We’d like to share Jeff’s story, an Aha! Leadership Moment about what we can learn from our tv hours spent watching the Starship Enterprise boldly go where no man (or woman) has been before.  Even Captain Kirk could have used a little help honing his coaching skills out there in Space, the Final Frontier!  

Jeff’s Story — An Aha! Leadership Moment inspired by Star Trek

Most of what I know about Leadership, I learned from Star Trek.  Despite his swaggering, shoot-from-the-hip-style, Captain Kirk got much of it right, as did the different commanders of the subsequent Enterprise voyages.  For me, perhaps the most vital learning from the original series was simply:  Hire Spock.  As many of him or her as you can find in your galaxy.  In fact, go out of your way to make sure you are always the least smart life-form on the Bridge.

This universal axiom was key for me as the leader of a small start-up during the 1990’s high-tech boom.  We were in uncharted space, seeking markets for internet technology that we were still developing.  The situation called for boldness and risk-taking which I was happy to supply, but as an inexperienced CEO armed with a technical sales background, what I suddenly needed was a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and no amount of warp speed education was going to get me there.

So I hired people smarter than me in all the disciplines we needed:  Engineering, Technology, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Media Relations and Legal.  It was humbling to sit in a room crackling with that much brainpower and realize that I probably had the lowest IQ, and I was their leader.

But with humility, comes the other half of this axiom. There’s no point assembling a stellar crew unless as their Captain, you are prepared to spend 90% of your leadership time listening and respecting and only 10% making the tough decisions.  The good news is that the smarter the crew and the more they feel your respect, the easier it is to hear the sound advice they give you.

Star Trek foretold much about our future world and continues to teach us the essentials of leadership.  My pick:  Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself. Then listen to them and let them know you are listening.