Leadership in Fiction: Or, What Would Picard Do?

It seems like everybody has something to say about leadership these days.  

If you don’t believe us, we’d encourage you to pay a visit to your local library, where you’ll find shelves stacked to the rafters with management books. Some extol the virtues of academic theories, all graphs, acronyms, and mnemonics. Others focus on the eternal wisdom of historical figures such as Sun Tzu, Joan of Arc, and Clausewitz, applying them to a modern business setting. Still more glean lessons from the biographies of sporting personalities, both old and new.

The authors differ wildly when defining the characteristics of an ideal leader, but they do agree on one thing: To lead is to succeed, and vice-versa. And to be fair, they have a point. Good bosses organise. They convey purpose, set an example, and take responsibility. They keep the big picture and the minor details in lockstep. They inspire and motivate those around them. In short, they help others get things done.

Made-up leaders

This archetypal leader is arguably most evident in the world of fiction – and, according to one scholar, they might have more to say than their real-life counterparts.  

Professor Brooke Olson Vuckovic has written extensively about management and its discontents. She also teaches a Master of Business Administration (MBA) class on moral leadership at Northwestern University, Illinois, which places novels and short stories at its heart.  

In an interview with CNBC earlier this year, Vuckovic explained why she eschews traditional texts in favour of literature:

“Our best leaders are looking for ways to develop themselves, and fiction represents an often underused and incredibly powerful…ongoing, pleasurable way to develop ourselves — if read correctly.”[i]

Vuckovic expanded on this point in a recent article for Harvard Business Review:

“[Works] of fiction can meaningfully enhance leaders’ ability to manage moral complexity at work, through low-cost lessons and practice. Indeed, fiction can serve as a guide for everything from voicing a nuanced position on a moral issue to dealing with quandaries related to greed, self-deceit, or likability. Fictional characters routinely grapple with such issues and struggle to make choices congruent with their values. Their stories thus convey important lessons for real life, where leaders and others routinely face situations involving potential moral compromise.”

She continued:

“Importantly, using fictional works in this way enables us to move beyond false beliefs like ‘We’re too polarized these days to find common ground’ and ‘It’s impossible to reach shared understanding across generations,’ without inciting clashes over sensitive or seemingly taboo topics. In short, as a more nuanced and neutral entry point to challenging areas, literature sparks conversation rather than confrontation, and avoids the all-too-common platitudes. So, it’s no surprise that literature is finding its way into the leadership programs of more and more businesses as a way to create community and spark conversation.”[ii]

Many people may balk at all this – just as historian E. H. Carr dismissed what-if hypothesising as a “parlour game” – and while it may not be to everybody’s taste, for some, it holds out the promise of valuable insight.

Besides, there’s something to be said for parlour games. They encourage us to think outside the box, and if nothing else, they’re, well, fun. Or as Vuckovic puts it:

“Literature, for certain, can serve as entertainment and escape — and those are important too. But when you can take just a few additional moments to think, write, or (best!) discuss with others, a pleasurable past time can also drive meaningful change in your work and life. And that is the best possible outcome from following a prescription for fiction.”

An allegorical leader: Captain Jean Luc Picard

Leadership lessons aren’t just hiding in the pages of classic paperbacks, though. They’re shimmering in glorious technicolour on the silver and small screens, too, waiting to be discovered.

There are more examples than we care to contemplate. But, in our opinion, many of these lessons have been brought to life most expertly through the character of Jean-Luc Picard, played for the better part of three decades by Sir Patrick Stewart. We’re not alone in this judgement, either. The question, What would Picard do?, has been posed in kitchens and boardrooms around the world ever since Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) premiered in 1987. What’s more, there are at least two books devoted to his leadership qualities – no mean feat for somebody who doesn’t exist.

As captain of the USS Enterprise – a 24^th century starship with a multi-species crew – Picard regularly faces novel ethical and interpersonal dilemmas, providing countless opportunities for allegorical storytelling. As a result, he wears many hats. At various points, the captain is a scientist, diplomat, soldier, linguist, counsellor, even an accomplished flautist.

Picard was written with a strong moral compass and commitment to solving problems peacefully and cooperatively. Even so, he wasn’t perfect, and over ten seasons of television and four feature films, he evolved as a leader. He became less overbearing, while embracing the benefits of delegation and infinite diversity in infinite combinations.  

Perhaps this willingness to learn and adapt explains the character’s enduring popularity, not to mention the success of Star Trek: Picard’s third season, which last month ranked in Nielsen’s top 10 streaming shows – a franchise first.

Whatever the case, here are two leadership lessons from the imaginary Frenchman:

1. Listen, learn, and choose your language carefully

Unlike one of the previous captains of the Enterprise, James T. Kirk, Picard isn’t one for rushing into trouble headfirst. He’s a cautious leader who surveys all the available information before making an informed decision. Most of the time, Picard listens to friends and enemies alike in an effort to understand their different perspectives and, ultimately, to find common ground.

As Alex Knapp observed in an opinion piece for Forbes, this trait was best exemplified in the season five episode of TNG, ‘Darmok’.[iii] After falling victim to an interstellar kidnapping, Picard finds himself marooned on an unknown planet with a member of the Tamarian race. The universal translator fails to make the alien’s language comprehensible because it is entirely metaphorical. Undeterred, Picard spends almost the entire 45-minute runtime studying the Tamarian language and its unusual structure, eventually creating the basis for mutual understanding and respect between two societies that had previously been at odds.

2. Trust your crew and stick up for them

Picard is confident in his own abilities, but he’s humble enough to admit when he doesn’t know something and is more than willing to rely on his crew’s expertise.

A compelling example of this leadership style can be seen in ‘The Measure of a Man’. The episode begins with a visit to the Enterprise by cyberneticist Bruce Maddox, who reveals his intention to probe the positronic brain of the ship’s android officer, Data, in the name of science. Data challenges the veracity of Maddox’s research and makes it clear that he will not submit to it. Picard speaks to Data about his reasoning, with which he agrees, then successfully fights for his crewman’s right to self-determination in a court of law.

In the end, Picard reminds us that being a leader isn’t about imposing oneself on others. It’s about empathy, which is a skill as much as it’s an emotion – and one of the most important attributes a leader can possess in today’s diverse, globalised workplace. He also shows us that an effective leader regularly solicits advice from colleagues, trusts them to independently solve problems, and defends them when appropriate. 

So, what are you waiting for? Make it so!

If you run a small or medium-sized business in Greater Manchester and want to understand how to be the best possible leader or manager, GC Business Growth Hub’s #HereForBusiness package provides practical guidance and expert advice on a range of topics to help you manage the increasing cost of doing business.

If you have any questions, get in touch now.

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[i] Natasha Piñon. ‘Highly successful people read books differently, says expert: An underused and incredibly powerful...way to develop ourselves’, CNBC, 10^th January, 2023, How successful people read books: Northwestern expert Brooke Vuckovic (cnbc.com)

[ii] Brooke Olson Vuckovic. ‘Want to Be a Leader? Read More Fiction’, Harvard Business Review, 13^th June, 2022, Want to Be a Leader? Read More Fiction. (hbr.org)

[iii] Alex Knapp. ‘Five Leadership Lessons From Jean-Luc Picard’, Forbes, 13^th March, 2012, Five Leadership Lessons From Jean-Luc Picard (forbes.com)

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