Tough weeks this summer for the United States. If you’re wrapped in the warm technology and aviation embrace of AirVenture it’s easy to forget the outside world. In the last hours of Air Venture, at a theater in the woods, I had the opportunity to hear the Apollo astronauts describe real leadership. We’ll talk about it in US Lacks Real Leadership-Live At Osh Kosh 2017-Podcast 652.

Real Leadership

Do we fully understand what real leadership is? In the closing weeks of July in Washington, it became clear we don’t have it. Especially relevant is this question of whether we are pulling together as a nation. In US Lacks Real Leadership-Live At Osh Kosh 2017-Podcast 652.

In the late 1950’s the nuclear rival of the United States put a satellite in space. Then the USSR put a dog in space. Finally, they put the first man in space. The reality of this achievement and its implications shocked the US. We had to do something to catch up.

Time Specific Goal Setting

In 1960, President Kennedy made the goal of putting a man on the moon and returning him safely, a national objective. What’s more, the president set a time limit. The US was to accomplish this goal before the end of the 1960’s. This had never done before.

EAA’s evening presentations at the Theater In The Woods are often riveting. At Osh Kosh 2017, the surviving Apollo astronauts joined David Hartman for an incredible forum to discuss their experiences. In US Lacks Real Leadership-Live At Osh Kosh 2017-Podcast 652.

Real Leaders Don’t Tweet

A standing room only crowd heard some great stories about the early efforts of the United States to develop a manned space program. For me, one of the major threads of the conversation was how the bosses at NASA and in the US Government provided the resources and allowed the pilots, managers and scientists at NASA to do the job.

When things got tough they did not publicly ridicule, blame, demand and complain. Leaders stayed on task and on schedule. On July 16th, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. In subsequent missions which proved even more challenging, the leaders only asked what the guys in space and at Mission Control needed.

Pulling Together?

These days some of our top people could take a lesson from the experience of these guys, so young back in the day. We’re not pulling together as a nation. We’re not working specific goals to address problems, so we can move onto making things better. In US Lacks Real Leadership-Live At Osh Kosh 2017-Podcast 652.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

US Lacks Real Leadership-Live At Osh Kosh 2017-Podcast 652

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