero.A steady presence who protects the team, sets boundaries, and builds structure so others can succeed.

5. Joyce Byers = The Power of Intuitive Leadership

Joyce leads with conviction, even when the path is unclear. Great leaders balance data with intuition and aren’t afraid to follow their instincts when urgency strikes.

6. Steve Harrington = The Leadership Glow-Up

Steve’s evolution shows the power of humility, coaching, and self-awareness. Leadership isn’t static. We grow. We adapt. We learn to serve in new ways. And that evolution is often what earns people’s trust.

7. The Walkie-Talkies = Communication Is Survival

The group survives because they communicate constantly. Check-ins. Updates. “Are you there?”Organizational communication should work the same way — clear, consistent, and without assumptions. Good communication creates alignment and prevents fires before they start.

8. The Mind Flayer & Vecna = Name the Real Problem

In Stranger Things, things get worse when no one understands the real threat.The moment they name it, they can strategize.For leaders:You can’t fix what you refuse to acknowledge.Clarity is step one to transformation.

✨ Final Thought

Stranger Things reminds us that leadership isn’t about perfection — it’s about courage, community, and how we show up in moments that feel a little “Upside Down.”

Whether you’re leading a team, a household, a boardroom, or a business, the lessons are the same: Be curious. Be grounded. Trust your people. And keep moving forward, even when the path isn’t fully clear.

Everyday life is full of leadership lessons — we just have to pay attention.

If this kind of everyday leadership approach speaks to you, let’s connect — this is the work I love helping teams grow into.