A Great Leader is the Same, Anywhere, Anytime

I found an awesome blog post from Forbes Magazine. It's titled Five Leadership Lessons from James T. Kirk. I thought this was ingenius! So, today I'm going to summarize the blog post and if you're interested, you can check out the original blog post by Alex Knapp. Alex Knapp writes for Forbes about the future of science, technology and culture. Sounds like an all round nerd/geek to me :)

While I never got that engrossed with the Kirk franchise since he always struck me as being kitschy and an all round womanizing playboy, I have to admit, when you strip all that stuff away, I'd follow this guy into space on a starship. Then again, many of the Starfleet captains would fit this description as well...

1. Never Stop Learning: "You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. But there's no such thing as the unknown--only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood."

2. Have Advisors with Different Worldviews: "One of the advantages of being a captain, Doctor, is being able to ask for advice without necessarily having to take it."

3. Be part of the Away Team: "Risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her."

4. Play Poker, Not Chess: "Not chess, Mr. Spock. Poker. Do you know the game?"

5. Blow up the Enterprise: "All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. 'You could feel the wind at your back in those days. The sounds of the seas beneath you, and even if you take away the wind and the water it's still the same. The ship is yours. You can feel her. And the stars are still there, Bones"