Comment by elgertam

Well-written fiction, even utopian fiction, can help us understand the human condition. Picard did not always make the best decisions, but he made decisions with impeccable moral foundations.

Every now and then, we see the limits of those foundations. In "Tapestry," we learn that if Picard hadn't been an aggressive, obnoxious, even womanizing young f cadet and junior officer, he'd never have taken the risks necessary to take command. In "Chain of Command," we learn that he in fact had been broken under torture such that he could actually see five lights when there were only four; his shouting "THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS" at the Cardassian torturer was as much an act of stubborn defiance as it was cleaving to moral foundations. Occasionally, Picard uses blackmail and veiled threads to get what he wants, such as implying in "Unification" that he may give his "gratitude" to the Duras family and enemies of Chancellor Gowron if his request for a cloaked Bird of Prey isn't dealt with expeditiously (this was after waiting like three days).

Picard has strong moral foundations because of his experience, which is why he has been promoted to run the Federation flagship. He takes enough risks with enough bravado to accomplish the Federation's political and scientific goals and to serve Starfleet's military goals.

One episode that sticks out to me as a good management episode is "Hollow Pursuits." Barclay is annoying everyone on the crew, particularly Geordi and Will to the point where they want him transferred off the Enterprise. Wesley Crusher has even begun calling Reg "broccoli" behind his back. Picard wants none of that. The Enterprise is a team in which members must be held accountable, but that does not mean simply jettisoning underperformers when they fail to deliver. He challenges his direct reports to make every effort to improve Barclay's performance. He also puts the kibosh on the rude nickname, though accidentally uses it to Barclay's face later in the episode. It's fiction, but everyone behaves in very believable human ways, and the situation is absolutely relevant to our lives today.