In honour of the opening of the new Stat Trek movie thought I'd post this great article I found by Ted Anthony of the Associated Press. It was on Pantagraph.com and outlines Captain Kirk and his leadership skills.
For three years of prime-time television and decades of syndication, Captain James T. Kirk was many things: womanizer, breaker of rules, defender of high ideals. But there’s one side of Kirk you don’t hear much about: management guru.
In the years that the Enterprise explored space, William Shatner’s gold-shirted commander faced some of the biggest decisions that his corner of the galaxy demanded. You just try defeating a planet-eating “doomsday machine” without getting yourself and your crew killed; kind of makes your 2:30 with marketing seem manageable.
With Chris Pine giving Captain Kirk a new look in J.J. Abrams’ new “Star Trek” movie and a recession machine threatening to eat our planet, it’s a good time to look at one of the USS Enterprise commander’s less examined skills.
Kirk delegated often, regularly putting his ship in the hands of subordinates. And when work bogged down, he rose to the occasion with a motivational speech that reminded the crew why their jobs mattered.
Here’s what you can learn from Kirk to help you tackle your own management challenges.
BEST FRIEND OR TOUGH GUY?
KIRK’S DILEMMA: A transporter accident beams back two Kirks — a gentle one and a dark-hearted counterpart. The gentler Kirk realizes that his doppelganger is actually his (very useful) dark side.
YOUR DILEMMA: If you’re too friendly, you can’t make the tough calls; if you’re too tyrannical, you lose loyalty.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Make an honest assessment — are you dictatorial or a pushover? If you don’t know, ask a trusted lieutenant.
“Leaders have to understand their own emotions,” says Jane Barnes, a former division manager at AT&T, where she supervised 400 people — roughly the size of the original Enterprise crew. If your tough side needs improvement, try a stern talk the next time a mediocre performer blows a deadline. If you need more empathy, work on muzzling anger when you’re dealing with someone who doesn’t deliver. Project that you’re supportive but not to be trifled with.
A bit of the dark side can be a good motivator, says Barnes, who now teaches MBA students at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. “Even though we want our leaders to have some emotional intelligence, they have to know how to say no.”
KNOW WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON
KIRK’S DILEMMA: A subterranean creature is killing workers on a mining planet. The miners want the creature dead, but Kirk learns that the “monster” is protecting her eggs, which the miners have been destroying. Enlightened, Kirk brokers a truce.
YOUR DILEMMA: Not being blinded by your own expectations or what you’re told by subordinates. Assembling an accurate picture of what’s going on.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Create room for dissent and never punish people for their candor. Praise your lieutenant in a performance review for the time she disagreed with you strongly in public. Reward contrarian comments in meetings; when you act on them, follow up publicly.
“Don’t become a prisoner of your preconceived notions,” says John Barnes, author of John F. Kennedy on Leadership and a “fanatic Trekkie in my misspent youth.” Barnes adds: “One of the things I liked about Kirk from a leadership perspective was that he was willing to look at things from different points of view.”
MANAGING CHANGE AND PREVENTING STAGNATION
KIRK’S DILEMMA: Two planets at war for five hundred years have made their battles virtual; victims of attacks obediently report to disintegration chambers. Kirk breaks the stagnation by destroying one planet’s computer, triggering a possible real conflict so peace can finally be negotiated.
YOUR DILEMMA: In the fiercest recession of their working lives, members of your team can’t grasp that they have to change to survive.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Gather your staff and talk straight. Tell them they must understand the company’s new goals to stay relevant. Reward innovation; reduce commissions for repeat business and use the money to create incentives for bringing in new business. Most of all, keep following through.
“In a business situation, what Kirk did would have been a first step,” says Paul Olk, professor of management at the University of Denver. “People have to be ready for those new responsibilities. “You have to give them not only the capabilities but the orientation: How do you think of things differently?”
MANAGING UP
KIRK’S DILEMMA: A superior officer who lost his starship and crew while trying to destroy a giant mechanical “planet eater” in space seizes command of the Enterprise and is about to make the same mistake. “Not with my ship, you don’t,” says Kirk, who promptly uses insubordination — a recurring implement in the James T. Kirk leadership toolkit — and orders Spock to relieve the interloper of command.
YOUR DILEMMA: Your boss has ordered up something you know will be bad for the company — and disastrous to your career. You have to figure out a way to get around the order without it being equally disastrous to your career.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Be overtly useful and take pains to make your boss’ job easier. That way, when you have to make it more difficult for him, you’ve banked some credit. Don’t make snaky end runs to higher-ups without realizing that, if you get caught, you’re going to suffer. And if you encounter a situation where you have to confront a superior, be prepared to articulate your reasons calmly without sounding defensive.
“Kirk always made the guy who was making the trouble realize the trouble he was making,” John Barnes says. “Explain: ‘We’ve always done it this way because ...’ ‘And if we’re going to change it now, it’s going to have an effect on our credibility.”‘
That approach only works within limits, though. If you can’t resolve the philosophical differences, ultimately it may be you who needs to find the door. “If your boss is not doing what is in the best interests of your organization,” Barnes says, “you may have to find another organization to work for.”
PUTTING YOURSELF IN OTHERS’ SHOES
KIRK’S DILEMMA: Sigma Iotia II has modeled its entire culture on a history book accidentally left behind by an Earth ship — “Chicago Mobs of the Twenties.” It’s ruled by warring gangsters in pinstripes who “put the bag on” Kirk and his landing party and demand sophisticated weaponry. Kirk dresses up like a mobster, affecting an accent that’s equal parts Bogart and Tony Soprano. Then he takes over everyone’s turf to show the motley crew of squabbling mafiosi that could benefit more by working together.
YOUR DILEMMA: There’s the weird guy with the facial tic who can’t look at anyone when he talks. There’s the strutting former college jock. And there’s the utterly insensitive lout. You’re the boss, and you have to communicate with — and motivate — each of em.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Be gentle and encouraging with the awkward staffer, jocular with the jock and low key but firm with the lout. In other words, as Scotty the engineer once said, choose the right tool for the right job.
You can’t manage everyone the same way. So study these guys. Learn their language and what matters to them — be it money or job security, stature or job satisfaction. If you know what makes them tick, you can fix the broken gears.
“It breaks down the barriers of who you are and shows a sense that you are trying to connect with them,” Olk says. “You can’t always get into it to the level that Kirk did. But if you have time, that kind of connecting is huge.”
MANAGING ACROSS GENERATIONS
KIRK’S DILEMMA: Young space hippies in floral prints hijack the Enterprise. A prickly Kirk shows little interest in understanding people he views as undisciplined rabble-rousers — despite the fact that a little tolerance might help him get his ship back.
YOUR DILEMMA: Your team is brimming with younger employees who want praise for every assignment, ask for perks left and right and bristle whenever they have to work through dinner.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Show younger staffers you’re going out of your way to understand how their needs might differ from mid-career team members. Talk to them, not at them, and ask a lot of questions. This is the self-esteem generation, remember, so make them feel valued.
Understand that millennials sometimes prioritize quality of life over work, and realize that styles of communication differ — what you view as entitlement might simply be a different method of self-expression. Finally, recognize that company loyalty is on the wane.
“People are going to be coming in and out all the time,” says Jane Barnes. “Utilize the strengths they do bring in but recognize that you can engage them as much as you want but they’ll probably be leaving anyway.”
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