Jeff Akin

Kodak, Polaroid, Blackberry, Blockbuster, IBM, Sears, and AOL - what do they all have in common? They failed to innovate. They were too complacent. Just like Starfleet in the early TNG days. Relying on old technology and a handful of of advances. The Borg, and Q, changed that.

Ego surrender. When we let our ego and pride get in the way, we actively block creativity, innovation, and great ideas. Effective leaders, like #Picard, know there is more at stake than themselves. How do we know this? Because he stops, and asks for help.

#MartialArts are important for people to learn; I wish every child had an opportunity to study. I have become partial to #Aikido because it seeks to avoid violent conflict and find the best possible outcome. You know, like #leaders do! #StarTrek #podcast

If I described an ideal employee, I would say: enthusiastic, friendly, skilled, invested, and eager to take on new challenges. What you don’t want is someone that is jaded, cynical, and looks at new things as obstacles. One of these describes Sonya Gomez. The other - LaForge.

WWKD? What Would Kirk Do? Captain Kirk, when in doubt, asks questions. This is #leadership and #management 101 stuff here. So, when you’re in doubt, as yourself: what would Kirk do?

On the Starfleet Leadership Academy podcast, I usually talk about two of my favorite things: leadership and Star Trek. This episode absolutely did those things, but because of the subject matter of the episode, I also talked about something we should all talk about MORE - Suicide. Suicide is, as Dr. Paul Quinnett's book calls it, a forever decision. I share a free copy of his book in the show notes of this episode which you can find on my website or wherever you get podcasts. Here's the text of what is in this clip: "This episode of Star Trek deals with suicide. And, frankly, not very well. I’ll address that in the Red Alert section of the show. If you have been impacted by suicide, please accept my thoughts and support. If you are considering suicide, please know that I do not want you to hurt yourself. If you’re in the United States, call 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741. According to the CDC, in the US in 2019, 12 million adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.5 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.4 million attempted suicide. Visit cdc.gov/suicide to learn more. Thank you, and live, lead and prosper."

I had a lot of fun watching this episode of #StarTrek. It dives into some super deep stuff and introduces a darker side of the Federation, but it's also kind of hilarious. And, it very much allows Sisko to show us how to stand up for our teams.

Do you work in an environment where you can disagree with the boss? If you can, how publicly can you disagree? If your answers are YES, and VERY, then you are extremely fortunate. An environment that allows for that is one that will be successful.

For some, the Prime Directive is the paragon of ethics and integrity. For others, it's a bureaucratic barrier that costs lives. For #StarTrek, it's usually a convenient plot device that kind of changes as the story demands. What do you think of this clip? A good defense?

If there was one word I could type here that is almost guaranteed to get a reaction, it's VACCINE. But in the context of Star Trek, that's a thing Picard works very carefully to procure. The only place he can get this needed vaccine is from the Ligonians. I talk about this, and we get some amazing takeaways in TNG's Code of Honor: https://www.jeffakin.com/tng-code-of-honor/

Ever have a conflict with someone? B’Elanna Torres sure has! (And so have I!) This time, it’s with Seven of Nine. But we look at how she could approach this with her and maybe not end up in a huge fight! https://jeffakin.com

Never Split the Difference. Now those are words I can get behind. We look at one of Chris Voss’s techniques in the latest Starfleet Leadership Academy #podcast here: https://jeffakin.com. Pick up the book in the Reading List while you’re there!

So many very successful people speak to the value of #failure, so why do we work so hard to avoid it, and cover it up? We talk about failure in the newest Starfleet Leadership Academy #podcast episode here: https://jeffakin.com

The #SelfAwareness needed to be a #leader can be daunting. In this episode, Saru uses his to create the perfect #PerformanceFeedback model. Listen to it here: https://jeffakin.com #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #leadershipdevelopment

Couldn’t ask for a more tailor-made episode for this #podcast episode! Saru lays out the perfect performance feedback model. Listen to the whole episode here: https://jeffakin.com #leadership #StarTrek #leadershipdevelopment

#StarTrek has so many powerful messages, and one of them is that there is beauty in all things. What’s something you can think of that was awful, but you can still find beauty in it? Hear the #podcast here: https://jeffakin.com

What does a job title mean to you? If you got paid less and did more work but you got a really cool title, would you take that deal? Sisko makes a bold choice in this episode Hear about that and my thoughts on it here: https://jeffakin.com #StarTrek #podcast #leadership