If you’ve watched the science fiction series “Star Trek”, you’re no doubt familiar with the character Scotty, the ever-dependable chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise. In several episodes, we see Scotty pulling off what appears to be almost impossible engineering feats, earning him the reputation among his crew mates of being a “miracle worker”.
While it’s unlikely that any of us would ever be considered a “miracle worker” by our peers, there are still some practical approaches to leadership that we can glean from Scotty which can certainly help us to be as effective as this character, both in how we lead our team or organization, as well as obtaining the results we’re aiming to reach –
1. Set out clear expectations from the start
In several episodes of this series, Scotty had the responsibility of repairing some mechanical problem which his superior, Captain Kirk, would stress needed to be fixed immediately in order to protect the ship’s crew from harm. In each of these situations, Scotty made it clear from the start just how long he and his team would need to resolve the situation, regardless of when Kirk wanted the problem to be fixed.
What Scotty demonstrates in these situations is the importance of setting out from the start a clear expectation of what his team can deliver, as well as when his customer – in this case, Captain Kirk – can expect the results they’re asking him to provide. As the leader of his department, Scotty knows what his team is capable of delivering, both as a result of understanding their shared strengths as well as knowing what resources are available to create the desired outcome.
As such, he doesn’t leave it up to others to set the timetable for completion or delivery. Instead, Scotty keeps this decision-making responsibility on his shoulders not only to ensure that the work is completed in a satisfactory fashion, but also in order to take into account what’s best for both his team and his customer.
2. Trust your team to get the work done
While Scotty may be the chief engineer of the Enterprise, in many episodes of this series, we see Scotty up on the bridge giving updates to the Captain instead of directly overseeing the work of his engineering team. Even though this was due in part to the constraints of episodic storytelling in television, there are still elements here that we can see of effective leadership.
While it’s important for leaders to be aware of how work is being accomplished within their organization, this shouldn’t come at the expense of demonstrating trust in the ability of their employees to do their jobs.
By taking shifts working up on the bridge, Scotty is demonstrating to his team his confidence in their abilities to handle the daily issues that occur in his division of the ship’s organization. This sense of trust also helps to empower his employees to use their innate creativity to foster and test new approaches to improve current processes or devise new solutions to existing problems.
3. Filter criticisms that reach your team
Although Scotty was obviously valued for his expertise and talents as the ship’s chief engineer, this didn’t mean he wasn’t on the receiving end of some criticism at times from Kirk in regards to the results provided by his team. Indeed, part of the comical lore of this franchise are mock scenes of Kirk demanding that Scotty push the ship’s engines to generate more power to which an exasperated Scotty would invariably reply that his engines were giving all they got.
Of course, what’s particularly interesting is that in each of these situations when Scotty is criticized by Kirk, not once did Scotty ever transfer the blame to anyone else on his team. Instead, Scotty plants his feet firmly on the ground and comes to the defence of his employees, insisting that they’re doing all that they can do in that situation.
Obviously, dealing with criticisms is par for the course in the business world as it’s impossible to satisfy everyone. So when something does go wrong, it’s important that leaders defend their team instead of trying to serve up a scapegoat to appease a dissatisfied customer. As the leader of your business or organization, it’s your responsibility to protect your team by dealing with any criticism in a constructive fashion, such as viewing these situations as an opportunity to help your team members improve and grow. This will not only help to resolve the existing situation, but it will also demonstrate a clear sense of team work and mutual respect between the organization’s leadership and their employees.
Among the series’ fans, there’s no question that Scotty’s reputation as a “miracle worker” is justifiable thanks to both his extensive expertise in the field of engineering, as well as the creative applications he conjures up from his knowledge base. As we see the examples mentioned above, the Scotty character also serves as a practical example of some of the key attributes and approaches necessary to being a successful and effective leader.
This one brought a smile to my face. I was raised on Star Trek and I never thought about the great management style portrayed by ‘Scotty’.
Another point is Scotty’s passion for his ship. Anyone who dared criticized the Enterprise (someone once dared to call it a ‘garbage scowl’ to Scotty’s face) could expect a quick response that would likely leave marks on the offender. Scotty loved his ship, as any great team leader loves his product or service.
Thanks Paul. I'm glad you enjoyed it. When we think of this series and leadership, it's natural that we often look at Kirk, Picard, or whoever is in the position of Captain for that series. In examining the leadership lessons that Scotty brings to the series, it's my hope to demonstrate that leadership is less of a position than it is a role and as such, it's something that all of us can demonstrate and employ in various circumstances and team settings.
And that's an excellent point you bring up about Scotty's passion for his ship. This fits it well with the message I've been sharing on my blog that businesses should recognize the value of human emotion in the workplace, that encouraging your employees to be passionate about their work will not only benefit your company, but your employees sense of well-being as well.
Thanks for the wonderful comment, Paul. Glad this piece gave you a nice start to the week.
I second Paul’s sentiment on Scotty’s great management style.
I’ve actually worked with a great manager in the past that like Scotty, had our backs and trusted us to get the job done even when faced with difficult challenges. He would observe from a distance and let us handle things. He would occasionally walk by when one of us was serving a client and in a friendly manner tell the client they were in great hands.
This of course left both the client and the employee feeling secure and confident in the transaction. And we always knew he was available to help us out in tough situations so we performed better and did our jobs more confidently.
Nice touch on drawing a parallel to this management style and how Scotty handled himself with his team.
This type of manager is definitely not science fiction as I can attest to, but can sometimes be a rare find. Hopefully your post will inspire managers to be more like Scotty.
Beam me up for that!
Thanks Xurxo for sharing your story; sounds to me like a great manager as well. It’s interesting as well to see how the reasons why we remember and respect a particular leader we worked with are often not a result of some big accomplishment; rather, it’s because they recognized their role in the organization of looking out for their employees and helping them to grow professionally.
And as your story demonstrates, the idea of someone exhibiting the leadership traits demonstrated by Scotty is hardly in the realm of science fiction; instead, it’s something that is found among those who understand what it means to be a leader.
Thanks again, Xurxo, for sharing your story.