So much has changed since NASA first put a man on the moon 50 years ago – there’s more computing power now in your phone than they had back then! Today I’m going to look at how you can run your business like NASA…
Even though the technology they were using at the time was absolutely cutting edge, there’s so much more to successful space missions than just the kit you’re using! So imagine how much more successful your business would be if you adopted the NASA mentality to run your mothership…
Hire the best of the best
You’re not working at NASA with two GCSE’s and a half-assed attitude to being on time! Only the very best are accepted, and being ‘smart’ in itself is still not enough.
Everyone, from the mission controller through to the engineer who designs a single screw has the commitment and passion for what they do to give over and above what’s needed, every single time.
Maybe you’re not firing astronauts into outer space, but you should take the same care with your own team.
Specialise!
In your business, if you spread yourself or your team too thin, you’re going to compromise how effectively each job is done. Get the right skills for each job.
Let your sales team sell, get your books to the experts, and keep your customer service team focused. Is your web guy really the best person to be answering the phone to new customers?!
Actually, it IS rocket science.
Stay calm
The last 500 metres of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s descent onto the moon’s surface didn’t go exactly to plan. The radio communication with Houston was intermittent. The landing computer sounded an error alarm with 4 minutes to go. The area they were supposed to land in was a boulder-strewn field instead of the smooth plain they were expecting, meaning they had to manually fly the craft.
As fuel ran low, they had 60 seconds to decide whether to abort the entire mission.
After years of planning and billions of dollars, the success of the mission depended on staying calm and making quick decisions – which they did!
In your business, it’s inevitable that you’re going to face the odd crisis. It’s how you deal with it that matters. NASA had planned for all eventualities, and still found themselves having to make decisions on the hoof.
If you run a business, being able to stay calm, focus on the problem at hand and take decisive actions is what’s going to make the difference between success and failure.
Aim for the stars!
Everything is impossible – until you do it! Even a hundred years ago, the idea that humans could walk on the moon seemed completely inconceivable. But we did it!
NASA did not let what was currently possible dictate what it wanted to achieve. The technology developed with an impossible goal in mind.
The people who succeed in business are the ones who have the guts to think big, and don’t take no for an answer. Just because something doesn’t seem possible today, doesn’t mean you can’t MAKE it a reality in the future.
You don’t have to limit your ambitions for your business – you just have to scale UP the efforts you’re taking to make it happen!
Fancy hearing more about what it takes to make it as an entrepreneur?
There’s loads of tips and advice on my YouTube Channel, along with interviews with really interesting celebrities and entrepreneurs where we chat about how they did it, and what you can learn from their stories.
