Can speaking Klingon make you a better captain?

Throughout my career in Communications, I have been working with international teams. The working language is usually English which makes it easier to converse, but it can also make it more difficult as language isn’t that straight forward. Many of the people I have been working with mastered English as a second or third language spectacularly well, but culture adds a layer of complexity.

Does asking pointed questions mean doubt or curiosity? Is expressing a contrarian point of view seen as disrespectful or very factual? Does silence imply consent or disagreement? While Nordic cultures might go straight to the point as “being efficient with time” is a sign of respect, other cultures might flinch at the thought of expressing doubt or disagreement openly. As a leader, you will know your own team, but with many projects and virtual teams, chances are high you are working with people you might not know so well.

It increases in importance when things are at stake. How do we proceed with this project? What is the best next step or, given circumstances, what is the best bad decision to make? With more skin in the game comes the difficulty to adjust for different cultural and personal approaches.

A while ago, an author and friend of mine, Volker introduced me to the idea of speaking “Klingon”. What sounds like a concept for a Star Trek convention was born when he had a team of Americans, Brits and Germans working on the same critical project. To understand where things got stuck, he needed to cut through all the decorum, politeness and hidden meaning without offending any of his fellow project members. The idea of speaking Klingon was born! I guess “plain talk in English” would be another – much less exciting – description. A few months ago, on a rainy Friday evening when everyone was ready to call it a week one of our projects got stuck. Luckily, I remembered my discussion with Volker and I said: "Alright everyone, let’s speak Klingon – the most direct language in the world" . With that, we quickly identified the problem, aligned on how to go about it and decided on clear next steps. All in less time than a Star Trek episode.

Unlike the Star Trek language introduced by Marc Okrand in 1985, speaking Klingon in a business setting has nothing to do with the aggressive and combative behavior of this fictional race. Instead, it only relies on its linguistic attributes as one of the most direct ways of speaking: nuqneH, the traditional Klingon greeting literally means “what do you want?” We embrace the directness, not the aggression.

To make this work in a business setting, I have found the following framework to be helpful:

Psychological safety – no matter what language, people only speak up if they feel it is psychologically safe. As a leader, you have a big role in creating an atmosphere of acceptance and curiosity where different points of view are valued.

Everyone has a voice – Klingon doesn’t work so well top down. Everyone has a voice. The intern and the most senior person alike.

Bits not bites – only the information counts. Nothing that is said has an implication on the social structure of the group or can be interpreted as disrespect, a hidden agenda or ill will.

Speak it, don’t write it – it only works when people talk, not when they write to each other. Klingon or not, there is a thing to be said about the tone of voice, which is missing in an email.

Facilitate and conclude – as a leader, it is your role to assist the progress of the discussion, focus on asking questions and ensure the more silent people are also heard. At the end, sum up the path forward.

I have found this approach very helpful in getting things unstuck and moving ahead. In addition, I also rely very much on the work of Erin Meyer and her book “The Culture Map” in which she compares cultures on 8 different parameters from decision-making to what constitutes trust.

That said, I would love to hear from you on how you lead and manage in an international environment. What has worked for you?

And with that I say “Qapla'!” which is Klingon for goodbye and literally means success!