What Star Trek Taught Me About Leadership

Leaders like to do things by themselves. They want to have creative control. They want to steer the ship. This is why you became a leader because you feel at home sitting at the helm and calling the shots.

If you ever watch any version of Star Trek, you’ll notice that even the riskiest and most maverick captains rely heavily on discussing decisions with the senior staff. Even when he or she ends up going with their initial instinct, they always take input from this team of trusted advisors.

As a leader, it’s easy to forget this. It’s easy to imagine that because you have the vision or access to the long-range scanners you have all the information you need to move forward.

Which is why whenever a client comes to me with a tough problem I ask, “Have you talked it over with a good friend, your business partner, or your team?”

Nine out of ten times they tell me no. They have reasons, but usually, these reasons boil down to fear:

  • Fear of awkward conversations
  • Fear of not looking like you’re in charge
  • Fear of being found out as a fraud
  • Fear of failing

There’s a reason you built this team. There’s a reason that human beings lived in tribes for thousands of years. Stop trying to be and know everything.

Ask your team for help, have that awkward conversation, and trust that if you do, they will respect you more and you will become a better leader along the way.