Benjamin Sisko, Chairman of the Board?

As the fourth post in a series investigating which Star Trek captain would make the best CEO of a company, we are looking at Captain Benjamin Sisko of the space station, Deep Space Nine.

Unlike his Star Trek predecessors, James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko is not widely-known.  His series, Deep Space Nine, did not follow in the footsteps of TOS and TNG, but was a spin-off of TNG. Instead of being on a starship, the action takes place aboard a space station orbiting Bajoran, which had formerly been under Cardassian rule, but had come under the joint administration of the Federation and the Bajoran Provisional Government. The station maintains a Star Fleet flavor, but its occupants are primarily civilians.  In a nutshell, DS9 is most reminiscent of an international airport, with its constant influx of travelers, shops, and bar. Star Trek enthusiasts either loved the series- or hated it.

The unique dynamics of the series actually gives us a better idea of how its leader, Captain Benjamin Sisko, would perform in a corporate world since his character must deal with a lot of the elements of running a company. We see Sisko dealing with mergers (as he works through the difficulties of merging Bajoran and Star Fleet staff), public relations (between the Federation and dozens of species), and even the occasional attempt at a hostile takeover ( as in "Invasion Procedures").  Through these events, Sisko proves his ability as a corporate leader.

But what of the man himself?  In the series, Sisko proves himself firm, but fair.  He holds others to a high level of excellence, but uses the same yardstick for himself.  Like Kirk and Picard, his fellow Star Fleet officers follow him willingly, but Sisko is also able to inspire a following among the civilians on the station; who look up to him as a leader; and, among the Bajoran, even as a spiritual emissary. Though a warm and loving father, that persona does not bleed over into his leadership style.  Rather, Sisko is more of a take-no-crap captain who expects you to get the job done and doesn't want to hear about your personal problems.

Though Sisko inspires a confidence in his ability to lead, he just doesn't seem to inspire the affection that Kirk does or the engender loyalty as Picard does. This seems evident in the fact that his character is one of the least favorite of the captains, even though he is often characterized as the most realistic of the group.  And since we are talking about how Sisko would perform in the real world, we can be certain that he would successfully captain any company just as satisfactorily as he captained Deep Space Nine.

The Captains of Star Trek

Like many Americans, my  first introduction to the world of science fiction was through the fantastically popular Star Trek franchise.  Being of a certain age, my "first contact" was with the explorers of the original Trek series.  For those of that generation, it truly was a brave, new world that Roddenberry served up to us.  One that our parents just didn't seem to get.

Since those early days of Captain James T. Kirk, we have had the pleasure of exploring the universe with four other Star Trek captains (yes, I include Benjamin Sisko; even though he "captained" a space station rather than a starship). Recently those five captains met at Comic Con in Philadelphia; together for the first time ever.

The event got me to thinking.  We often debate about the merits of each captain and are quick to express our opinion about who we would want to serve under on a starship. The personalities of each are uniquely their own and each one brings his own distinctive style of leadership to the bridge.  The merits and shortcomings of each captain have been dissected and discussed ad nauseam and I would have little that is new to add to that debate.

However, another question did occur to me.  Given their diverse styles of leadership, exactly how would that translate into the real world of today?  In other words, if each of these captains were placed in management positions in an office, which would make the better boss?

Over the next few weeks, I am going to examine each of the captains in this light; objectively (as much as is possible) looking at the strengths and weaknesses that they would bring to the corporate world. At the end of that time, I'll have a poll available and you (my readers) can decide which captain you would want at the helm of your company.

I hope that you will join me each week as we journey through the psyches of the Star Trek captains. Engage!