What can we learn from the icy Claire Underwood?

The main characters of the hit series House of Cards are Frank and Claire Underwood, a couple you’d want to keep your distance from. They are brilliant, ruthless and absolutely terrifying.

Claire Underwood is the wife of a cruel and ambitious senator who manages to become the president of the United States through conspiracy and murder, but she is also a lobbyist who will not hesitate to step over anyone’s dead body to achieve her goals. Claire is a mixture of submission and ambition. “Behind every great man there is a great woman with bloodstained hands,” wrote the creator of House of Cards, describing the series.

The character, embellished by a distinctive haircut and appearance of icy simplicity, seems to be the authors’ means of freeing themselves from the feminist trope of politically correct women who strive to achieve their goals while respecting the rules. For Claire – played magnificently by Robin Wright – there are no rules and no morals. In fact, she has been described as an antiheroine and a feminist warrior.

Whenever the series touches on sensitive issues like rape, career, ambition and motherhood, it sends a clear and simple message: society is still cruel and merciless to women, and some of them react by becoming even more cruel and merciless than men.

She is not, of course, an example to follow: almost everything Frank and Claire do is done with insincerity, coldness and sometimes cruelty. Even so, there are some great lessons to be learned from their leadership style.

Claire is above all pragmatic, tenacious and resilient. She is strong, elegant, eloquent and always ready to get up again after falling down, again and again, until she gets away with it. She is the embodiment of the unshakable, unstoppable and respected woman. She has a broad vision and takes the necessary risks to achieve her objectives. She intentionally projects the image she wants to present, and she is also creative and adaptable about how and what message she wishes to convey.

Claire is much more subtle than Frank, less impulsive and even more calculating, and she always stays focused on the overall goal. She doesn’t let minor difficulties derail her. Her negotiation techniques begin with a soft, flexible approach that appeals to rational reasoning. If this doesn’t work, she shifts to more offensive tactics as a last resort.

Throughout the series, Claire plays her cards, always waiting for the right moment to show her hand. She knows how to take a step back when it’s convenient for her and attack at the right time. She teaches us that patience, attention and modulation of temperament are critical factors in determining success.

Claire is also strategic and realistic about the connections and relationships she needs to establish. Casual relationships have no place in her life, and the only people familiar with the real scope of Frank and Claire’s plans are Frank and Claire themselves. Both are great observers who understand what motivates people. They use this information to move their game forward. They are servant leaders who help others get what they want, but only because, cynically, they know that sooner or later those people will return the favour.

Claire Underwood is also the queen of avoidance. Like any good politician, she tactically avoids responding to questions that she doesn’t want to answer. Although this skill does not always yield results in work, especially if it is used over the long term, it is possible to occasionally use avoidance to buy time and prepare to give a more complete response, or to avoid revealing information if you are not in a good position to share it.

Claire is undoubtedly a perfect fit for the first lady character, because everything about her style is perfectly calibrated. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to present an image that matches your position or aspiration. There are counterexamples that show that leadership and success needn’t necessarily be accompanied by a suit and tie – Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg have taught us that – but it is essential to have a coherent and recognisable style.

Claire and Frank often show us how they prepare for important speeches and conversations. They meticulously practice and rehearse to make sure they have the right answer to every question. Trying to anticipate the questions someone will ask is an important factor in gaining trust. And when it comes to speaking in public, there is just one rule: practice, practice, practice.

If you don’t like how the table is set... turn over the table. Claire constantly finds alternative solutions to achieve her goals. Her rivals may sometimes take her by surprise, but she never lets on. She stays calm and keeps going. If you lose your calm and cool, revealing your true feelings, others may wonder if your judgement is based on emotions rather than solid reasoning.

If House of Cards is like chess, Claire Underwood is the queen, the most powerful piece in the game and – both on the show and in reality – it is only a matter of time before a woman becomes President of the United States.

HOUSE OF CARDS

House of Cards (Netflix, 2013) is often compared to The West Wing, but in fact, this American series is an adaptation of a British miniseries of the same name, which was televised by the BBC in 1990. The original miniseries, in turn, is based on a novel by Michael Dobbs, also of the same name.

Produced by Beau Willimon (The Ides of March), the story of House of Cards is told in the form of a fake documentary about how the Southern congressman Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) rise to success in Washington’s political world using manipulative and unethical tactics. Anything goes in their quest to achieve their ends, and they will not hesitate to use the media, their contacts and even their family to get what they want, even if it means sacrificing relationships and hurting their colleagues.

On an artistic level, House of Cards is an impeccable feat. Director David Fincher (Fight Club) turns each shot into a work of art where the light and texture of the colours play their own important roles, especially when the protagonist, Frank Underwood, addresses the camera to explain the reasons for his character’s actions. These scenes are the best parts of Kevin Spacey’s performance, and they have earned him and his co-star numerous nominations and awards – including two Golden Globes – and the number of accolades has grown with each passing season.

In addition to its plot, House of Cards will go down in history for two important reasons: it was the first series produced by an American on-demand video platform (Netflix), and all episodes of each season are released all at once. Strange as it may seem, this release schedule has become increasingly popular with fans of this type of product, who enjoy binge-watching in their free time.

Among many other curiosities, House of Cards was renewed for a second season before the first one had even been released. In 2013, it also became the first Netflix-produced show to earn Primetime Emmy nominations, specifically for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.