Like most people managing other human beings for the first time, I got there without benefit of actual training, academic or otherwise. I was made “chief copy editor” of a weekly technology rag not because I had the right chiefdom stuff (well, I wasn’t widely detested), but because I was a really good copy editor. I was thus a Peter Principle exemplar—promoted into my level of incompetence.

I learned quickly that being lifted up from a peer group to become the “first among equals” is no picnic. This particular gig arose within a culture that emphasized conflict as a creative force and thus featured lots of sharp elbows and cloak-and-dagger politics. (In fact, being widely detested might have been a management plus.) Even the lowly copy desk had its share of intrigues.

Forced to improvise, I fell back on what I had learned about management from the finest role model syndicated television could provide: Barney Miller (played by the great Hal Linden) ran his NYPD 12th Precinct detective squad room by remaining a sane fixed point in the midst of disorder, vanity, neurosis and bureaucracy. Barney was decent, open-minded, unflappable, and full of common sense. He was at all times a good listener, but also an even-handed disciplinarian when necessary. He chafed against pointless red tape, covered his detectives’ backs, was unafraid to make gutsy decisions, and earned his team’s absolute loyalty.

He was exactly the kind of boss any brand new manager would want to become. Well, at least I did. And because Barney Miller was on every night at 7:30, I could avail myself of a weekly 2 ½-hour case-based leadership curriculum that had the feel of authenticity. Like Barney, I was lower-middle management—responsible for a few, accountable to many, and allotted a very tiny portion of useful authority.

Had I been able to fully internalize Barney Miller’s character, I might have become a great manager. But imitating art isn’t as easy as it seems. Part of the problem was the authority thing. Barney had established his over time; I hadn’t. It would take me a few more years to get the hang of things. But I can’t fault the education.

Since not all of us are lucky enough to have formal management training, we have to find it where we can. Who are today’s best pop-culture sources of leadership mentoring and inspiration? Who would you want to be like? Just to get you thinking, here are some other Barneys: Fife, Rubble, Frank, and the Purple Dinosaur.