Leadership lessons from Star Trek: lead like Picard

Make it so!

For a good 17 years, Captain Picard, the hero of Star Trek: The Next Generation, had been gone from our screens. “Make it so!” is one of his signature lines as a starship captain.

In 2020, in Star Trek: Picard, Patrick Stewart once again slipped into the role of the captain who is famous far beyond the Star Trek universe.

Among fans, at least, he’s considered the best captain in Starfleet. But it’s also hard not to be won over by the man. Picard almost always comes across as dignified, upright and trustworthy. He always keeps a cool head, stands up for his convictions and is a master of diplomacy like no one else. He is completely loyal to his team and almost always makes decisions together with them. He believes in the good, is always open to new things and is a pacifist. On top of that, he can give great, motivating speeches. (I LOVE movie speeches, by the way!) Almost too good to be true… which is exactly why it’s “just” a TV series.

Surely you can learn something about leadership today from such a capable leader from the future, right?

It only works together

Everyone needs a team to talk things through with and take things on together. The best team is one made up of very different people. That’s because they complement each other. That may sound exhausting, but it has the biggest impact.

On Picard’s bridge there’s a warrior from another planet, a single mother, a blind man, an android, a mind reader and a rather impulsive first officer. Seriously, who brings someone onto their core team who can read minds? But it’s exactly this diversity and difference that is the foundation of Picard’s success. It gives him a wide range of perspectives and knowledge from different fields on every problem and every question. That way, really good decisions can be made as a team, and Picard, by the way, then takes sole responsibility for their consequences as the leader.

At the same time, mistakes are allowed on Picard’s team, and growth is as welcome as it is encouraged. That way the team grows together and keeps getting better as a whole.

“Things are only impossible until they’re not.” (Captain Picard)

How is your team put together?
Who is missing from your team?

It only works with purpose

What motivates people to pitch in, get involved and stick with it? Purpose. When a task doesn’t just make sense but, above all, gives you a sense of purpose. When I have the feeling: if I get involved here, I’m part of something important, something bigger. And that’s worth something to me. It makes me better, and the world too (or the universe). With that kind of purpose, transparency and team spirit come pretty much automatically.

“Quite frankly, we may not survive. But I want you to believe that I’m doing this for a greater purpose and that what is at stake here is more than any of you can possibly imagine. I know you have your doubts about me, about each other, about the ship. All I can say is that although we have only been together for a short time, I know that you are the finest crew in the fleet and I would trust each of you with my life. So, I am asking you for a leap of faith, and to trust me.” (Captain Picard)

What is your purpose? What’s behind what you do in your group?
How do you communicate this purpose to your team in a way that’s as inspiring as the purpose itself?

It only works with respect

We tend to treat people as if they first have to earn our respect. But that attitude is downright awful for the atmosphere.

Everyone deserves respect. On the team, no matter what role someone plays there or what position they hold. But beyond the team, too.

Only people who are treated with respect

can treat others with respect,
can discuss and argue with one another respectfully,
can let different opinions stand and live with them,
are glad to be there and stick with it.

Respect creates goodwill toward others.

“Today we live in a world that a show like Star Trek simply can’t ignore, because all over this planet terrible things and injustices are happening, and many of them clearly cross the line. Jean-Luc Picard would never condone that, and as I said, I’m personally devastated that we’re leaving the EU (…) The word ‘union’ is one of the most important words we should be using today. We need a union! We need togetherness, unification, cooperation, dialogue, disagreement, falling-out and reconciliation!” (Patrick Stewart, paraphrased)

How does respect show in the way you treat your volunteers?
How respectfully and kindly do you treat each other when you disagree?
How do you find your way out of disrespectful behavior?

Make Picard great again

There are more than 170 episodes with Picard as captain of the Enterprise, plus several movies, so there’s surely a lot more to learn about good leadership. But it seems to me that the three points above will keep you busy for a while.

Either way, I’m pretty sure our world and our youth groups could use a lot more leaders who are a bit more like Picard.

In that spirit: