MISSION (IM)POSSIBLE – 2022
June 25, 2024
It always seems impossible until it is done said Nelson Mandela.
I recently watched Mission Mangal, a Bollywood movie made in 2019, which is loosely based on the lives of the scientists of Indian Space Research Organisation [ISRO] who contributed to India’s first interplanetary expedition Mars Orbitary Mission, which exemplifies this.
It is a well made movie which traces the story behind the historic launch, with some good casting and great acting. I enjoyed the movie and also picked up some key lessons in leadership which I have captured below.
Power of Diversity: Diversity is an often-used concept in today’s times, largely in the context of gender diversity. Most of the core team members for this mission happen to be women and they bring in fresh new perspectives which help in making the mission a success. But there is also an elderly male scientist from the south of India whose idea to use recyclable plastic material is a key input to the project. And all of this starts with Rakesh, the team leader truly embracing and welcoming diversity in the team. It is important for us as leaders to actively seek and support diversity in thinking so that we can grow as better professionals and individuals.
Home science vs Rocket science: There are many things that we do at home on a daily basis which can actually be adapted to what we do at work. It is simply a question of being mindful and being able to connect the dots. As a smart home-maker, Tara, who is one of the scientists tells her cook to switch off the gas once the oil is heated so that she can conserve the fuel and still make pooris in the hot oil. She then takes this insight to her work on how they could switch on and off the firing of the fuel for the satellite to keep it in orbit for longer with lesser fuel. Leaders need to be open to ideas coming from anyone and anywhere and truly foster a culture that encourages new ideas.
Pray to the Power and not to the Picture: Tara’s son sees her praying to God for the incessant rains to stop so that the rocket launch can happen on time. He asks her about how she deals with being a scientist with a logical bent of mind, and yet praying to God for a miracle. Tara then speaks about how she isn’t ritualistic but believes in a higher order Power. I am not overtly religious nor am I ritualistic, but I like experiencing the Energy especially in places of worship. I believe in a larger Energy that makes us connect with certain people and makes things happen a certain way, and this thought comfortably co-exists along with my “left-brained rational thinking”. Leadership is not just about having a strong business acumen but also having the ability to harness the passion and energy of the collective towards achieving organizational goals.
Dream vs Job: A lot of what we achieve in our endeavours [both work and non-work] is a function of how we approach it. The diverse team that was cobbled together for the mission starts off by looking at the project as a just another job, but then starts making it their dream. This shift in their thinking leads to a dramatic shift in how they approach the project. Great leaders dream and also encourage their teams to dream and approach work with a high degrgee of passion and commitment. This helps us to stretch ourselves above and beyond, and achieve results that we could not have imagined.
As a leader, we try many things- some work, many don’t. I believe having a dream that you passionately believe in, being resourceful, embracing diversity and believing in a larger Energy can significantly enhance the chances of success. And the rest as they say, is luck by chance.
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