Fifty-two years ago , science fiction became reality when two men took their first steps on the moon ’ s surface — an event that remains one of the greatest adventures in the history of mankind , even to this day .
One of those men , Buzz Aldrin , is a unique blend of scientist , pioneer , inventor , and daredevil . The lunar landing took an incredibly dedicated team of smart , courageous “ dreamers ” who were determined to make the impossible possible , and there are countless lessons that can be learned from this momentous accomplishment and the man who is the only surviving hero of that historic journey .
What follows is a high-level summary of a presentation Buzz gave at the IT Sales and Marketing Boot Camp .
Lesson No . 1 : Think BIG .
As the saying goes , if you ’ re going to be thinking anyway , might as well think BIG . President John F . Kennedy delivered a historic speech in 1962 where he declared , “ We choose to go to the moon ,” acknowledging the difficulties of the task , rallying the crowd , and inspiring a nation to a bigger vision of the future .
NASA figured it would take 15 years to land on the moon , but Kennedy ’ s speech challenged them to do it before 1970 . Buzz watched in anticipation , pushing his jet fighter abilities , 2,200 logged flight hours , and advanced degrees as reason enough for him to join NASA .
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He was accepted in the third round of astronaut applications and began training for the mission to the moon . He took the president ’ s challenge as a personal goal ; as a career military man , he vowed to obey the order of his commander in chief .
“ We didn ’ t have the know-how , but we did have a leader with the vision , the determination , the courage , and the confidence that we could get there ,” Buzz said . “ And by publicly stating our goal and putting a specific time period on a very specific achievement , President Kennedy gave us no way out .”
Kennedy wouldn ’ t live to see his dream fulfilled , but his leadership had sparked a fire . The U . S . was going to land on the moon , one way or another , using a spirit of determination that has long been the fuel for many entrepreneurs and business leaders who have pushed beyond the barriers set before them and built upon the American Dream . Kennedy knew this .
Small , timid goals do not stir men ’ s souls and won ’ t rally people behind you .
In your business , what BIG goals have you rallied your team around ? Do you have a shared , mutual goal that will stretch them , challenge them , and inspire them ? Here ’ s a little-spoken truth about attracting and keeping great people on your team : They want to work on BIG things … challenging things … significant goals . They want to be in a place that is working toward a bigger future with more opportunities to grow and learn . If you don ’ t provide that in your company , you ’ ll have a difficult time keeping them on board .