Mike Mullane TOPICS: Astronauts Adventure/Travel Leadership Team Building Family Spouse Programs Humor Inspiration FEE CATEGORY:* 10.0k to 15.0k TRAVELS FROM: New Mexico Video Profile Program Outlines Testimonials/Client List Request This Speaker

Mike Mullane: Program Outlines

Stories from Space

"I attended the NCR Partners Conference last week and thought your closing address was EXCELLENT. You certainly challenged our thinking and renewed our dedication to 'teamwork' to accomplish any goal."
NCR

Countdown to Teamwork
Using gripping and sometimes hilarious real-life experiences from his Air Force and NASA careers, and with captivating NASA video, Astronaut Mike Mullane motivates the audience on the practice of responsibility and accountability, on leadership and trust building, on setting lofty goals and overcoming obstacles to achieve those goals.

Countdown to Teamwork has been on the agenda of many Fortune 500 company meetings. Its tremendous success comes from the fact it uses real and very memorable events from the space program to drive home hard-hitting lessons on teamwork and leadership.

The Lighter Side of Spaceflight
In this program the audience will be launched on a uniquely revealing and hilarious space journey. Using inside stories and spectacular video, Astronaut Mike Mullane will answer everybody's space questions, including the top two questions astronauts are ever asked: how does the space toilet work, and have astronauts seen any UFOs or aliens? Get ready to laugh while you learn.

Dream Quest
Together, Mike and his wife of 34 years, Donna, are on stage to give the audience an insight into the space program from both perpectives... astronaut and spouse. Many people wonder how spouses have shared and contributed in their partner's dream of spaceflight.

In Dream Quest the audience gets a very personal and unique insight into that question. Because Dream Quest is a story of a husband and wife on a unique life journey, it is particularly powerful for husband-wife audiences and spouse programs.

"I would like to tell you again what a great speaker you are and what a powerful message you convey."
Pacific Bell

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Abstract For Mike's program "Countdown to Teamwork"

Using video projected as part of his PowerPoint program, Colonel Mullane opens with a dramatic narration of a shuttle countdown and launch. He does this to lead the audience into the question, "If it was YOU on that rocket, what type of team would you want holding your life in their hands?" Obviously you would want a team that's the BEST!

Astronaut Mullane then establishes that teams are the best when they practice certain fundamentals and he uses experiences he had as an astronaut and Air Force flyer to develop these fundamentals:

Guarding against a "Normalization of Deviance"

Normalization of deviance is a long term phenomenon in which individuals or teams repeatedly accept a lower standard of performance until that lower standard becomes the "norm". Usually, the acceptance of the lower standard occurs because the individual/team is under pressure (budget, schedule, etc.) and perceives it will be too difficult to adhere to the original higher standard. Their intention may be to revert back to the higher standard when this period of pressure passes. However, by getting away with the deviation from the higher standard, it is likely they will do the same thing when the same stressful circumstances arise again. Over time, the individual/team fails to see their actions as deviant.

Mullane uses the Challenger tragedy to make this point. Under tremendous schedule and budget pressures and over multiple launches, the NASA team accepted a lower standard of performance on the solid rocket booster O-rings until that lower standard became the "norm". By the dawn of Challenger, the NASA team had become so comfortable with seeing occasional O-ring damage and getting away with it, the original standard, in which ANY O-ring damage was defined as intolerable deviance, was no longer considered. Disaster resulted.

Teams maintain their high standards of performance by "setting the highest standards"; "connecting the dots" (to insure multiple problems aren't just symptoms of a single "normalization of deviance" problem); and by "considering the instincts of team members" in the decision making process (with Challenger, some engineers had a gut feeling there were serious O-ring design issues but management refused to react to "instincts").

Responsibility

Individuals have a responsibility to "find their voice" and get their unique perspectives on the table for the leadership to consider. Leaders have a sacred responsibility to empower the voices of their people so they can gain access to those unique perspectives. "One person with courage forms a majority", is a quote by former President Andrew Jackson which Mullane will use in this discussion. He also uses an example of how a medical doctor at NASA (not an engineer or astronaut) had the best idea on how to add a bailout system to the shuttle. This is an example of how great ideas can exist in the minds of people who are not considered the "experts" on a particular issue and this is why team leaders need to work on empowering every voice on their team.

Trust

Trust is achieved through "need" fulfillment. We all look to our leaders to fulfill these fundamental needs: to be treated with respect as an individual; to get honest recognition for our work; to have a voice in matters that concern us. When leaders fulfill these needs, the bonds of trust strengthen and through this trust the true potential of the team is realized. Mullane draws from his experiences as a combat flyer in Vietnam to illustrate how need fulfillment by combat team leaders builds trust and through this trust the warrior potential of the combat team is realized. The same warrior potential exists in corporate teams and leaders can unleash this potential by identifying and fulfilling the needs of their people.

Courageous Self-Leadership

Mullane uses his life story to develop these points on self-leadership: self-leaders set very lofty goals; they stay focused on what's important; they constantly do their best at every task. Mullane develops this philosophy of self-leadership: "Success isn't a destination. It's a continuous life journey of working toward successively higher goals."

Courageous Team Leadership

Again, Mullane uses aspects of his life story to develop this point...that truly courageous team leaders maximize the potential of their people through this leadership philosophy: "I want YOU, to be more successful than ME."

Most audiences are shocked to learn how ordinary Mullane was. Most people assume because he is an astronaut now, that in his youth, he was a super-child, destined to have great success. That is not true. Mullane uses slides and video to prove he wasn't a child genius. He wasn't a sports star. He wasn't popular. He didn't date the homecoming queen. Yet he realized a lifetime dream. His success occurred, as is does for all of us, because of leaders (parents, teachers, scout masters, bosses, etc.) who didn't see him as he was, but looked past that to his potential and worked to develop that potential through this courageous leadership philosophy, "I want YOU, to be more successful than ME".

"Countdown To Teamwork" is very inspirational. It also contains great humor and inside space/astronaut stories. There will be many laughs and everybody will come away from the program feeling inspired and motivated to be the best possible team members and team leaders.

* Please note that while this speaker's specific fee falls within the range posted at the top of this page (for Continental U.S. based events), fees are subject to change without notice. Also note that most celebrity keynotes begin in the $25,000 and up range (most list "Contact for Fee Schedule"). For current fee information or international event fees, please contact your Speakers Platform representative.