Is your team ready to launch or course adjust?

What do NASA, SpaceX, and business owners all have in common?

The answer to this question can ignite your business!

I recently interviewed Dr. John Knight, a rocket scientist with 5 degrees in various disciplines, including a doctorate which he obtained at 60+ years old, and below are some insights about the parallels between rocket science and business. We will be publishing some of the interview videos over the next few weeks!

Whether you are a CEO or a rocket scientist at some point you’ll need to launch an innovation, course correct on your journey, rebuild your vision, or accelerate through rocky times.

What every one of these three groups has in common is that they all experience failures on the launchpad. No one is right 100% of the time and even rocket scientists have their embarrassing moments!

When you are lighting a fire under nearly 8 million pounds of liquid propellant, a failure is quite spectacular! Millions of dollars and all the attached fantastically expensive equipment are instantly vaporized. The media then gleefully spreads your misfortune to the entire world. You learn to pay minute attention to detail, communication, and the weather!

When you are launching a new business venture the results may not make the evening news, but the impact on the future of your business is just as momentous! Moving forward is essential for growth but as with everything you do in life, that means taking risk. An astonishing 95% of new product launches fail. So it’s crucial to your success that you do a little pre-launch homework.

What NASA has that you don’t

NASA and SpaceX enjoy seemingly limitless funds and access to enthusiastic experts drawn from the best schools and training programs. They’ve had years to ponder their failures and refine their people, processes, and products.

NASA scientists know exactly which questions to ask pre-launch and what the right answers should be. They have meticulously honed their checklists and processes to ensure the best outcome.

The result is that they can now boast a 98% success rate in their rocket launches!

Business owners aren’t so fortunate. You probably aren’t a billionaire and don’t get taxpayer money. You’ve had to start your business from the ground up, become your own expert, and make hard decisions between ROI and affordability.

You may only get one chance to get your rocket off the ground so it’s vital to take a moment to stop and reflect on your launch. With the right checklists and processes in place you can identify the optimum moment to explode off the pad.

Houston, are we a go?

I’ve helped multiple businesses across a variety of sectors align their people, processes, and products leading to insights to share with you about the questions every business leader should ask themselves to ensure a successful launch!

Below are some questions for you to consider (preferably more than 10 minutes before launch of your product, process, or software)!

Imagine yourself in the shuttle on launch day… What do you wish you had thought of before that T-10 countdown starts? Those are the questions you should be asking yourself & your team today as you prepare to execute!

• T-5 minutes: People raising doubts about the process, but not confident enough to stop it from moving forward.
• T-3 minutes: Do we have the right person in the right seat? Can we trust them to execute well?
• T-1 minute: Do the people have confidence in the process we are about to launch?
• T-30 seconds: It is getting late to pull the plug on this mission…
• T-10 seconds: Did we engage all the right team members in the decision-making process?
• T-9 seconds: Is our process robust enough to actually take care of customers who walk through the door?
• T-8 seconds: Do our people know how to use the new process we deployed?
• T-7 seconds: What is our backup plan if the new process doesn’t work?
• T-6 seconds: Have we considered the right performance metrics to ensure success?
• T-5 seconds: Will our processes enable us to perform & fulfill the purpose of the mission?
• T-4 seconds: Is our payload (product/service) going to create enough value?
• T-3 seconds: What did I forget to pack that I will regret? Toothpaste!
• T-2 seconds: Too late now??. No Walmart where we are going!
• T-1 second… #KeepMovingForward!!!!

?What should you be thinking about today to get you ready to launch?!

Interested in learning more? Check us out at?www.epszone.com.

Download your ebook “From Orangutan to Rocket Scientist” here to learn all about the P5 Rocket and find actionable content!

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