Star Trek Managers

There are so many of us who have enjoyed Star Trek - both on television and in the movies - over the years. The fact the franchise remains alive and well says much about its ongoing popularity. Perhaps as a shout-out to Star Trek, in a recent issue of New York Magazine, all the Star Trek captains who have served at the helm of the Enterprise over the years were ranked on the basis of their managerial abilities. Of those 11 captains, which one would be the best boss to work for and why? Philipps Georgine of Star Trek Discovery was listed as the worst boss while Kathryn Janeway of Star Trek Voyager was  listed as the best.

So, you may ask, was so terrible about Captain Georgine? She was viewed as caring next-to-nothing about her crew, nor did she have any interest in their views on various decisions she was making as the ship's chief executive. For her, being in-charge was most important even if it meant deceiving those around her and even, at times, killing someone. She practiced what one might describe as a closed communication style. On the other hand, Captain Janeway was seen as caring very much for the welfare of crew members. She was described as being a solid listener and praised for giving those underway opportunities to have input into her decisions. Janeway's style of communicating was more open ad inclusive.    

Arguably the two most popular Star Trek captains - James Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard - were praised for how they inspired loyalty among their workers. Picard, however, was felt to be a tad too aloof while Kirk was criticized as being too unpredictable and not all that concerned with following rules or guidelines established by his commanders. One interesting aspect of the analysis of each captain was how well each kept lines of communication open between themselves and their crew members. It reinforced the idea that communication is a vital ingredient when it comes to relationships and leadership.