One small step for man...many lessons in success

Time to get my geek on again.  For those of you who have read my blog for a while you'll have noted some references to Star Trek and Captain Picard.  Well those references only belie a much broader interest in astronomy and space exploration.  So it's with more than passing interest that I'm thinking about this coming Sunday, July 20, which marks the 45th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon.  At the time I was only three and a half years old but yet I remember sitting in front of the TV with my parents, looking at the grainy pictures from a world away, and setting off a fascination with space that has lasted to this day.

Obviously this was a great achievement in human history.  What we may tend to forget, particularly as we get more distant from the event, was that this success was never assured nor was it achieved without great effort and sacrifice.  I believe that the success of the US space program in the 60's and 70's has a lot to teach us about achieving success in our business ventures today.

First, it is informative to remember that the genesis of the mission to land humans on the moon in many ways came out of a singular defeat suffered by the US in the late 50's - the successful launch by Communist Russia of a satellite (Sputnik) into Earth orbit in 1957.  This defeat - coupled with the fear of being outpaced by the rival Soviets - was compounded by other "firsts" of the Soviet space program, most notably getting the first man into space in 1961.  This "defeat" spurred on US efforts to get back in to the space race, redouble its efforts and ultimately establish a vision to inspire and guide their space program in the 1960's.  

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal,
before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon
and returning him safely to the earth.”

President John F. Kennedy

What followed was a series of smaller steps before the ultimate success of Apollo 11.  From 1959 to 1963, six one-man flights of the Mercury program started the American manned space program.  This was followed by ten two-man flights of the Gemini program concluding in 1966.  The US took a series of small steps, increasing in complexity from the first Mercury flight through to the end of Gemini to set the stage for the Apollo missions.  Yet, despite all that had been learned over 16 previous efforts and years of work, the first Apollo mission ended in the tragic deaths of the entire Apollo 1 crew during a pre-launch test.  Lessons had been learned, the vision was compelling, smaller successes had been enjoyed, but trials and tribulations still had to be overcome.

Four manned Apollo mission preceded Apollo 11.  Again each of these missions kept moving the needle forward until such time as all was believed to be in order to attempt a landing - and departure - from the Moon.  Even at this late stage preparations were made for failure.  Then President Richard Nixon was provided with the text of a contingency speech, one that Nixon would read if tragedy struck and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were left stranded on the lunar surface forever.

 Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay 

on the moon to rest in peace.  These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery.  But they also know that there is hope for mankind 

in their sacrifice...

And there was a reasonable expectation of failure or at least no guarantee of success.  The risks were understood and at all levels of the effort - from the President down to the individual astronauts - there was a tolerance for that risk based on the compelling vision and the rewards expected for success.  

Ultimately, even with the singular success of Apollo 11 and a bit of complacency that comes with such a triumph, fate intervened to let us know that success is never assured or final.  In the case of manned space flight we were reminded of that relatively quickly with the near fatal accident of Apollo 13 and since with tragedies that have befallen the Space Shuttle program.

So what parallels in the success of Apollo 11 are to be seen in looking at what it takes to succeed in our more terrestrial ventures?  Here's what I believe we can learn from this 45th anniversary of Apollo 11:

1. We can be motivated by defeats and even fear to set out on a path to success. 
2. Don't underestimate the power of a compelling vision that stretches what you think is possible.
3. Don't discount the small steps along the way that are necessary to achieve something truly great.  
4. Reaching the pinnacle of achievement doesn't happen overnight nor without significant effort.  
5. Plan for the best but prepare for the worst.  
6. Success is never assured and it is more than likely that we will experience trials, challenges and adversity before we achieve our ultimate goal.  
7. There is risk to be managed - and tolerated - in achieving something truly great.  Nothing risked, nothing gained.  
8. Just as the Apollo program led to significant advancements in avionics, telecommunications, and computers, be open to other opportunities along your path.
9. Never become complacent.  Just when we think we are on top of the world or have our plans and processes aced, something comes along to remind us of the need for humility, diligence and what it took to get to the top.

Look to the moon this weekend and be inspired by an achievement now 45 years old.  May you be so bold.
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.