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Lessons in Management and Life from Star Trek
[You don't have to know Star Trek to appreciate the lessons]


STAR TREK - THE NEXT GENERATION:

LESSON SUBJECTS: Introduction    Ethics & Morals (11)    Leadership (18)    Management (55)    Mankind (47)    Relationships (9)

[LEADERSHIP]

Lesson 059: Managing effort and rest
TV Series: Star Trek - The Next Generation
Season/Episode: 3/26 ('The Best of Both World's')

[Scene]

The officers and crew of the Enterprise are discussing possible battle strategies against an impending attack by the Borg. As the discussions continue over a great span of time, some in the group begin to rub their eyes, yawn, and stretch, showing visible signs of being tired.

Riker orders the meeting adjourned and everyone back to their quarters for rest. Lt. Cmdr. Shelby, a very career aggressive minded individual on temporary assignment on the Enterprise, asks to continue the discussion with Data, who is an Android and does not need rest.

Riker rejects the request and orders Shelby to get some rest too, for when the time arrives to fight the Borg, he does not want the crew to be battling the Borg at the same time they are fighting their own fatigue.

[Lesson]

The manager or leader of a team must be extremely sensitive to their team's needs.

Although enthusiastic or high-stamina individuals within the group may want to continue forward, know when to stop in favor of the team and not just continue forward based on only the more aggressive individuals in the team.

It is easy to get drawn into an endless spiraling sequence of events that may induce us into thinking that we can still go further without rest, but that is exactly the time to stop.

Have you ever driven a car, late at night, and sleep was slowly devouring your eyes and other senses? You try to convince yourself that you can keep on going by cranking up the radio, lowering the windows, or even just slapping your own face. Long before your eyes have closed, your senses become so dull that you will not even realize you have crossed over to the opposite oncoming traffic lane until it is too late!

It is far better to take the rest you need today, to live and fight again tomorrow, than to keep on fighting today and lose tomorrow, to rest forever more.


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