The Leadership Moment - Eugene Kranz and Apollo 13

The story of Apollo 13 is very familiar to most people, whether it is because they remember it when it
was happening or due to the fact that they have seen Ron Howard's version of how it happened at the
movies. Chapter 3 of Michael Useem's “The Leadership Moment” examines the Apollo 13 story most
people are unfamiliar with. It is the story of Eugene Kranz, the flight director for Apollo 13 who was
responsible for everything related to this mission.

The chapter looks into the events on the ground and how Gene kept level headed and ultimately led to
the safe return of the astronauts.

The main points outlined was as follows:

• Make fast, accurate decisions

◦ Eugene - “You always want to have as many options out in front of you, because those are
the things that give you the ability to change course.”
• Communication is KEY
◦ Eugene - “The first thing I did in establishing the team building to look at 'co-location'”
◦ Put the right people in the right place
• Failure is not an option – Ron Howard from the Apollo 13 film
◦ Eugene - “don't concede failure”
◦ Eugene - “You do not pass uncertainty down to your team members”

In addition, this chapter discusses two attributes of leadership:

• Organizational
◦ Right people in the
right place
◦ Delegate / Re-organize
• Personal
◦ Vision
◦ Integrity
◦ Ability to follow
(people will follow
you because
they believe in you)

12/27/2010