Captain Mark Kelly, US Navy captain, astronaut, Commander of Space Shuttle Endeavor's final mission, husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords delivered the keynote address at Collaborate 12 in Las Vegas on Monday April 23rd, 2012. The address was titled "Leadership, Teamwork, Courage". Simple.
Captain Kelly is a marvelous orator and knows how to tell a story. He shared his experiences and the lessons he learned along the way and all I could think was "RESPECT Captain!"
Some of the things I came away with after the address -
1) What you are at the beginning does not define what you become in the end. Hard work and determination play a large part in molding your future.
2) None of us is as dumb as all of us. When decisions are made by a team, it is very rare to hear voices of dissent for several reasons, mainly fear of rejection. So team members choose to remain silent and quite often it results in the wrong decision being made. How many times have you seen the junior most team member being asked for an opinion before a senior member? Something worth considering...
3) There is nothing so important that should prevent you from communicating with your team. Clear and timely communication prevents a lot of issues down the road.
4) There is nothing stronger than the human spirit, as Captain Kelly's wife has shown. You can deny the acceptance of failure. Perseverance, patience and strong will can move mountains.
Thank you Captain Kelly!
