I was watching Star Trek on Saturday.
Specifically the first of the newer movies with Chris Pine as Captain Kirk. I’ll admit it — I’m a bit of a Trek fan. I grew up on Star Trek: The Original Series, spent plenty of time with Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I’ve always enjoyed the newer films too.
And if you’ve watched any amount of Star Trek, you know there’s one thing that always happens.
The captain goes on the away mission.
The basic formula is:
1. Something strange or dangerous is happening on a planet.
2. It requires investigation or intervention. (Boots on the ground).
And what does the captain do?
“Mr. Spock, you have the bridge. I’m going down with the landing party.”
From a storytelling perspective, it makes perfect sense. The captain is the hero. The audience wants to see the captain in the middle of the action.
From a leadership perspective?
It’s completely insane.
You are the commander of a starship with hundreds of crew members aboard. Your entire mission depends on your ability to think clearly, maintain command, and coordinate the ship.
And yet… you grab a phaser and head down to the planet.
Fun for television.
Terrible for running a ship.
Your Version of the Away Mission
I see the exact same thing happen in remodeling companies all the time.
The owner is supposed to be the captain of the ship.
But instead of staying on the bridge, they’re constantly going on “away missions.”
A designer has a question on a job.
A client is upset about something small.
A subcontractor didn’t show up.
Someone needs a decision about a cabinet detail.
And off the captain goes…
They jump into the truck.
They show up at the jobsite.
They jump into the meeting.
They fix the problem personally.
At first, this feels like leadership.
You’re involved.
You’re responsive.
You’re solving problems.
But over time something dangerous starts to happen.
The ship is running without a captain.
The captain shouldn’t be the one crawling around in the alien cave with a tricorder.
Leadership Isn’t Heroics
Many owners built their businesses by being the best problem-solver in the room.
They were the best carpenter.
The best estimator.
The best salesperson.
The best at calming down an upset client.
So when something goes wrong, their instinct is simple:
“I’ll just handle it.”
And to be fair, that usually works.
The problem gets solved.
But what didn’t happen?
The system didn’t improve.
The team didn’t grow.
The process didn’t get stronger.
All that happened is the captain saved the day.
What the Captain Is Actually Supposed to Do
The real job of a captain isn’t to solve every problem.
It’s to command the ship.
That means:
- Setting the direction
- Making the big decisions
- Ensuring the right people are in the right seats
- Building systems that allow the ship to operate without constant heroics
In other words, the captain shouldn’t be the one crawling around in the alien cave with a tricorder.
The captain should be on the bridge.
Watching the whole mission.
Thinking about what comes next.
This Isn’t Just About Owners
Before the production managers reading this start smiling and forwarding it to their boss, let me say this:
This applies to every leadership position.
Production managers do it.
Design managers do it.
Sales leaders do it.
Instead of developing the people around them, they jump into every issue themselves.
- They solve the scheduling conflict.
- They redraw the detail.
- They personally call the client.
Again… it works in the short term.
But in the long term, the team never learns to operate without them.
And that means the ship never gets stronger.
The Real Leadership Test
Here’s a simple question worth asking yourself: How often are you leaving the bridge?
Not because something truly requires the captain. But because it’s faster… easier… or more comfortable for you to jump in and fix it yourself.
Every time you do that, you may solve the immediate problem, but you also train the organization to rely on you instead of building the systems and leaders that make the company stronger.
And eventually you end up with a business where nothing works unless the captain is personally on every away mission.
And yes… I know.
If the captain stayed on the bridge every time, Star Trek would probably be a much less exciting show.
But your remodeling company?
We’re not going for excitement.
We’re going for long term stability and growth.
Live long and prosper, my friends.
