Netflix’s TV series Fargo tells the tale of a series of awful murders in and around Bemidji, Minnesota. After a fateful encounter with a ruthless hitman, local pushover Lester Nygaard finds himself drawn into a double life of murder and deception. As Lester goes down the proverbial rabbit hole, Deputy Molly Solverson, one of Bemidji’s finest, works to solve the case in the face, despite significant obstacles thrown at her by the local Chief of Police. The plot is dark and the characters are richly drawn. There are plenty of professional lessons from the first season of Fargo. Here are five professional lessons from Fargo the Series.
Persistence pays off
No matter how frustrating your situation or how many obstacles you’re facing, you need to persist. Deputy Solverson is derailed by her chief, ignored by the FBI and dismissed by many of her fellow officers when she points the finger at Nygaard and pulls together a complex web of evidence that clearly points to his culpability. But despite all this work, she is frequently dismissed. By being persistent, Solverson shows that no matter what barriers are thrown at you, sticking to your (career) goals are the best way to achieve success.
Be confident in yourself
What’s the biggest difference between Lester Pre-Malvo vs. Post-Malvo? Confidence. While both Lesters are duplicitous and manipulative, it’s the confidence that Lester draws from surviving his run in with the law and with a guy who is pretty close to being the devil that revives his career and personal life. Self-assurance is a tough thing to flip a switch on if you don’t already have it. But one way I’ve always approached things when I have doubts about my abilities or performance is to ask myself if I did my best. If the answer’s yes then it’s a lot easier to move forward and accept any failure that came as a result. Model Lester – just not evil Lester.
Choose your career wisely
Gus is a Duluth county police officer and we realize pretty quickly that he’s missing some important competencies, particularly when compared to the tenacious Deputy Solverson. It’s too bad the police recruiters didn’t recognize this earlier. Instead, Gus is forced to work a job that he’s struggling to succeed in – and the heap of criticism that goes along with sub-standard performance. The good news for Gus is that he’s both self-reflective to realize he’s in the wrong line of work and then, due to an unfortunate turn of events, he’s clearly incentivized to make a move. Making that jump can be really scary and for some people despite the knowledge that their job isn’t a fit with their passion and/or competencies. Don’t let that happen to you.
Acknowledge mistakes
There’s a moment towards the end of the season when Chief Bill finally admits a grave error in judgement. He does so with real vulnerability. He seems to understand that he lacks the necessary skills and cynicism to do good police work in the dark (seemingly primeval) world that we all live in. Managing such a transformation of self-awareness couldn’t have been easy. Deputy Solverson does him a solid by not being condescending when he opens up to her. She also doesn’t try to make him feel better by not being untruthful about his past conduct. Instead she hears him. Quietly and respectfully. Despite more a year of frustration because of their inability to communicate, she remains a particularly classy person and a role model for how to receive an apology.
Follow your gut
There are plenty of examples in Fargo of where paying attention to your gut makes a big difference. It happens in Lou’s diner when Malvo shows up asking after Lester. It happens when Gus talks to his neighbour about the creepy car lurking outside his house. And it happens when Gus has a run in with a mysterious stranger at a traffic stop. Recognizing a gut feeling and then acting on it is an important skill that we often forget about in favour of process and pressure. Don’t ignore your gut because it’s often much more sensitive to the non-verbal signals being put out in an environment.