I’ve always been a fan of science fiction. Initially, I was an avid reader of it, but then I discovered the magic of both the Star Wars and Star Trek universes. From an early age, these stories captured my imagination and shaped my thinking and perspective. It could be the heroic charge of Captain Kirk or the stoic leadership of Captain Picard; they all captured my thoughts and my thinking. And who didn’t want to be a Jedi Knight! The disciplined training and the calm virtue of a knight resonated with me then, and it still does today.

I was reflecting on what are some of the leadership lessons that I have learned over my life that can be traced back to my fascination with science fiction and notably Star Trek and Star Wars. And while leadership themes can be connected directly to specific episodes, scenes, or even scripted lines, some of these lessons are broader and are taken from a season or the collection of shows.  

Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.

Spock

Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging Matter

Long before the discussion regarding inclusion, diversity and belonging became mainstream in the business world, the science fiction world not only embraced it but portrayed a reality in which a conversation about inclusion, diversity and belonging wasn’t even required. The acceptance of different races, species and civilizations were generally treated with respect and with reverent social and scientific curiosity when meeting new sentient beings. The Star Trek mission (updated for The Next Generation) is: “Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!” And while it is a given that these new civilizations may have values and ideals vastly different than those represented by Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets and therefore may be a risk or threat, the curiosity to explore and the desire to discover new civilizations was overpowering. At the core of this exploration is the discovery of diversity and learning from each other.

The future realities of both Star Wars and Star Trek seemingly transcend the social upheaval needed to get to a society in which diversity is respected, inclusion required and belonging understood. But both universes touch on prejudice regularly, if only to reinforce the point that a better way is possible and to remind of us of what can go wrong when bias and discrimination are allowed to take hold. These themes demonstrate that society and leadership still have blind spots and biases that need to be explored, examined, and exposed to get to where it is we want to go. 

And while both serials are not perfect in the representation of diversity, inclusion and belonging, they both paint a future reality that we can strive to achieve and that we have it in ourselves to become.

Engineering Can Always Do More

In full transparency, I am a trained and educated engineer (and proud of it, too). But we can all see in our mind’s eye and recall in our memories the multiple episodes and movies of Star Trek in which Captain Kirk is asking engineering to do something that Mr. Scott (Scotty) pushes back on and explains the impossibility of achieving. But with a little move goading from Captain Kirk, Scotty complies, delivers and saves the day. Is it merely the protective nature of engineers to guard their machines and equipment against damage and ruin, or is it an unwillingness to disregard safety factors and unduly put people at risk that has Scotty pushing back on the latest demand of Captain Kirk? It is likely both.

Competent engineers know their equipment, processes and systems. They know how they operate, how things work, and how to get things done. They are trying to balance the expectations of safe and reliable operations by maintaining conditions within the safe operating envelope of their equipment and the demands of the situation of the time. Engineers, like Mr. Scott, are always trying to protect people and the equipment they are responsible for. And once they know the context of the emergency situation that is imminent, they often can find ways to get “just a little bit more from it” in a relatively safe manner. The idea that engineering can always deliver a little bit more is a theme about thinking out of the box and understanding and then challenging assumptions. It isn’t reckless endangerment, but a challenge to conventional thought and logic. There may be different solutions to the problem at hand if you change the perspective, assumptions and logic being used to solve the problem.

I canna' change the laws of physics.

Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

But one thing that isn’t always clear in the science fiction is when Scotty does finally say that the limit has been reached (after the comic back and forth), the Captain always listens.

To be an Effective Leader, Get Off the Bridge

While it is apparent that the Captain should never be going on all the off-ship assignments and shouldn’t always be part of the “away team,” it is also evident that a Captain cannot effectively lead if they are only on the bridge of the ship. The Captain needs to be off the bridge interacting with the crew, supporting their work, reinforcing the importance of their roles and seeing for themselves the conditions in which their people work. The Captain, to be effective, needs to be regularly seen throughout the ship conducting inspections and audits and hearing from the crew about their work and the conditions.

The Captain needs to be seen outside of their “territory” and interacting with the crew. The Captain needs to expose themselves to the same risks as they are asking the team to face themselves. The Captain needs to communicate through their actions that there is no task unimportant and no responsibility that they themselves are unwilling to do and take on. The Captain, while being apart from the crew, also needs to be seen as part of the team.

MBA courses regularly teach this principle as the idea of “management by walking around.” This instruction highlights the necessity of leaders to be with their teams at the work-face, talking to workers and observing the work. The insight garnered by these interactions and site visits is critical to making better management decisions.  

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

In season 6, episode 15 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, entitled “Tapestry,” Captain Jean Luc Picard’s artificial heart is failing, and he is near death. In the episode, and through the help of Q’s goading, Jean Luc Picard is offered the opportunity to see how his life would have turned out had he not intervened in the bar fight that caused him to lose his heart in the first place. In making a different decision during that time in the bar and taking a different road changed the trajectory of Jean Luc Picard’s life. In this alternate existence, Picard never becomes a Starfleet Captain and never commands the Enterprise. Instead, Picard ends up a relative junior grade science officer on another vessel.

