Ron’s Reviews > Make It So: Leadership Lessons from Star Trek: The Next Generation: Make It So: Leadership Lessons from Star Trek: The Next Generation > Status Update

Back matter: There's an epilogue based on "Encounter at Farpoint" (s1e01), a brief history of Starfleet, and a glossary of Star Trek terms for readers who've never seen Star Trek (though they don't explain why such people would be reading this book).

Chapter 9, Resilience, based on "Peak Performance" (s2e21). As Woody Allen said, if you're not failing once in a while, it's a sign you're not doing anything innovative. In this episode several characters make a mistake in judgment or suffer an unexpected defeat, but those who recovered and refocused managed to get the job done, while those who sulked or ran away got nothing.

Chapter 8, Interdependence, based on "The Wounded" (s4e12). Perhaps trust is a better word for it, as we see Picard's trust (in the Cardassians, in Captain Maxwell, in Officer O'Brien) rewarded by some and exploited by others.

Chapter 7, Intellectual honesty, based on "Chain of Command", aka "There are four lights." (s6e10).

"The morale and motivation of the crew is a direct reflection of how they perceive their commander's integrity toward them."

Chapter 5, Communication. Based on "Darmok" (s2e02). I think the lesson here is obvious; communication isn't always easy, but with patience and imagination we can work toward understanding.

Chapter 4, "Competence", based on "Lower Decks" (s7e15). This one's pretty loosely connected to the episode, but the lesson is about mentoring. Go beyond training your people to do their jobs and teach them how to identify problems, make decisions, and innovate on their own. And support them when they do.

Chapter 3, "Initiative", based on "Relics" (s6e04). The Enterprise-D finds a crashed Starfleet ship on the surface of a Dyson sphere. Two engineers board the other ship and get separated from the crew, and wind up having to save the Enterprise. The reflection here is that the more you support your subordinates' well-thought-out decisions, the more equipped they'll be to take charge when you're not around.

Chapter 2, "Urgency", based on "Starship Mine" (s6e18). It certainly would have been easier for either Picard or the crew to delay making decisions or to look out for their own safety, but they recognized the greater danger and took action. However, the Captain reminds us that urgency does not mean haste. A bad decision made quickly is still a bad decision.

Chapter 1: "Focus" - Based on "The Best of Both Worlds" (s3e26 and s4e01). Despite the political distractions that Lt. Shelby presented, the crew remained focused on the more important task of dealing with the Borg. Conversely, Lt. Shelby seemed more focused on earning her next promotion than on doing her current job well, which created problems for the rest of the crew.

Front matter: This should be interesting; the rest of the book will be written in in-universe style. The remaining chapters take the form of Jean-Luc Picard's journal entries which are have been compiled into a book for Starfleet cadets. He'll reflect on his latest encounter (episode) and discuss the leadership skills he needed to help him navigate it.