Live Long and Prosper: CEP
Leadership Skills Learned from Nerd
Fiction
Sara Pinkus, Solium
Bernice Toy, NASPP
Christine Zwerling, CEP, Twitter
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Agenda
Setting the stage
Leadership…in space
– Character profile: Star Trek Captain
– Character profile: Darth Vader
Leadership…on earth
– Character profile: Gordon Gekko
Leadership…in real life
Game time: “What would an effective leader do?”
From theory to practice
Q&A
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Disclaimer
Names and images from various television shows and motion pictures are used throughout this presentation.
We are using them under the fair use provision of copyright law.
All rights are retained by initial owners.
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Setting the Stage
Fiction has always been a way for authors to explore familiar concepts in unfamiliar ways.
This genre, in its many forms, has always featured lots of different characters with different perspectives and experiences, and can give viewers a new way of looking at a common experience.
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Setting the Stage
Whether or not you've ever watched any of these shows doesn't matter: the following leadership concepts are still relevant to you as an equity professional in 2016. And that's the beauty of the genre.
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Before We Make the Jump To Hyperspace
Think about some of the situations in the workplace that have been causing you stress.
Keep those in your mind as we go through these examples, and think about how you can demonstrate some of these characteristics.
Questions are always welcome!
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Leadership…In Space
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To demonstrate different leadership principles in space, we are going to take a look at two different story arcs:
Leadership…In Space
– Star Wars Darth Vader
– Star Trek: Voyager Kathryn Janeway
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Wrong Turn…
Star Trek: Voyager focuses on the crew of the USS Voyager, and the different things they encounter as they explore the vast reaches of the universe trying to find their way home.
Stranded 75 years from Earth searching for a renegade ship (originally piloted by Janeway’s 2nd in command, Chakotay).
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Teamwork Counts
A crew with such an critical task needs talent at the helm: enter Kathryn Janeway.
Janeway is put in impossible situations with untenable choices, and yet she creates humor, freedom, and a shared sense of purpose.
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Leading in Difficult Situations
Much of what Janeway did on the show can be thrown into the ring as a good example of effective leadership. Many of these examples came from situations where the Voyager was dealing with the unknown.
The modern workplace is no stranger to uncertainty, because things are changing all the time.
Throughout the series, Janeway demonstrated effective leadership behaviors, in situations where she didn't always know the answer.
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Janeway’s Leadership
Never Stop Learning: added new species in her crew
– Knowledge is key to survival, and so it is worth taking risks to learn.
Have Advisors with Different World Views: Chakotay
– Bring on board different points of view and build alliances, but don’t abandon your core values.
Be Part of the “Away Team”: she sometimes deliberately put herself in dangerous situations to find new sources of food and fuel.
– Leaders need to lead and inspire the troops, particularly when the going is tough and people are worried about their survival in hostile territory.
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Key Tool: Creativity
In that scene, Voyager needs to travel through some hostile space.
The scene shows she’s tough when needed and uses the tools at her disposal.
Janeway ignores the conventional, diplomatic style of negotiation because she knows it won't produce the intended effect.
She assesses the situation and speaks in a way her audience will understand to achieve a mutually beneficial goal.
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Key Tool: Inclusiveness
Janeway is a good example of an authoritative leader working within a formal command structure: she provides guidance and sets expectations, but she also welcomes input from all group members.
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Chakotay is Janeway’s second in command
Balances Janeway’s skills management style
– Similar but fills gaps
Defers to Janeway – always respectful
– Military vs Corporate
Managing up
– Establishing ground rules
– Get specific
– Check priorities
– Standard procedures
Key Tool: Teamwork
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Thought Break
What is the leadership structure in your department? Do you have a second in command? Back up? Who are your advisors?
What tools are available to you and your leadership team?
What’s one thing you can do to communicate better through your leadership team?
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Leadership…In Space
Let’s jump to a galaxy far, far away to see another type of leadership style.
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Changing Styles…
Darth Vader didn’t start out as the big bad guy.
Darth Vader started out as little Anakin Skywalker, a young kid who loved pod racing who wanted to make a difference.
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Vader’s Leadership
He made some decisions, tried to bring peace and security to his new galactic empire, but he made a critical mistake: he was too single-minded.
The galactic empire was based around a single individual, not an institution or a mission.
In his focus on a single goal, he neglected to consider other options or learn from his failures.
By keeping all of his minions in constant fear of getting force-choked, he also deprived his most valuable resources of feeling as though they had a stake in the organization.
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Key Tool: Delegation
Effective delegation does not just mean commanding people.
It means trusting them to do the job to the standards that have been set, without having to intimidate or change behavior with a punitive environment.
Vader’s statement about failing him for the last time is the opposite of delegation: the specific outcome does take into account the reality of the situation.
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Key Tool: Positive Attitude
You can see from the clip that he controls with fear and negativity, and no dissenting opinions are welcome.
Darth Vader’s negative attitude will keep his team in constant fear: if he had adopted a more positive stance, he’d treat the setback as an opportunity.
Leadership based on fear and executed without positivity isn't true leadership, and it's obviously not conducive to long-term success.
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Key Tool: Communication
Darth Vader is the worst at effective communication.
Not only does he discourage open channels of feedback and insight, he’s created an atmosphere of fear. He also speaks to everyone in the exact same way.
Being able to foster an open dialogue for all is essential, as is being able to change your communication style to accommodate for differences in the communication style of others.
