Apollo 13 A Leadership Movie

ULDP Lesson Plan

Notes to the InstructorNot a Slide for the Presentation

Recommend all hands watch the movie first This PowerPoint will address the competencies of:

Technical Proficiency Team BuildingEffective Communications Problem SolvingVision Development Conflict Management

Creativity & Innovation

Each competency will have its own slide that will present bullets to generate a discussion you will facilitate. Tie the challenges the Apollo Mission to the challenges your unit faces and discuss methods to overcome those challenges

Sum up the discussion with a review of key points brought up during the session

Apollo 13 A Leadership Movie

ULDP Lesson Plan

Apollo 13 – A Successful Failure

Setting the Scene:

NASA's worst nightmare turned into one of the space agency's most heroic moments in 1970, when the Apollo 13 crew was forced to hobble home in a disabled capsule after an explosion seriously damaged the moon-bound spacecraft. The Apollo 13 crew and Houston-based mission controllers raced against time and heavy odds to return the damaged spacecraft safely to Earth from a distance of 205,500 miles. --Jeff Shannon

Discussion Points

Leading Self– Technical

Proficiency Leading Others

– Teambuilding– Effective

Communication

Leading Performance & Change– Vision Development– Conflict

Management– Decision Making &

Problem Solving– Creativity &

Innovation

During this session we’ll discuss the challenges the Apollo 13 Team had to overcome to ensure the 3 astronauts were returned safely home. We’ll look at the Apollo crew and mission control and discuss their actions and compare them to the Coast Guard’s leadership competencies.

Technical Proficiency

Coast Guard leaders’ technical knowledge, skills and expertise allow them to effectively organize and prioritize tasks and use resources efficiently. Always aware of how their actions contribute to overall organizational success, leaders demonstrate technical and functional proficiency. They maintain credibility with others on technical matters and keep current on technological advances in professional areas. Successful leaders work to initiate actions and competently maintain systems in their area of responsibility.

Once the accident happened how did Gene Krantz rely on the skills and expertise of his people?

How did Lovell work to initiate actions in the Space craft? Was he able to balance that with his technical responsibilities in the craft? How did he do it?

What steps does your unit take to maintain Technical Proficiency?

Teambuilding Leaders recognize and contribute to

group processes; encourage and facilitate cooperation, pride, trust and group identity; and build commitment, team spirit, and strong relationships. Coast Guard leaders inspire, guide and create an environment that motivates others toward goal accomplishment; consider and respond to others’ needs, feelings, and capabilities; and adjust their approach to suit various individuals and situations. Coast Guard leaders have a historical perspective of leadership theory that they continually develop through personal experience and study of contemporary leadership issues. They work with subordinates to develop their leadership knowledge and skills. Coast Guard leaders adapt leadership styles to a variety of situations; and personify high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for others by applying these values and styles to daily behavior.

How did Lovell contribute to the group process when Mattingly wanted to practice the docking procedure again after 3 hrs of practice?

When Krantz had the team in the classroom how did he establish the goal and then how did he go about motivating others to achieve the goal of returning the space craft safely to earth?

Did Lovell make the right call when faced with the challenge of forcing Mattingly to stay behind because of the fear of measles?

How does a leader successfully build a strong team, but then separate him or herself from the Team to make a critical decision?

How’s your Team doing?

Effective Communications Coast Guard leaders

communicate effectively in both formal and informal settings. Good listeners, they reinforce the message they convey with supportive mannerisms. Leaders express facts and ideas succinctly and logically, facilitate an open exchange of ideas, ask for feedback routinely, and communicate face-to-face whenever possible. Competent coaches, supervisors, followers, performance counselors, interviewers, and negotiators, leaders know how to approach many situations to achieve organizational goals.

Even as everything is breaking loose in Mission Control, Gene Krantz asks his team to “Work the Problem.” He then listened to the experts report in on their areas of the mission. How did his effective comms set the stage for a successful recovery?

Krantz stated “Failure is not an option” and Lovell told his crew “I intend to go home.” By clearly stating their ideas and vision how did it direct the teams towards mission accomplishment?

Whose the best communicator you’ve ever worked with? What made them excel?

Vision Development & Implementation Leaders are able to envision a

preferred future for their units and functions, setting this picture in the context of the Coast Guard’s overall vision, missions, strategy and driving forces. Concerned with long-term success, leaders establish and communicate organizational objectives and monitor progress toward objectives; initiate action; and provide structure and systems to achieve goals. Leaders create a shared vision of the organization; promote wide ownership; manage and champion organizational change; and engineer changes in processes and structure to improve organizational goal accomplishment.

JFK’s Vision: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.“

How does a stated vision focus the unit and bring the crew together?

Lovell states; “Columbus, Lindberg, and Armstrong; it is not a miracle for man to walk on the moon, we just decided to go.”

What’s the vision at your unit? Has everyone decided “to go?” What can your unit do to get everyone “on board”?

Conflict Management

Coast Guard leaders facilitate open communication of controversial issues while maintaining relationships and teamwork. They effectively use collaboration as a style of managing contention; confront conflict positively and constructively to minimize impact to self, others and the organization; and reduce conflict and build relationships and teams by specifying clear goals, roles and processes.

How did Lovell deal with stress and conflict in the LEM?

How did the CO2 challenge help the crew to overcome the conflict they were experiencing?

Is there more or less conflict when people are busy and focused or when there is less to do and folks have time on their hands? Why?

How did Krantz and Lovell go about alleviating conflict between the crew and the Medical team?

Decision Making & Problem Solving Leaders identify and analyze

problems; use facts, input from others, and sound reasoning to reach conclusions; explore various alternative solutions; distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information; perceive the impact and implications of decisions; and commit to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals. They evaluate risk levels, create risk control alternatives, and implement risk controls. Successful leaders are able to isolate high-importance issues, analyze pertinent information, involve others in decisions that affect them, generate promising solutions, and consistently render judgments with lasting, positive impact.

How did the Team live the CG Competency of Decision Making and Problem Solving in working the “Power” problem to conclusion?

Right after the explosion Krantz’s asks Mission Control “What do we have on the Space Craft that’s good?”

Why did he ask this question?

How did it aid in making the correct decision to shut down the fuel cells?

Does everyone at your unit ensure that the Decision Makers have all the available and correct information? Why or Why not?

Creativity and Innovation

Leaders develop new insights into situations and apply innovative solutions to make unit and functional improvements. Leaders create a work environment that encourages creative thinking and innovation. They take reasonable risks, and learn from the inevitable mistakes that accompany prudent risk-taking—and they apply this same thinking to those who work for them, encouraging innovation and helping their people apply the lessons learned. Leaders design and implement new or cutting-edge programs and processes.

We’ve discussed a lot of positive leadership qualities during this session. How did Gene Krantz create an environment with his Mission Control team to ensure they were able to figure out how to solve the CO2 problem with a “Square Peg in a Round Hole!”

Lovell states at the end of the movie; “Thousands of people worked to bring the 3 of us back home.” How did creativity and innovation make the “Successful Failure” a reality?

How does your unit build on Lessons Learned?

Summary What was the best leadership trait exhibited in the movie?

What was the best followership trait exhibited in the movie?

What will you take away from the movie and discussion to make your unit a better place to work?

Final thoughts ….