From the movie “Apollo 13,” there are a few classic lines that, as business leaders, we can all relate to. In the movie sequence, one of the lines is “Houston, we have a problem!” This starts the next set of events in motion. Not knowing the whole situation at the time, the astronauts, who were specially trained to handle potential failures on space missions, began the organized process to diagnose and then make a decision that would ultimately lead to the best course of action under the circumstances.
Later in the movie, mission control leadership, drawing on all the scientific and engineering knowledge at their disposal, was tasked with overcoming a series of challenges to bring the three astronauts safely back to Earth, and failure was not an option.
These two classic statements are played out repeatedly in the business world every day. The day starts as a typical morning, only to have some challenge present itself and knock the organization out of balance. It can be anything from a key employee resigning to a shortage of materials on a job site, to any number of things that, despite every effort to plan ahead and avoid such challenges, they still occur. So, when they appear, we fall back in our minds to – “Houston, we have a problem.”
As leaders, this is when your leadership is critical to stabilizing resources and providing the necessary reassurance so they can focus on resolving the challenge rather than getting stuck on what caused the problem. There will be plenty of time once the challenge is resolved to learn from the problem and what may have caused it, but in the moment, it is about focusing on the resolution, not what might have caused it.
It is also key that we stay true to the reassurance that failure is not an option. We might not know if we will be successful or come up short. During the Apollo 13 mission, until the astronauts splashed down and were recovered by the naval vessel, the team of mission specialists didn’t know if they had failed or not. In business, our actions might not realize an immediate result. Sometimes it takes hours, days, weeks, and even years to confirm a problem that was overcome and ultimately turned out to be a success. We also need to understand the value and contribution of simply overcoming the problem versus overcoming it in a better place to position the organization for future growth and success.
The space programs of the past have provided numerous opportunities to learn about both monumental successes and horrific failures. Both led to growth in how things are done within and outside the programs. Obviously, most of our businesses are not as experimental as the exploration of space. We still have major risks associated with operating our businesses. Not just financially, but also for all the families that become dependent on the organization’s success for continued employment. All of the vendors and customers that provide and consume value to and from the organization. No, it is not a risk to life, as space exploration has, but it is real-life exposure to the team in your business and how leadership either engages talent to be successful or deteriorates the culture, contributing to weakened and potentially damaging failures.
This week, consider how you respond when you hear – “We have a problem.” Are you crafting a culture to support “Failure is not an option?”
Looking to build a culture where success energy flows abundantly within your team? Contact JKL Associates to discuss the next steps toward launching a revitalized culture in your organization. We can be reached at FL (407) 984-7246 or MI (313) 527-7945.
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