The Top 5 Stories on LinkedIn: The Leadership Lessons of CEO James T. Kirk

Daniel Roth
Authored byDaniel Roth

Editor in Chief, VP at LinkedIn / This is Working podcast and series host

March 9, 2012

I get it: It's tough and lonely being a leader. You can't always ask people around you for answers — you're supposed to have them, not seek them! — so sometimes you're forced to grab inspiration wherever you can. And this week, the professional world picked two sources: an Inc. roundup of great leadership qualities. And lessons from Captain James T. Kirk. From Star Trek. Here's the full list:

Top 5 most-shared articles by LinkedIn members (March 1, 2012 — March 8, 2012) Follow @LinkedInToday

  1. The 5 Qualities of Remarkable Bosses (Inc.)
  2. Five Leadership Lessons From James T. Kirk (Forbes)
  3. 5 Reasons You Need to Meet in Person (Inc.)
  4. Facebook Brand Timelines: 6 Big Changes Every Marketer Needs to Understand (Mashable)
  5. Guy Kawasaki Explains How Entrepreneurs Are Getting Social Media All Wrong (BusinessInsider)

You've got to hand it to Forbes' Alex Knapp for finding ways to connect the Enterprise with modern enterprise. For instance, leaders should never stop learning, which can be seen in Kirk's ability to build a shotgun to defeat a group of "humanoid reptiles" called Gorn.

If you think about it, there's no need for a 23rd Century Starship Captain to know how to mix and prepare gunpowder if the occasion called for it. After all, Starfleet officers fight with phasers and photon torpedoes. To them, gunpowder is obsolete. But the same drive for knowledge that drove Kirk to the stars also caused him to learn that bit of information, and it paid off several years later. In the same way, no matter what your organization does, it helps to never stop learning.

Knapp goes on to find lessons in Kirk's knowledge of poker and willingness to place himself in harm's way. He praises Kirk's willingness to blow up his baby, the starship he commanded. And he issues a interplanetary call to arms: "By following these lessons, we can lead our organizations into places where none have gone before." Over at Inc., writer Jeff Haden follows up last week's most popular story —  The 8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees — with a shorter list from across the great cubicle divide. His 5 Qualities of Remarkable Bosses offers a Sulu-ian take on how to be great. Remarkable bosses remember where they came from, make others look good, and deal with problems immediately. Of course, both Sulu and Kirk were big believers in our No. 3 story: the importance of meeting in person. Fighting Gorn over Skype: very difficult.

Here are the most-shared stories by professionals in the following industries:

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