Regular followers of our blog may be forgiven for thinking we have a particular passion for spaceflight. It’s not so long since we wrote about the challenges of building leadership in a closed environment on the Mars mission and now we are focusing on the Juno spacecraft which has just gone into orbit around Jupiter.
The fact is that projects of this nature not only captured the imagination, they also serve to highlight the way in which teamwork and leadership can come together to deliver great outcomes.
NASA may be leading the Juno project but its success is down to the hard work and vision of scientists, designers and engineers across the globe. For example, Juno’s main engines were manufactured by AMPAC-ISP in the UK whilst its data card was manufactured in America by BAE Systems.
In spaceflight the margin between success and failure is very small. All it takes is one component or one piece of data to be out of line and Juno, if it reached Jupiter at all, could easily have rocketed out into space or back into the heart of the sun. Developing the vision, engaging hearts and minds in the project, and enabling everyone involved to deliver of their best is therefore vital in order to boost the chances of success. It’s a lesson in leadership and teamwork which we can all learn from.
