Is it possible to send humans to Mars? This is a question being evaluated by some very smart people at NASA. A recent Fast Company article about this venture outlined five practices that guide their mission. While your team’s objectives may not be as lofty as a mission to Mars, these leadership practices may help your team achieve their goals.
(S)Pace Yourself
Whether you are putting actions to your annual plan or addressing an emerging problem, pacing yourself is essential. Take the time necessary to think through all of the issues or plan smaller steps to achieve the bigger plan. This “go slow to go fast” strategy will add discipline to the process, lead you to more accurate information, and allow time to learn and evaluate your progress along the way. It is helpful to schedule regular “check-in” sessions to discuss successes and challenges, as well as problem solve for any actual or potential missteps. Even if you are a team of one, this process can be useful to ensure you are codifying what is working well and putting solutions against what is not effective.
Don’t Be Afraid To Veer Off Course
A trip to Mars is many years away and, in the meantime, there will be new discoveries that will impact the success of this mission. It behooves NASA to pay attention to that emerging information, even if it means taking the project down a tangential path. This type of conscious diversion can also lead to innovation and new ways of thinking for leaders and their teams. We need only look at the discoveries of insulin, penicillin and a host of other scientific and medical discoveries to understand that curiosity and taking time to “veer off course” may net powerful results. As the American physicist Joseph Henry once noted, “The seeds of great discoveries are constantly floating around us, but they only take root in minds well prepared to receive them.”
No More Flying Solo
We all know the saying “two heads are better than one.” Indeed, we have many linguistic references that indicate the value of collaboration. You might stop by a colleague’s office and say ,“Can I run something by you?” or you might schedule a team meeting to “brainstorm” a particular topic. We do this because it is helpful to get input from others and leverage different perspectives and thinking styles. Additionally, collaboration can improve efficiency and spark innovation.
Not flying solo means you will know who else in the organization is working on the same project as your team. Often, I have seen departments come together toward the end of a project only to discover that their individual team contributions do not add up to a cohesive final product.
Tap Into Natural Curiosity
As Albert Einstein famously said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” And just look where that got him! Our capacity grows when we are curious. Asking “what if” may lead to previously untapped ideas and resources. Wondering “what is possible” may speed the growth of your business. Questioning “is this all there is” may inspire higher customer or employee engagement.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Continuing to develop the next leaders in your organization is critical to the here-and-now and for the future. Today your emerging leaders will bring new energy and ideas to the workplace. Tomorrow they will be the well-rounded, innovative and passionate leaders who will be essential to the health of the business in the years to come.
Your business objectives and challenges may not equate to the daunting work of sending a manned spacecraft to Mars. However, by leveraging these five lessons from the work of NASA, you will find that your business really can fly.
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