Tag: Book Summaries

Building a Culture of Leadership

Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.

Being named the fifth HR Director for NASA’s Johnson Space Center last November was a humbling experience for me…especially when I considered the legacies left by our Mount Rushmore of Leaders.  So, I began to think…what kind of legacy do I want to leave with the organization?

Last week, we convened our HR Leadership Team retreat, and I talked with the team for the first time about what we should deliver over the next five years.  We’re focused on a long-term workforce strategy that provides the right “forward fills” for our Journey to Mars.  We want to prepare leaders at all levels for a successful future, and we want to emphasize Inclusive Leadership as a key skill.  Within HR, I want to emphasize a “Culture of Leadership.”  I explained that this involves aligning authorities with responsibilities; rewarding ideas and innovation; a round table (not hierarchical) approach to decision-making; and preparing the organization for the future.

To help with this idea, I listened to an on-line workshop by David Marquet last December and followed that by reading his book Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders during the Christmas break.  I really appreciated his story and advice and hope that you will too.

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Creating a Team of Leaders…By Giving Up Control…

Turning Over Control

Our daughter, Katy, turns 16 next month, so she’s practicing her driving any chance she gets. As I sit in the passenger seat, I find myself—probably more often than I’d like—sweating, gritting my teeth, and pushing my foot against the floorboard (trying to hit the brakes that aren’t there!). For me, giving up control is hard. It would be easier and more comfortable to just do the driving myself…but then I consider all the benefits of having a third driver, especially for those times when each of our 3 kids are in separate places; and I recognize my responsibility for preparing her for more and more freedom that—whether I like it or not—will inevitably come. So, I continue to hand her the keys and enter on the passenger side…

I find that issue of control—much like that of parents teaching kids to drive—is prevalent at NASA. Underlying messages like, “We can do it best here. Just leave us alone. They won’t take care of business the way we do. They don’t understand.” All the “theys” we speak about are often other NASA team members.  Again, giving up control is hard, but now, more than ever, we need to solve big challenges as a team and recognize that “together, everyone achieves more.”

That’s why I like to say “Everyone Contributes…Mission Success Takes a Team.”

To learn more, check out my summary of A Team of Leaders: Empowering Every Member to Take Ownership, Demonstrate Initiative, and Deliver Results by Paul Gustavson & Stewart Liff.  Click here to continue.