Have you ever been to West Point, New York?
The campus has an aura of leadership.
I recently spoke at the West Point Club as part of a U.S. Military Academy leadership event. We shared stories of great leaders at Gen. Custer’s grave. We offered encouragement to each other on Buffalo Soldiers’ field. Then I took the stage, along with about 80 others during the event, to share insights.
My favorite speaker was the headliner, Col. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, a West Point graduate.
Yep, I met the Buzz who walked on the moon, who inspired Buzz Lightyear in the “Toy Story” movies and who charmed us as a contestant on “Dancing With The Stars.” I was star-struck!
As Aldrin took the stage, he unbuttoned his military jacket and showed us his #getyoura--tomars T-shirt. At almost 87 years old, he has every right to rest on his laurels and I was expecting a grandfatherly, reminiscent presentation. However, once he started to speak, I was floored by his vision and enduring passion for space travel.
He earned his doctorate in astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 24 years old. His thesis was on a rendezvous technology that would facilitate the transport of people and products to expand the boundaries of space exploration. Then he joined the NASA team and became part of John F. Kennedy’s promise to put a man on the moon and bring him back again.
“When JFK first met with NASA, he wanted to go to Mars. The moon was a compromise,” Aldrin shared. “By continuing space exploration, we improve life for everyone on Earth. The advancements in STEAM – science, technology, engineering, arts and math – will affect us here on Earth, in everyday life. The iPhone is a direct result of the lessons learned from space travel.”
Aldrin still is obsessed with getting people to Mars and back again, and he isn’t one bit disappointed that it won’t be him and probably won’t be in his lifetime. What a powerful vision, to understand his mission is so big it will take longer than one or two generations.
That’s how leadership evolves into legacy.
Thinking of slowing down? Starting to feel your age? Well, Aldrin was heading to Antarctica after his West Point speech – “because I haven’t been there yet!”
In December, he and his son will spend a week scuba diving in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. These trips are squeezed in between his speeches, foundation work, meetings with politicians and investors (like Jeff Bezos of Amazon), and his book tours. He has two books about Mars travel coming out; one is a children’s story. His #getyoura--tomars T-shirt sales support his Space Institute, which promotes the settlement of Mars. Aldrin’s brand of leadership is ageless.
During the three-day leadership event, one of our activities was to share a story about a time when we were “up against it,” and how we got through it.
That very day, I was dealing with a business problem that was getting the better of me.
I wondered if I had the leadership chops to resolve it. I didn’t know what to do.
However, this inspiring conversation, and the wise words of astronaut Aldrin, helped me put the problem in perspective.
It wasn’t like we were attempting a Mars landing.
At a break, I assembled my troops. (OK, it was a GoToMeeting.) I took the hit for mismanaging the project and assumed responsibility for getting it done.
We got clear on the much larger mission, which is awe-inspiring if not flat out impossible, and came to a resolve on the immediate issue. Thanks, Buzz and West Point.
As he says, “Shoot for the moon; you might get there.”
Ellen Rohr is an author and business consultant offering profit-building tips, trending business blogs and online workshops at EllenRohr.com. Her books include “Where Did the Money Go?” and “The Bare Bones Weekend Biz Plan.” She can be reached at ellen@ellenrohr.com.
