Leadership Lessons from the OSIRIS-REx Mission

Over the weekend, I was captivated watching NASA's live stream of the OSIRIS-REx landing. It was incredible.? It brought back fond memories of sitting on my father’s lap and watching John Glenn lift off in the Mercury program.? And, like then, I felt proud and a little emotional for the teams who worked for YEARS to make it happen.?

?For those who are not amateur astronomers, OSIRIS-REx embarked on its mission in September 2016, culminating in the collection of samples from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020. After bidding farewell to Bennu in April 2021, it finally touched down in the Utah desert on Sunday, September 24, 2023. ??In those seven years, OSIRIS-REx traveled 3.86 billion miles— an extraordinary testament to the spacecraft's endurance and the dedication of the numerous teams involved in this historic undertaking.

?I think some awesome leadership lessons came out of NASA’s efforts:

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Define Your Goal

OSIRIS-REx is part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, whose goal is to conduct high-science-return investigations that add to our understanding of the solar system. OSIRIS-REx, with the new moniker ASIRIS-REX-APEX, is now moving on to study asteroid Apophis in 2029. Countless people involved in these missions are crystal clear about their goals.? Likewise, our teams should have no confusion whatsoever about what we are striving for.

?Teamwork is Key

The OSIRIS-REx mission's success depended on collaboration amongst diverse scientists and engineers – teams spread over multiple organizations, including NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration , Lockheed Martin Space, and the University of AZ. Despite that labyrinth, they fostered a collaborative work environment (just watching the video streams of the different teams watching the landing was inspiring!).? We want our employees to feel empowered to share ideas and support each other's growth and development.?

?Nurture a Growth Mindset

The OSIRIS-REx mission faced numerous challenges. Observations by onboard instruments revealed Bennu to be very different from what they expected, complicating the team's sample collection goal. The spacecraft stayed with the asteroid for a year, allowing scientists to alter the mission to accommodate the target. As a leader, navigating challenges is one of your core responsibilities. Change will come.? Parts of projects will fail.? Inspiring our teams to approach these challenges as an opportunity to learn and embrace new ideas will empower them to take risks and be resilient in setbacks.?

?Collect Valuable Resources

After completing their mission, the OSIRIS-REx team is now analyzing the samples collected from Bennu to unlock insights into the formation of our solar system. A portion of the sample will remain in storage so that scientists in the future can work on the sample with new techniques that we don't even know exist and answer questions we don't even know to ask. ?Can we be proactive about sharing our thoughts, problems to solve, and opportunities to pursue with everyone in our company to engage all the minds of our team members? Tapping into this diverse resource leads to smarter decision-making and problem-solving with the added benefit of enhanced employee engagement and productivity.

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?I have found that with most people if you give them a challenging goal, make resources available, define the parameters, and then let them run, they rarely let you down. I will see what I can apply from the OSIRIS-REx mission to help us do that.