Things are only impossible until they're not.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

This story contains many themes and critical takeaways, but the one that I want to focus on is the necessity to take risks in life. These should be, obviously, smart risk, but risks nonetheless. Life is much too precious and much too valuable to be lived so cautiously that nothing is gambled. There is no practice life, we only have one shot at being our best selves, so we should take on some risks to be that person. This perspective is not one that supports recklessness but one that supports pursuing your passions and being willing to be vulnerable in what you attempt and seek. As the cliché says, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

The Duality of Good Versus Evil

One of the core themes of Star Wars is the dual existence of good and evil existing within each one of us. It is another aspect of the seeming duality of all life; that is, there is no courage without fear, no light without dark, and no success without failure. It is the existence of the opposite that defines each side of these tenets, for they cannot exist without each other.

Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi. Your destiny.

Luke Skywalker

Star Wars and the theme of the good versus evil duality comments on the discipline needed to keep our “evil” at bay or in check. And that without this self-discipline to support the light and keep evil repressed, it is easy to deteriorate into relishing the power of evil and wickedness. It reminds me of a story that I have seen on the internet, and so I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the metaphor, but it highlights the story of good versus evil very well. It is attributed to the American First Nation Cherokee and highlights the struggle that is within each of us between good and evil. The story goes:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life:

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil–he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you–and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:

“Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

The discipline that is needed to fight evil, metaphorically described as the training of Jedi knight, is arduous, focused and regimented. The training takes great courage and great dedication. But because of the importance of the battle, it is one that many are willing to take on. And as the Cherokee grandfather in the story above eloquently states, the wolf that wins is the one we feed. This battle goes on every day and is never over, thus the need for a daily regime of training and relentless focus on self-improvement.

Do or Do Not. There is No Try

Plain and simple “trying” is a cop-out, a prescient to failure and an immature way to protect one’s ego when a failure might occur. It is leaving the outcome to chance as opposed to the dedicated and committed action that you might take to create the desired result in the first place. This principle is all about committing fully to doing something, or not, but to never vacillate on the decision. Try provides a convenient excuse from a brain science and motivational perspective. But fundamentally, “try” is lazy, and as Mark Rhodes suggests in his book, “Think Your Way to Success” is one of those words that should be eliminated from our vocabulary.

Your focus determines your reality.

Qui-Gon Jinn

Yoda, the 900-year-old Jedi Master, who seemingly talks in riddles, in reality, provides stoic philosophical insights and guidance on how to live one’s best life. Yoda’s straightforward explanations and admonishments, such as reminding us to fully commit ourselves to our purpose and crafting the outcome we desire is meaningful advice in the world that we live in as it is in the Start Wars universe.

Happiness  

Happiness. True happiness, that is, resides in the pursuit of self-improvement and not of material things. Throughout the Star Trek universe, there is a minimal indication of money, purchasing requirements or the acquisition of material things. Everyone has a few personal items that correspond to a hobby, interest or passion, but the pursuit of wealth and material objects is virtually non-existent. With the advent of replicators where anyone could have anything, the use of wealth as a differentiator or a yardstick of “advancement” no longer has the meaning that it did in the 20th century. In fact, the pursuit of wealth and material things is generally replaced by the exploration of both the external universe (i.e. the mission of the Starship Enterprise) and the internal universe of self-improvement. Both are equally valid quests, and both are equally important in the Star Trek universe.

The key lesson, then, is to transcend the pursuit of external validation and confirmation of one’s success by the accumulation of material goods, and monetary wealth, but instead focus on self-improvement and becoming the best version of yourself possible. It is through the exploration of our internal realm that we face our greatest fears, become familiar with our most significant talents, and meet the person we are and meant to be. And through this exploration, we can shrug off the cloaks and labels of what others think we are and should be and fully become the person we are. This realization is likely the most significant theme of the Star Trek universe... to fully become who we truly are.

Be Committed to Something Greater than Yourself

To be a Jedi Knight. Was this not every kid’s dream who saw Star Wars, or was it just me? Many things about being a Jedi knight is appealing to many, but a key leadership lesson learned is to commit yourself to something greater than just who you are. Whether it is Han Solo realizing that there is more to his existence than simply looking after his next payday or the innate drive that Luke Skywalker has about his existence and contribution being away from Tatooine, we all want to be a part of something bigger and more significant than simply ourselves. We want to know that our existence matters on a larger, more grand scale, and that our contribution is meaningful to the accomplishment of that goal or ideal.

Remember…the Force will be with you, always.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

The training, dedication and commitment on a physical, emotional and intellectual basis are what becoming a Jedi knight takes. But it is the full commitment to an idea greater than oneself that is the appeal of being a Jedi. In a lot of ways, becoming a Jedi knight is a metaphor for a lot of things in our lives. Still, it also represents the search that we all have as individuals, to find that one purpose that is larger than our own mere existence and to which we can dedicate our lives to achieving and advancing. This purpose is what we are looking for and what we all desire. As leaders, it is this purpose that we must define and present to others so that they can willingly join the pursuit of that purpose and can see how their contributions and their existence matters.

Seize the time... Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

And as a bonus, one final lesson learned is that you never want to be the “red shirt” security guy on the away team. These are always the ones that meet the most untimely end and often early in the adventure.

Live long and prosper, may the force be with you, and make it so.