Captain Kathryn Janeway: Corporate Magnate?

In the fifth post of a series on how the Star Trek captains would measure up as leaders of the corporate world, we are examining the leadership style of Captain Kathryn Janeway. Under the direction of Janeway, the crew of the starship, Voyager, explored the uncharted Delta Quadrant as they struggled to make it back to their home in the Alpha Quadrant.

Just as Picard is viewed as the patriarch of the Enterprise, Janeway certainly comes across as the matriarch of Voyager. Her leadership style is very reminiscent of what we think of as a good mother.  She is warm and caring and places a lot of trust in her crew. Nevertheless, like any good mother, she has her fingers on the pulse of the ship and always knows what is going on in the lives of each of her crew members. Janeway is friendly and open, but never chummy.  Try to step over that line and she will quickly remind you that she is first, and foremost, the captain.

It is true that, occasionally, Janeway lets her emotions influence her decisions, but that same tendency makes her more compassionate and supportive toward the weaknesses of her crew.  Undoubtedly it is her big heart that inspires such total loyalty as we saw in the episode, "The 37's." Only a captain like Janeway could have helped a Borg re-discover her own humanity.

However, how would Janeway's style of leadership translate in the corporate world?  Is she too "warm and fuzzy" to face down the competition?  It wouldn't seem likely, given her track record.  Despite a skeleton crew and minimal resources, Janeway manages to defeat such powerful opponents as the Borg and Species 8472.  I don't doubt that she would get the upper hand in any attempt at a hostile takeover.

She also seems uniquely adept at reaching her goals.  In Star Trek: Voyager, Janeway's primary goal was to get the ship and crew back to the Alpha Quadrant; a trip that should have taken 75 years. Through a combination of tenacity and networking (yes, those relationships that she developed along the way really paid off), she manages to get the ship home in just seven. I'm sure that same determination and indomitable spirit would be evident in her corporate dealings.

Working for Janeway would be no picnic.  Like all Federation captains, she has a very high standard for her crew and expects 100 % from them every day.  However, she would be a fair and caring boss who would be willing to help you out in a personal crisis instead of handing out a pink slip.  Her goals for you and the company would be clearly outlined and she would work alongside her employees to accomplish them.

However, there might be some conflicts under her leadership. Present-day America has not yet reached the idyllic level of equality found in the Federation. Not everyone might feel comfortable working under a woman- and especially a strong-willed woman like Janeway.  This could very well cause problems within the ranks that weren't there on Voyager. Working for Kathryn Janeway in a primarily male-dominated industry might have more challenges than might be expected.

Next week, we'll look at the fifth, and final, Star Trek series: Enterprise, and take a look at how its captain, Jeffrey Archer, would perform in the corporate world.

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.