Teachable Moment: Business Lessons from Star Trek – Take the High Ground
To succeed in your career, you have to learn how to admit mistakes, and to take the higher ground. You also have to assess if you’re really ready for that promotion you want, or if you’re just being impatient.
Managing your career takes patience, grace, and wisdom, all of which are mastered with time and experience. It requires thinking through how others are managing their careers – especially if their career is intertwined with yours, and being gracious with peers, subordinates, and superiors.
“The Best of Both Worlds – Part 2,” an episode of the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, provides valuable career management lessons on the topic of promotions.
(Also see “Business Lessons from Star Trek: Keep your Ambition Under Control” and these embedded video for specific Shelby and Riker footage that highlight their conflict and resolution of their power struggle.)
Here’s the episode in a nutshell:
Commander Riker has been promoted to Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise after Captain Picard has been taken hostage by The Borg.
Lt. Commander Shelby realizes she erred in treating Riker as an obstacle to her success, rather than someone to learn from. He knows how to lead others, including those that he doesn’t agree with (most of which he learned from Picard), and she still has a lot to learn.
Fortunately for Shelby, she reminds Riker of himself earlier in his career, so he extends an olive branch to Shelby by promoting her to First Officer in this time of crisis. Riker doesn’t hold grudges against Shelby. He even uses Shelby’s plan to fight the Borg and rescue Picard.
Riker demonstrates his leadership skills in this time of crisis, reflecting the wisdom he’s gained as Capt. Picard’s First Officer for four years. It also becomes clear that he hasn’t been playing it safe by turning down promotions to lead his own ship, he’s consciously chosen to continue learning under Captain Picard instead.
This is what demonstrates that Riker has been ready to be Captain for some time. But he’s waiting to be the next Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Riker and Shelby shine in their new promotions and crisis. Shelby no longer disregards the chain of command as she gladly follows Capt. Riker’s orders, finally appearing to respect him.
Shelby makes up for her initial missteps with Riker, and she gains a new respect for him as they battle the Borg.
What can we learn from Riker and Shelby in managing our career?
- Admit your mistakes, and learn to take the higher ground: Shelby is fortunate that Riker acknowledges her expertise on the Borg, and overlooked her previous behavior. All Shelby needs is mentoring, to learn by following his example. Be like Riker, learn how to extend olive branches and take the high ground. Learn to course correct like Shelby. Avoid making the mistake in the first place.
- Think through other’s career choices: Shelby was so busy making assumptions about Riker that she never considered why he was choosing to stay in his position as First Officer under Captain Picard. The next time you see someone in your way – don’t pull a Shelby. Try to understand why this person is doing what they are doing, and factor it into your own career goals.
- Assess if you’re really ready: Shelby’s in a hurry. She’s running over anyone that she thinks is standing in her way for her next career move, which only demonstrates that she lacks the patience required to manage and lead others. Don’t be in a hurry for your next promotion; learn and master your current position. Practice being your next position in your current job, but still respect the boundaries of your position.
- Rebuild burned bridges: Don’t burn bridges, but if you do, make rebuilding them a top priority.
- Be gracious: Shelby learns how to be gracious by the end of her service with Riker. As she departs from the Enterprise, Shelby lets him know that she would enjoy working with him again in the future. She positioned herself as a candidate to serve under Riker, if he ever chooses to leave the Enterprise for a Captain commission. The moral? Always be gracious with peers and superiors, because one day, you may need them.
Oh, and one more thing: don’t get captured by the Borg. It isn’t pleasant.
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Great points! Star Trek has a lot of really good leadership lessons in its episodes.
Thanks Patricia! Whenever I watch any Star Trek show, I always notice leadership lessons, whether I want to or not. This time, Riker’s leadership jumped out at me, so I had to write about how he handled Shelby.
I’d also add the following:
When watching the episode you’ll note that Riker and Shelby’s relationship stands in stark contrast with that of the Borg collective. The Borg act as one unified group, functioning seamlessly in unison and automatically compensating even when part of their ship is temporarily damaged. The “collective” thinks and acts as one entity.
While that might seem as an advantage, the episode ultimately reveals the strength of human differences. These differences, at times, created strains between Shelby and Riker. But, as you noted, they were manageable. What I also think it shows is that beyond managing such differences we have to learn how to appreciate them.
That’s what really helps the humans to prevail over the collective.
Excellent addition to this post PWJ11. It takes great skill, openness, patience, and humility to manage differences with direct reports as a manager. A challenge for new or seasoned managers are to appreciate differences like you mentioned.
Great comment, thanks for adding insightful value to post.
Watched the new Star Trek last night and could not belief how much it focus on management. Training people to adapt to crisis situations and how clear the goals are defined. Communication are also used as one of the strong points especially how technology removes the boundaries, we are not so far from communicating that way. Anyway never liked Star Trek but now I do. Great article.
Did one character stand out for you? I’ve always loved Star Trek Next Generation, but then really started watching it with a new lens when I realized that how much they incorporated management and leadership into their story lines. When I watch other Star Trek series like Star Trek Voyager, you start comparing and contrasting management and leadership styles between Capt. Janeway & Picard.
I’m currently watching Star Trek Enterprise, which is the prequel of the series. And this show show is like watching young company/startup that maturing its processes, trying to evolve operations while making mistakes along the way.
Hallo Lori
I watched the series on TV before but it did not catch on with me but I need to go and check it out again. I watched the Star Trek film that was released in 2009 and a few things stood out for me. The team people belong to are clearly indicated by the color of the clothing (or level). The show starts with the goal of the team. And if something happens to you, someone else gets promoted to take your place in 2 seconds. I will go and watch Star Trek Enterprise and then I will be up to speed.