Today’s leaders are usually well-spoken and stylistically dressed, but that’s not going to hack it for an apocalyptic leader. You’ll need more than good looks and pretty words if you want to survive and thrive during the apocalypse. Let’s take a look at a few things you’ll need to be a post-apocalyptic leader of men and women:
Strength, Tenacity and Ruthlessness
The recent abdication of the King of Spain to his son Prince Felipe is getting a lot of attention. The 46 year old is handsome, well-dressed and well-positioned in the highest echelons of society. You would think he would qualify as a post-apocalyptic leader. But the truth is that I don’t think this guy could survive the apocalypse for more than an hour. Do you? During the apocalypse there will be a lot of abdication and coup d’états but these men won’t be replaced by their soft-spoken heirs; they’ll most likely be thrown out of their palaces by the strongest and most ruthless people from the streets. Leaders of the apocalypse will by their nature be bold survivors unwilling to follow the powerbrokers of a bygone age, they’ll be making their own rules and building their own royal courts on the graves of their enemies.
Loyal Subjects and Minions
Forget your fantasies of lone wolf heroics. That’s just not going to happen during the apocalypse. If you want to lead a post-apocalyptic society, you’ll need a legion of loyal subjects, minions and strongmen. Did I mention the loyal part? You don’t want to get the old knife in the back (or the poison in your drink) right before you enjoy the spoils of all your hard work. So, pick your followers carefully and make sure you pay them well during the apocalypse.
A Shrewd and Ferocious Partner
Today’s leaders marry movie stars, models and other soft folks. But if you want to survive as a leader in a post-apocalyptic society, you’ll need to marry someone with a heart of stone (steel’s even better). Let’s take a look at what you should and shouldn’t do. Prince Felipe married this lovely TV star:
You DO NOT want to do that. The marauders and enemies will devour this type of spouse in one big bite. Instead, marry someone like this:
Or this:
You see what I mean? You need a partner who can scare off your enemies just with their face.
As you prepare yourself for leadership during the apocalypse, remember, that “Men are of no importance. What counts is who commands.” –Charles De Gaulle.
SunHi Mistwalker writes fiction set in dystopian and post-apocalyptic worlds. Her new novel New Hope City, a dark coming-of-age story set in a post-apocalyptic America, follows the life of Sunni Brown, a teenage girl exploited by sex traffickers who tries to get a fresh start when she meets a disillusioned cop. She is also the author of the science fiction series After The Darkness. Please sign up for the mailing list for receive updates, freebies and special discounts. You can also follow SunHi on Twitter and Facebook.
Sunhi Mistwalker 
It REALLY pains me to say it, but Putin would probably be good in the post-apocalypse. He’s got the whole, shirtless, horse-riding thing down.