Game of Thrones: A business leader's guide

On Sunday, the third season of HBO’s his fantasy series, Game of Thrones begins, returning viewers to the mythical land of Westeros and its endless political struggles, intricate plotting, sex and violence. The show is a meditation on power, influence and negotiation as much as it is about anything else, and not surprisingly, there are some good business lessons to be learned from the show’s dense, layered narrative. Among them: Know which promises you can never break, know how to protect your strongest assets, and know how to promote your middle management.