Space to Village (Ohio's Version)

If you have ever heard me joke about my interview to be Press Secretary at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration , you've probably heard me repeat what someone said to me during the interview process:

"Wright Brothers, John Glenn Neil Armstrong. You're from Ohio - you'll do great!"

Ohio famously claims its moniker as "The Heart of It All," and a huge part of that heritage is connected to aerospace.

Ohio Space Forum 2024

There is so much opportunity for all industries when they're connected to the aerospace industry. The Ohio Space Forum is all about connecting state and national leaders with leaders of industry to build on Ohio's unparalleled space heritage by leveraging the world-class innovation and tech workforce available in the state. My colleague Scott Broemsen is a great person to connect with about the Forum and other opportunities stemming from NASA Glenn Research Center .

Learn more about Ohio Space Forum here.

Blue Abyss in Brook Park

You can't start much smaller than a city in Ohio like Brook Park to leverage the capacity and leadership of the automotive supplier industry for advanced technical work. But that's exactly what my friend Paul F. Marnecheck M.A. is leading.

Blue Abyss Global recently announced plans to locate an astronaut training facility in Brook Park. My alma mater Kent State University is conducting an economic feasibility study so we can all better understand the potential a project like this can unleash. Read all about it.

Rewriting A Lost Wright Into the History Books

As a proud Ohioan, I'm a little embarrassed that it was only recently that I learned more about the role that Orville and Wilbur Wright's sister Katharine played in the history of aviation.

The Oberlin Review highlights a podcast about this famous Oberlin College alumnae. I don't want to spoil the delight of learning all about this incredible person, so here is a link to a podcast review.

When we write the list of Ohioans with the "Right Stuff," we must add Katharine Wright's name.

So, what lessons can communicators take from all of this?

We've all heard the line, "History is written by the victors." When I think of communications and public relations, it is our literal job to make sure we tell the story of our people, brand, organization, and leaders. We have so many tools at our disposal to communicate successes, triumph over failure, and ideas of inspiration.

For Organizational Leaders: there is no greater need than connecting directly with your employees in forums that allow discussion, not only one-way formats like e-mail. Now more than ever, employees want to deepen their connection to the purpose and mission of their organization, and a key way to do that is to deepen their connection with their leaders. Lee Fisher has famously sent out his Monday Morning Message to his organization for years, full of inspiration for the week but, most importantly, driving clarity on the most important work needed to achieve the organization's goals.

For Communications Leaders: How can you drive transparency and build comradery within your organization? This could be as simple as sending an end-of-week wrap-up email to your immediate team or starting the week with a quick assembly to get folks on target for the week ahead. It could be more robust, like a frequent newsletter or lunch sessions where you get ideas and feedback from your team.

Your challenge for the week: what is one intervention you can implement or improve this week to better drive outcomes or results for your organization or enterprise? How can communications drive more connection, transparency or conversation? How are you including everyone -- specifically question how your tactics are inclusive of teleworkers, people with different abilities or communicate in other languages? And how do you measure success?

I'd love to hear from you in the comments. Thanks for subscribing to this newsletter and for sharing it with your friends. If you have ideas or suggestions, please send those along!