I thought this was pretty cool; it’s been on the local news here quite a lot, but it is neat to see it making national news…
Peggy Whitson, an Iowa farmer’s daughter, is the first woman to command the International Space Station.
16 countries work together to build the Station.
Here are a couple of the quotes I liked from the story:
“Whitson’s job description as commander of the space station fits that of any good manager. “My first priority is safety of the crew and the vehicle,” she said. “We do have a little relaxed atmosphere about getting through the mission because of its long duration. You have to keep a pace that everyone is comfortable with, and so making that all work and keeping everybody happy at the same time is a big challenge.””
“Her colleague, Pam Melroy, who will command the shuttle flight scheduled to head to the space station Tuesday, said Whitson is the perfect person for the job. “I love Peggy’s leadership style,” said Melroy. “I think the most important element of her style is her sense of humor, which is really just a sense of perspective. And that is really important because as a leader, one of the most important things you have to keep is the big picture. She is very direct and very kind at the same time.””
Good qualities for leaders in all work situations!
Tags: international space station, leadership, peggy whitson