Jon Cohn’s Post

What is affecting company's tangible results? Some reasons... a) Lack of mission's clarity: employees may not fully know the mission & how their individual roles contribute to the mission of the company. b) Misalignment of values: employees may have personal values that conflict with the company's mission or culture, as they grow in their positions. c) Communication breakdown: poor communication from top-to-bottom can result in misinformation, hindering (b) the alignment efforts by the company. d) Inconsistent leadership: when inconsistent leadership behaviors or actions "contradict the company's stated mission" this affects (a), (b) & (c). When leaders fail to embody the organization's values in actions, employees will become disillusioned & more likely to disassociate. This is not good for the company's overall performance. Here is an insightful article about this subject: "NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration vows to battle 'organizational silence' as problems arise amid Artemis delays" https://lnkd.in/efhVN4ai

The Tin Can Test: If you had to be locked in a tin can with someone (in space) for 6 months, who would you choose? And why?   This was the primary question NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration former Head of Astronaut Selection Anne Roemer was responsible to decide - so I quizzed her at Talent Summit 2024.   What are the qualities that define leadership selection for astronauts at NASA for a space shuttle mission?   Surprisingly, or not, technical ability does not feature.    The desired leadership qualities focus on these 4 (and 1 other) :   - Communication skills - Listening skills - Leadership and Followership - In equal measures - Analytic Decision-Making   But above all else: Humility   In my experience, Hubris and Ego destroy leadership capability more than any other character trait - and it is rarely, if ever, patrolled by organisations.    Would your leader pass the Tin Can test?    #leadership #followership #NASA #humility #talentsummit

"Empathy is extraordinarily important... the need to support your senior professionals in a way you haven't..." "Leadership by example has never been more important." Catch this snippet of Mitchell E. Rudin of Savills North America and Dr. Alexandra Whitmire of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration talking about empathy, not minimizing people's experiences, leadership, isolation/loneliness, work/life balance, and more. https://lnkd.in/eR9unqkH #Leadership #Awe #Resilience #MentalHealth #Wellbeing https://lnkd.in/eR9unqkH

3 reasons why NASA TV is my new favorite channel 🚀🌓✨for learning (and leadership insights) 1. When your work is exciting and you know the importance and value of your contributions, it is exciting to come to work 2. Failure is not an option - make errors and learn from them in the development phase but once deployed, the parts must all work together in space- failure is not an option because there is no tech who can show up tomorrow and fix it 3. The vision is what unites the various teams to keep open communication. Bonus: quite heard in today’s show A professional works on a task until they can’t get it wrong Have you watched any NASA TV? #designlearning #outoftheboxthinking #leadershipjourney

This week’s Leadership Unlocked Newsletter explores how the introduction of a NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration strapline “Faster, Better, Cheaper’ contributed to the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle disaster. It describes three critical factors which had a cumulative unintended consequence. These were: 1. Organisational Drift is the gradual, and apparently imperceptible, degradation of standards. This often happens after an extended run of positive results which creates an impression of invulnerability. This was the case after 88 successful shuttle flights prior to the Columbia tragedy. 2. Cultural Fences are the barriers to communication which can exist between different levels in a hierarchy. They create blindspots and prevent the necessary candour that keeps an organisation healthy. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board highlighted this in their findings. 3. Organisational unlearning refers to the discarding of old routines to make way for new ones, if any. Many of these old routines served to keep the organisation safe but their importance has been forgotten. Discarding people with organisational memory compounds this problem. Each of these phenomena can take place in any organisation.

Meet Colonel Terry Virts: A retired NASA Astronaut, Commander of the International Space Station, Shuttle Pilot and now a worldwide motivational speaker. His advice is just a sample of what can be learned from over 250 global leaders and business innovators who are part of the global business curriculum here at Kennedy U.   👉 At Kennedy U we are dedicated to providing career-relevant, student-focused degree programs through innovative online learning, aiming to produce socially conscious leaders of tomorrow.   👉 Imagine a career in an industry that is growing and shows continued signs of promising growth ahead: The Space Industry. A Space Leadership MBA from Kennedy U could help you achieve this goal. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gXK2nP9N     Terry Virts | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration | International Space Station National Laboratory     #adulteducation #adultlearning #adultedu #adultlearners #appliedlearning #businesseducation #businessleaders #ContinuingEducation #distancelearning #education #educators #elearning #FutureLeaders #globaleconomy #highered #highereducation #learning #learnercentered #learn #learningexperience #learners #leadershipmba #mba #onlinelearning #onlineteaching #onlineeducation #onlinemba #onlinecourses #onlinecourses  #professionaldevelopment #studentengagement #studentcentered #transformationaleducation  #SpaceCurriculum #SpaceEducation #SpaceEconomy #SpaceLeadership #SpaceLeadershipMBA #NASA

When President John F. Kennedy visited the NASA HQ in the 1960s he asked a Janitor: “What are you doing here?” The janitor replied: “I am helping to put a man on a moon.” Powerful!!! This is a great example of what can be accomplished when every single member or an organization understands the mission. Alignment: Does every action taken within the organization contribute to mission success, or are some actions wasting energy? Vision: Have the leader(s) within the organization clearly articulated “where” they see the organization going? Purpose: Does the organization have a “Why” behind its existence and is it understood across the organization? Cohesion: Assuming that alignment, vision, and purpose are in place, does every member of the organization…. BELIEVE? Do they believe that their actions contribute to the cause? Are they willing to sacrifice personal agendas for the greater whole? Are the relationships within the organization tight-knit, effective, and well led? Lastly, does ego take a backseat to humble teamwork? Small anecdote with many lessons to learn.

Taking a moment to learn from the inevitable intersection of triumph and tragedy. Here are some poignant leadership lessons we can take away from a NASA tragedy. Essential read for leaders in any field and those who aspire to be: https://lnkd.in/eRQdEEEp . #Leadership #NASA #LearningFromHistory

Summer read for aspiring NASA engineers, a book by NASA’s Chief Engineer for Aeronautics at NASA HQ The Way of the Chief Engineer by Steven Hirshorn appears to provide the perfect balance of leadership tips while offering a behind-the-scenes understanding of NASA. Download it for free here: https://lnkd.in/eQ4dRVfR "NASA sets the bar high for its Chief Engineers, and Three Sigma Leadership explains those expectations in straightforward terminology. Each chapter provides familiar surroundings for engineers and speaks in their language, but also lays out the higher standard of leadership skills necessary to perform the job of a Chief Engineer."