I have not watched the movie Apollo 13 in many years and this particular evening I was sitting down to watch it with my three boys. Unlike the previous times I’ve watched I had a pen and paper in hand to jot down some notes.
Just a couple nights before I was watching the bonus documentaries with my wife. I noticed there were some great leaders and leadership lessons from this near tragedy. Hopefully these observations can help you in your leadership development.
Peace under pressure
Jim Lovell the commander of Apollo 13 and Gene Kranz the flight director of the mission individual demonstrated the importance of calm in chaos. One man was in space and the other man was at mission control. When the chaos struck both individuals led their teams by keeping calm and asking for the facts. When emotions run high the calm can lead much more effectively.
Make a stand
In the movie a tense moment arises between Swigert and Haise (which may have been Hollywood drama) and as the tension rises with Haise implying the situation was Swigert’s fault Lovell steps in and stops the argument in a manner that maintains unity among the crew. Moments after the initial chaos down at mission control Kranz is receiving panicked excuses from his staff and he steps up and proclaims. “I don’t care about what anything was designed to do. I care what it can do.” In moments of crises there comes a point where leaders must demonstratively take charge in order to maintain order.
Modify the Mission
This was Jim Lovell’s opportunity to walk on the moon, but once specific life saving procedures were implemented . . . the moon was lost. This required specific responses from Lovell, but I will save that for another day. Back at Mission Control Kranz led a meeting with the NASA staff clearing explaining the new mission and every individual in the room had to modify their plans accordingly.
Confidence
When facing the unknown someone has to rise up and provide hope amidst despair. Lovell reassured his team they would get home while at Mission Control Kranz boldly spoke up in a moment when the staff was questioning the possibility of getting the men home with the statement: “This will be our finest hour.”
Faith
No matter what we do in life this is required in our leadership. As the three astronauts floated in space they communicated with mission control and trusted what they told them to do. They could not see nor did they have proof anything would work because NASA never experienced this, but they trusted the team which ultimately resulted in success.
These are just a few of the leadership lessons I gathered from watching this movie. My question for you is, how are you doing in these areas? Are you encountering chaos personally or professionally that is requiring you to lead like Lovell and Kranz? If so, which of these five areas do you need to boldly step into today? Connect with me and let me know how I can help you lead better at work and home. Stay tuned for next week as we look at leadership lessons specifically from Jim Lovell’s response. Lead well.
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