Five Leadership Lessons I Learned From Star Trek: The Next Generation
Posted on January 08, 2020 by Lisa Moffatt, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Leadership lessons from the second television series in the Star Trek enterprise.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a huge Star Trek: The Next Generation fan. Yes, I am a Trekkie!
Star Trek’s vision of a utopian future is equality for all, thereby employing the definition of feminism (people write academic papers about it).. Dr. Beverly Crusher, of The Next Generation, epitomizes this with her statement: “If there is nothing wrong with me, maybe there’s something wrong with the universe” (ST:TNG S4, e5 “Remember Me”). Without directly naming them, she is identifying systems of discrimination and oppression.
Star Trek: The Next Generation was the first television series to take social equity seriously. Men and women, from different races were seen as, and treated equally, their professional opinions considered and acted upon. The show performed well, though less than perfectly on the Bechdel test (44.9%).* Captain Jean Luc Picard kept a low profile, while encouraging each member of his crew (save for perhaps annoying Wesley!) to grow both personally and professionally. The Prime Directive (or General Order #1) on Star Trek “…prohibits its members from interfering with the internal and natural development of alien civilizations.” Honourable.
It is from this series that I draw five lessons for leadership.
1. Embrace Difference.
To truly achieve innovation, you need many different voices at the table. People bring different experiences, both lived and professional. Both are valid. Listen to things that make you uncomfortable. Be ok with being uncomfortable – that’s where the magic begins.
2. Speak to people in a language they understand.
Techno-speak is alienating (see what I did there?!). Leave the technical jargon at the office, especially in consultation and engagement processes. Write so your grandmother or teenager would understand.
3. Hire people who are smarter than you.
Leave your ego at the door. There are teachers all around us. Be open to learning from everyone.
4. Question the status quo.
Be curious. “We’ve always done it this way.” is the most dangerous thing anyone can think.
5. Value ethical actions over expedient ones.
It’s better to get it right than to deliver it fast. Take time to consider impacts, employ an intersectional lens** so no one is left behind.
*The Bechdel Test is a feminist framework that grades media on three points: (1) There must be at least two (named) women characters; (2) Who talk to each other; (3) About something other than a man.
Source: Kingsbury, Margaret. August 26, 2019. startrek.com. Available on-line. Last accessed: January 8, 2020.
**Intersectionality is a term coined by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. It is a theoretical framework for understanding how aspects of one’s social and political identities (e.g., gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, etc.) might combine to create unique modes of discrimination.
