Kit Eaton (http://www.fastcompany.com/) on May 8th, 2009 wrote: "There are great lessons to be learned from the words of these men who sit in the Captain's chair. Apply the wisdom of Starfleet's finest to your strange new world of business and you too will manage well and prosper". We tried to find out what our featured leaders think on the leadership wisdom from Star Trek.
Be a Leader
"The man on top walks a lonely street; the 'chain' of command is often a noose." -Capt. James Tiberius Kirk
NO COMMENT
"One of the advantages of being Captain is being able to ask for advice without necessarily having to take it." -Kirk
NO COMMENT
Taunt Your Rival
"Khan. Khan, you've got Genesis. But you don't have me! You're going to kill me Khan, you're going to have to come down here. You're going to have to come down here." -Kirk
NO COMMENT
Allow Subordinates to Speak Freely
"If I may be so bold, it was a mistake for you to accept promotion. Commanding a starship is your first, best, destiny. Anything else is a waste of material." -Spock, to Kirk
TRUE: Filip Kegels (Danone): "It's Much Better to Say "I Have a Problem, Let's Try to Fix It" than to Hide the Problem Until It Explodes in Your Face"
Delegate
"As captain of this ship, I'm the one who's responsible for everyone aboard. There aren't many people I'd willingly turn that responsibility over to. You're one of 'em." -Capt. Jonathan Archer to Phlox, the ship's physician
TRUE: Michael Crow (GlaxoSmithKline): "You Have to Know When You Should Just Let Go and Trust People"
Plan Ahead
"We must anticipate, and not make the same mistake once." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
TRUE: Blake Sallé (Cisco Systems): "It Is Very Important To Make Sure That You Establish Your Values And You Lead Your Team to Adhere to Them"
Set Realistic Goals
"Not one hundred percent efficient, of course...but nothing ever is." -Kirk
TRUE: Alex Gourlay (Boots): "Don't Pretend You Have the Answer When You Don't"
"Genius doesn't work on an assembly line basis. You can't simply say, 'Today I will be brilliant.'" -Kirk
FALSE: Dee Cooper (Virgin Atlantic): "You Have to be Clear if the Avenue is Not Worth Exploring Further" - "Because if you're not clear, and as we know with creatives, you can design, you can create forever and ever and ever until the deadline stops you".
Meetings
"A meeting is an event where minutes are taken and hours wasted." -Kirk
FALSE: Philippe Delpal (BNP Paribas Vostok Bank, CETELEM Russia): "Conversation Is the Game that You Can Play with Two, Three or Four People"
Intuition
"Intuition, however illogical, is recognized as a command prerogative." -Kirk
TRUE: Johan Rosenberg (Oriflame): "By Regulating Too Much You Lose That Entrepreneurship and You Lose the Spirit, You Lose the Winning Heart and Attitude With People" - "Sometimes I'm very quick in taking decisions and relying on the guts which I think is also very important part of management and feeling of the situation. But I'm also seeking for understanding of the problem. When I have that understanding, if that confirms by my guts, then that's where we go as a team".
Creativity
"Without freedom of choice there is no creativity" -Kirk
TRUE: Derk Sauer (IMSM): Give Creative People Enough Room to Be Stars
"Things are only impossible until they're not." -Picard
TRUE: Owen Kemp (HP): If a Human Being is Responsible for Something - It Has to Become Better