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Managing Up
Think back to the force choke scene: Grand Moff Tarkin, Vader’s direct report, had a team of people who also reported to him.
He had to respond to Vader’s demands and tactics, while still trying to motivate his team.
While the film doesn’t really show us how he does this, it’s not hard to imagine that he probably passed along the threats and intimidation – and we’ve got a similar clip to show this.
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Key Tool: Inspiration
Even if there’s a wrench in the leadership structure somewhere, you can still strive to inspire others to achieve.
An effective leader is able to inspire others to achieve greatness, not motivate them with the avoidance of punishment.
In this clip, Kylo Ren does not strive to inspire, he simply threatens.
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Key Tool: Confidence
Oftentimes, an ineffective leader can be experiencing a crisis of confidence.
In the clip, Kylo Ren doesn’t have faith in his own abilities, and that leads him to distrust those working closely with him (and for him).
Confidence breeds trust in oneself and others, and it’s an important tenet of effective leadership behaviors.
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Thought Break
Do you have a manager who reports to someone that rules by fear? Or perhaps the other way around – a manager who rules by fear who reports to someone who doesn’t?
What makes that ineffective? Or effective?
Does understanding the reason for their leadership style help you in your interactions with them?
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Leadership…On Earth
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Wall Street-style Leadership
Let’s stick with fictional characters, but take a look at an example that’s closer to home: Gordon Gekko.
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Wall Street-style Leadership
Gordon Gekko was a stock speculator in 1980s New York City.
His famous quote: “Greed is good.”
He demonstrates a ruthless pursuit of more: more money, more influence, more power.
He used his power and knowledge to influence the behavior of others to his advantage.
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Key Tool: Commitment
The pursuit of progress on its own isn’t a bad thing, but Gekko’s methods were destructive.
When Gekko was released from prison along with some fellow inmates, everyone had someone to pick them up except for him.
– ”Is having all the money and possessions in the world worth losing your family over?”
All leaders are faced with this question. In essence, we must determine if we are going to serve others or serve ourselves.
Commitment is key to making this happen: decide, and commit to that group, or outcome.
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Key Tool: Honesty
Gekko is a master of deceit – it may bring him immediate gains, but it comes at a massive cost.
Effective leaders know that the truth is key, but they leverage a number of other traits to support all of their relationships (and ensure a receptive environment for honest, well-intentioned feedback).
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In Real Life
These characters, while they may be exaggerations of the behavior, give us a good allegory for day-to-day life.
Effective leaders use every interaction as a possible lesson for how they can do something better the next time.
It's important to know how to talk to people in ways they will understand, and to realize that different people are good at very different things.
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In Real Life
As a sidenote to those still skeptical of science fiction, this mentality isn't exclusive to these characters and stories, you hear similar sentiments expressed by star quarterbacks, corporate executives, and world leaders.
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
-Bill Gates
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Top 10 Qualities of a Great Leader
Honesty
Delegation
Communication
Confidence
Commitment
Positive Attitude
Creativity
Inclusiveness
Inspiration
Teamwork
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Know yourself
For practical application of these concepts, ask yourself three questions:
– What leadership traits are the most comfortable for me to immediately put into practice?
– How do my employees or colleagues prefer to be communicated with?
– How can I leverage additional insight to get a new perspective on a given situation?
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Leadership process
These questions seem simple, but it’s the conscious time and attention you give toward the process – that’s what helps you incorporate these elements into your daily actions.
Effort
Habit
Awareness
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Game Time
Nothing that would shatter a Class M planet, right? Let's see if you've got it with a little game of….
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Game Time
Your starship is under attack by a Ferengi vessel. Do you...
a.) Instruct your tactical officer to activate your cloaking device and hide from the Ferengi's sensors.
b.) Send a subspace message to Star Fleet Command to send help.
c.) After briefly consulting with your crew, accelerate into high warp speed and appear to be in two places at once to the Ferengi vessel, causing them to fire in error only to be fired on when your ship drops out of warp.
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Game Time
If you answered (c)...
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Game Time
You receive orders that one of your executive officers, an android, must be sent to Starfleet to be disassembled and studied. Do you...
a.) Refuse the direct order and defend his rights as a sentient being to a Starfleet judge.
b.) Help him pack his bags.
c.) Order him to obey the directive.
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Game Time
If you answered (b) or (c)...
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Game Time
You’re a manager on the Death Star and you’ve asked your direct report to pull a specific report by the end of the day: s/he doesn’t deliver it, and is gone by the time you stop by their desk to ask about it. Do you…
a.) Fire them and launch them into space in an escape pod
b.) Pull the report yourself and never mention it again
c.) Send a reminder email to be waiting for them first thing
d.) None of the above
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Game Time
This one is tougher…there’s potentially some more context to consider.
Depending on your own style, and the pattern of behavior previously demonstrated by the employee, the most effective tactic will differ.
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What We’ve Covered
1 – Fiction provides us some aspirational examples of leadership, as well as some examples of what not to do.
2 – Identify a few effective leadership traits to start practicing each day.
3 – Flexibility of perspective always helps: remember and embrace differences.
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Questions?
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Reach Out
Bernice Toy Programs Director, NASPP e: [email protected] p: 408.506.3348
Sara Pinkus, MEd Manager of Client Education Solium e: [email protected] p:480.308.8085
Christine Zwerling, CEP Manager, Stock Administration, Twitter e: [email protected] p: 510.735.4487