👑 Who Was the Better Leader: Jon Snow vs Daenerys Targaryen? A GOT Leadership Scorecard 🥶

What’s up Binge Fam. Okay look we all finished Game of Thrones ages ago but the debate never dies right. Forget the ending for a second and let’s talk management skills. You have Jon Snow the reluctant hero who keeps getting stabbed and Dany the Mother of Dragons who keeps getting betrayed. Who actually had the better GOT leadership scorecard? Who was the more competent CEO of a struggling Westeros branch? This post is about moving past the feelings and looking at the cold hard facts of their command.

I put together a ten-point list for both of them scoring their major decisions and flaws. Spoiler: both of them are total chaos agents in their own ways. Let’s get into the hot takes 🌶️.

 

Daenerys: The Dragon Queen’s Scorecard

Dany had the pedigree the dragons and the literal fire power. She had the vision of a brand new world. But she also had a fatal flaw that was waiting      to be activated. Her score is a roller coaster.

The Highs (The Good Decisions)

1. The Slaver’s Bay Liberator: Undeniably she rolled up to Meereen and freed thousands of slaves. That’s a huge W for basic human rights and a massive loyalty score boost. No one else in Westeros would have done that ever. It established her brand globally.
2. The Unsullied Discipline: She didn’t just free the Unsullied she took a slave army and instantly turned them into a professional fighting force loyal only to her. Smart personnel management and tactical brilliance. They were instantly her best asset.
3. Diplomatic Patience (Early): She actually spent years learning how to rule Meereen even though she hated the politics. She showed patience attempting to balance mercy and justice with the Sons of the Harpy problem. We gotta give her credit for trying before she started burning stuff.
4. The Dothraki Deal: She didn’t just command the Dothraki she embraced their culture and leadership style. She literally walked through fire for them. That’s elite cultural integration and cemented them as fiercely devoted personal guard.
5. The Narrow Sea Gambit: She managed to sail three armies two dragons and her entire court across the world to Westeros. That logistical feat alone is peak execution. She showed she could mobilize resources on an insane scale.

The Lows (The Bad Decisions)

6. The Execution Spree: Crucifying the masters in Meereen was pure impulsive rage and a massive PR disaster. It caused instability and proved she was ruled by emotion not logic. Bad optics bad stability score.
7. Trusting the Wrong Dudes: From the Iron Islands to Hizdahr zo Loraq she consistently failed to vet her romantic partners and advisors. She kept taking L’s because of who she listened to or slept with. Total lack of vetting skills and vulnerability.
8. Killing Varys: Sure he was plotting but she executed a loyal, high-value advisor based on a technicality. It showed the court no one was safe. Very tyrannical move that silenced dissenting but necessary voices.
9. The Bells Incident: The ultimate management failure. The switch from victorious leader to Mad Queen was rushed but the potential for that rage was always there. You can’t hire someone who might torch the city later because they had a bad day.
10. The Absolute Obsession with the Throne: Every decision was driven by entitlement (the “it is my birthright” complex) not by the needs of the people she claimed to serve. Leadership should be service not birthright. This poisoned her entire mission.

Jon Snow: The Reluctant King’s Scorecard

Jon never wanted to lead which is why everyone trusted him. He was terrible at the political long game but great at moral clarity. He’s the anti-Dany.

The Highs (The Honest Wins)

1. Lord Commander Election: He was elected by his peers after hard service. This is pure merit-based leadership not privilege. Big credit for earning the job.
2. Saving the Wildlings: He saw the bigger picture (the Night King) and risked everything to save the Wildlings, turning former enemies into crucial allies. That’s strategic foresight Dany could only dream of.
3. Rallying the Northern Alliance: He and Sansa managed to unite the disparate, grumpy Northern houses against the existential threat. This is a diplomatic success that required immense personal credibility.
4. Leading the Charge (BotB): Facing Ramsay’s armies he led the cavalry charge himself. He consistently led from the front showing unmatched personal courage. People will follow that kind of bravery.
5. Refusal of the Throne: The biggest W of all. He flat-out refused power repeatedly proving his motivation was duty and survival, not personal gain. The ultimate test of integrity.

The Lows (The Naive Fails)

6. The Oath Failure (Night’s Watch): He failed to sell his Wildling rescue vision to his brothers. He was so bad at communication that they literally murdered him over it. That’s a massive communication fail 🔪.
7. Leaking the Parentage Secret: Massive security blunder. He tells his siblings and Tyrion, and instantly the secret is loose, destroying Dany’s political standing and triggering the final conflict. Zero situational awareness.
8. Bending the Knee to Dany: A strategic weakness. He gave up the North’s autonomy and his own power too easily based on a crush and a common enemy. Terrible negotiation skills.
9. Abandoning Post (Twice): He quits the Night’s Watch post-resurrection. Then he quits the King in the North title. Great morals but terrible job commitment. He bails when the going gets tough.
10. The Killing of Daenerys: While morally understandable it was an impulsive, emotional act of treason. He substituted duty (protecting the realm) for personal feeling. He failed to find a peaceful resolution or a political path.

The Leadership Metrics That Matter

If you’re hiring a leader you need results and stability.

Metric	Daenerys Targaryen	Jon Snow	Winner
Logistics & Resource Management	Excellent. Sailed armies across the globe.	Poor. Relied on others (Sansa, Dany) for resources.	Dany 🥇
Team Loyalty (Personal)	High. But based on fear/worship, not trust.	Unshakeable. People followed him to death and back.	Jon 🥇
Political Foresight	Terrible. Only understood power, not governance.	Terrible. Understood only duty, not politics.	TIE (Both Bad)
Moral Integrity	Failed the test (The Bells).	Passed the test (Wildlings, Refusal of Throne).	Jon 🥇

Final Ruling: Who Was the Better Leader?

Based purely on results stability and future planning… Daenerys was initially the better ruler (she managed cities and armies better than Jon ever did). She could organize a multi-continent invasion force.

However Jon Snow was the better leader because his integrity was unshakeable. He inspired loyalty that didn’t dissolve when things got hard. Dany inspired fear and obedience which ultimately failed the city. Jon gets the win for having an actual moral compass 🧭 even if he was a total idiot in the political arena. Leadership needs a foundation and his was solid.

Okay so you saw the comprehensive scorecard. If you had to swear allegiance to ONE of them who would it be? Was Dany’s cruelty justified by her results in Slaver’s Bay or was Jon’s honesty just too naive for Westeros? Drop your score breakdown below 👇.