Last week I wrote about 5 leadership lessons from Star Trek. Following up on my tradition from last year, here is the extension of that: Leadership lessons from a Star Trek convention.

The experience of attending a fan convention can be an unexpected source of leadership wisdom, if you keep your eyes open for it!

Here are five leadership tips I gleaned from my recent Star Trek experience.

1. Spend time with the people you lead: This particular Star Trek convention was aboard a cruise ship for a week. The Star Trek cast members, science advisors, and panelists were traveling on the same ship as the fans. We all got to spend some time with each other. This made the celebrities feel more approachable and human. It increased the respect we had for them, because while we knew they were great actors, we found that they were also great people. There was a lot of insight to be gained from sharing stories. Do the same thing as a leader, spending time helping and working with your team. Make sure that the work is getting done, but put some focus on talking with and getting to know your people, too.
2. Acceptance and inclusion provide big benefits: Star Trek is a very welcoming and inclusive community. The actors welcome new members to the cast, the fans welcome new people to the community, and so on. It’s about sharing and acceptance. It struck me that leaders who embrace the diversity of backgrounds and experiences in their organizations always seem to have more resources to draw on compared to leaders who have a set way of thinking and doing things. “Infinite diversity in infinite combinations” is a concept found in and exemplified by Star Trek.
3. Know the science, but don’t obsess over it: I attended all the science panels I could. I appreciated the franchise science advisors’ approach in celebrating where real science made it into the Star Trek stories, and also in acknowledging where the storytelling made the writers “handwave” some of the science. It is important to be accurate and to use what we can prove works. At the same time, be aware as a leader that there is a point of diminishing returns where trying to be technically accurate comes at the detriment of other, more important, goals.
4. Show your excitement: As you might guess, there was plenty of opportunity at a Star Trek convention to “geek out” about all things Star Trek. But there were also panels with real-world science experts, costume contests, and other activities that fans organized themselves. These let attendees share excitement for their interests and gave people from all over the world reasons to connect with each other. As a leader, show your excitement for the things you work on! It gives you a chance to express your personality. It also builds interest and positive energy for the work you and your team do in a very natural, human way.
5. Try something new: I tried new foods, explored new conversations, and wandered the decks looking at Star Trek door displays. I also listened to a brand new, never before released Star Trek-themed musical performance from the Curtis Institute for Music sponsored by John de Lancie. There is an element of doing something new that stretches us and gives us more ideas to draw upon. Keep that spirit of “explore new worlds and new civilizations” alive in your day-to-day leadership work, too!

Take the time to relax and think about what you can learn from your day to day experiences, as well as special events. Find things to appreciate and be grateful for. Doing this helps you activate the positive region of your brain where the most effective learning happens. You will further increase your leadership skills and presence as a result.

As always, let me know what you think or schedule some time to chat if this article sparks ideas for you.

Live long and prosper,
–Steve

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​Bonus: Check out the Starfleet Technical Officer Scorecard I shared at the convention! Pass this fun self-assessment on to others! Part of what I do is to help people strengthen their Starfleet Innovation and Command Presence skills using Positive Intelligence techniques. I have another Positive Intelligence® class starting April 13. I will be sending you a special, additional email invitation for this class. (I do this rarely so that you are not overloaded with email.) Watch for your invitation!

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