I love Star Trek, especially The Next Generation. This was the series that was televised during my childhood, and I was hooked. Captain Picard is such a model leader. Some of you may have wondered why I never wrote “Leadership Lessons from Jean-Luc Picard.” The reason I haven’t is because someone already did. It’s a great work, and I felt no need to duplicate or improve upon it. Check it out here.

Across the various Star Trek series, the crew of the Enterprise explores strange new worlds, seeks out new life and new civilizations, and boldly goes where no one has gone before. This is a pretty cool mission. They have quite a bit of freedom to do whatever they see fit, but there is one overriding rule: The Prime Directive.

The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules. It is a philosophy, and a very correct one. History has proved again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous.

— Jean-Luc Picard, “Symbiosis“

In all of this exploring of worlds and seeking of life, the crew of the Enterprise must not interfere with a developing civilization. They can blend in and observe, but they need to be careful not to alter the natural trajectory of their development. Most compare the Prime Directive to real-world foreign policy. I’m going to attempt to compare it to leadership style. Think of yourself as a Starfleet Captain. Think of your team as the alien civilization. Depending on your team, that may or may not require much imagination.

Avoid dependence

The Enterprise crew often encounters civilizations that are less technologically advanced than they are. Sure, they could just hand out warp drives, transporters, and food replicators, saying “Hey, we think you’ll find these to be pretty handy.” However, that will predictably create external dependence and inhibit native innovation.

When you are leading your team, how long do you let them struggle to find a solution before you give them “the answer” as you see it? We often see ourselves as the hero coming in for a rescue, but what does that do to your team’s confidence in their ability to solve their own problems? You want your team to be innovative problem solvers, so don’t swoop in and disrupt that process. The more you do that, the more they will defer to you for everything. That reverses the process of leadership development and disempowers the team.

Show vulnerability

Mistakes happen. Sometimes as leaders, we violate the Prime Directive and interfere more than we should. All is not lost. You can salvage the situation with vulnerability. In the episode, Who Watches the Watchers, the Enterprise crew inadvertently showed their technological advancement to a primitive culture and they started treating Picard like a god.

Picard vehemently denied being a deity, but the primitive culture persisted in treating him that way. When one of the leaders aimed his bow at Picard to prove his immortality, Picard accepted his fate, encouraging him to shoot. Picard survived the wound and his vulnerability proved his point to the skeptical people.

For technology leaders, this isn’t a matter of life-and-death, but if your team treats you with more deference than they should, counteract that with a display of vulnerability. Your position and title come with built-in awe. Go out of your way to humble yourself in front of your team.

When to violate the Prime Directive

The funny thing about the Prime Directive is, that there are many more episodes where it is violated than where it is upheld. Well, that makes for good television! I’ll never advocate for micromanagement, but there a few times as a leader when intervention is required.

Let your team fail (small f), but don’t let them Fail (big F). Small failures can be overcome and are great learning experiences. Big failures are catastrophic and pose an existential threat to your entire organization. Have a working agreement with your team. My team won’t let me drive us off a cliff, and I’ll intervene when they are about to attempt something very wrong. Keeping the mindset of a coach instead of a hero will often keep this in check.

Those are my leadership lessons from the Prime Directive. Reflect on the outcome of your leadership style. Is your team less empowered and innovative than you think they should be? Perhaps you are violating the Prime Directive. Remember, sometimes those aliens need to learn on their own.