Live Long & Prosper in the Corporate Galaxy!

For those of us who were born in the 70’s, the choice of programs on television was quite limited to say the least. I remember as a young boy, growing up in remote cantonments cities, eagerly looking forward to Sundays mornings as that was the only time in the week where we would get a bunch of English serials to watch on our black & white television set. To me, the most memorable of these was the Star Trek series; and I of course, like a lot of boys of my age then, was enamored with the strange alien characters that would appear on each episode and watch as the crew of star ship enterprise would tackle their mission with great aplomb and felicity.

Though, that was probably one of the most exciting TV series for me (a distant second was Knight Rider), I never consciously thought about the lessons we learned from the adventures of USS Enterprise as Captain Kirk and his crew went where “no man had ever gone before”.

As an adult I’ve come to understand the cult like fan following the series enjoys even today and the fact the their intergalactic adventures continue to fascinate millions in today’s generation, and to me there is no greater testimony to the appeal of the underlying lessons, philosophy drawn from the Star Trek, than this fan following.

For those of you who never had a chance to see the series, the linchpin in the adventures of Star ship USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (the space ship which was used by the crew to explore new galaxies & worlds) was Captain James (Jim)Tiberius Kirk . He was the leader of the crew and commanded a heterogeneous set of humans & aliens (Spock was a Vulcan, Worf a Klingon, etc.) with great leadership skill.

I recently had the chance to catch up on the movie which highlights the genesis of the ship & its legendary crew. This movie laid the foundation for the beginning of adventures that I came to enjoy so much. While there are many theories (for the die-hard fans of star trek) on the origins of each character, to me, this movie was it!

The plot reveals Jim Kirk to be a rebellious child who, being prodded by his father’s friend (Capt. Pike) joins the star field academy as a cadet. One can have a glimpse of his ambitious nature when he says that he will complete the training in 3 years (rather than the 4 years that it usually takes). At the academy he reveals his maverick streak again when he overwrites and wins the Kobayashi Maru (simulated battle program) since he does not believe in “no-win” scenarios.

To me however, the interesting lessons were in the working relationships he forges with his future team and the way he manages to gain their respect and earns his spurs. James Kirk enters the ship as a stowaway (since he was not cleared for flight from the academy) but he manages to in that one single trip earn the respect of all (including the indefatigable Mr. Spock, who also outranks him), ultimately rising to become the captain of USS Enterprise.

He leads various tactical missions given to him alongside his colleagues from the front and puts his own life on line on more than one occasion for them. When Spock gets promoted as acting Captain, Kirk questions his logic and ultimately becomes the acting captain. His conviction on the plan of attack is strong enough for him to adopt a radically different tactic.

He also quickly recognizes individual talent in various people he meets along the way and figures out the best possible deployment of their skills in his plan of attack. Montgomery Scott (Scotty) uses his unproved trans warp theory, Chekov, his flying skill to appear undetected to the enemy ship and Spock for his superhuman logic and skills to rescue Capt Pike and destroy the enemy.

His hugely inexperienced team & crew go through a steep learning curve on their mission (including getting beamed in the wrong sections of the enemy ship). However what sets Kirk apart is the fact that he is willing to try things from outside of rule book as long as he believes it will give him the desired result. He trusts his crew and their skill. Spock calls it a gamble and Kirk, “an act of faith”.

To me the Star Trek Movies & Series was all about a sense of adventure. This movie also brings out the youthful rebellious spirit of Capt Kirk and his crew. He encourages his colleagues to challenge the status quo. He asks and likes his crew to ask the “why not?” question.

The essence of leadership, as Capt. Kirk learns, is leading from the center and earning his command not getting it on a platter just because of experience. His supreme dedications to his comrades, the mission on hand and his ship shines through in the movie and series. USS Enterprise was a ship built to 'explore space, the final frontier-to boldly go where no man has ever gone before' and Capt. Kirk and his crew certainly epitomized this spirit of Boldness!

This ability to recognize and showing faith in individual talent available in the team, to follow through on your ideas with conviction and willingness to put everything online for its sake, willingness to question and be questioned on the status quo and finally leading from the center and earning your epaulets are some of the lessons all corporate managers and leaders can take home. Command is always earned by taking bold decisions and following them up with a missionary zeal is the key to becoming a captain of your company/business unit sometime. Kirk Out!!!