What did it take The Rocket Man of India to make the tough call and abort the Chandrayaan 2 Moon Mission when the national pride and crores of investment were riding on it? What did it take them to launch the rocket on July 22nd just after a week back, putting the Chandrayaan 2 satellite in a “better than expected orbit”?
I am blown away by the extraordinary courage and emotional balance demonstrated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman Dr. Sivan known as “The Rocket Man” of India. He is one perfect example of a growth mindset in action.
It must have been frustrating to call off the Chandrayaan 2 Mission just 56 minutes before the original launch time. Dr. Sivan must have hurt his ego to break the news to a billion people who stood in pride witnessing the historic moment. Still, the optimistic space scientist maintained his cool and did what’s needed to launch the most awaited mission a week later. A striking correlation between attitude and performance.
Dr. Sivan embraced the challenge brought by the countdown period. He welcomed setbacks with open arms. He courageously reported it to the higher authorities–to the honorable President who was also on-site to watch the launch. Dr. Sivan saw it as an opportunity to learn and take corrective action immediately.
Stanford researcher Psychologist Carol Dweck, in her great book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success says “Success is how we deal with failure. This didn’t work, so I will try something else”. This is exactly what Dr. Sivan did. In an article by Dr. Travis Bradberry, best selling author of EI 2.0, he wrote about Why attitude is more important than IQ. He said, “We all hit moments when we feel helpless. The test is how we react to that feeling. We can either learn from it and move forward or let it drag us down.”
Dr. Sivan kept calm even under high pressure and allowed his team of engineers and scientists do what they do best, a trait of an exemplary leader. This resembles a clear emotional balance. I can only imagine what his mental state must have been, the sea of emotions that he must have gone through when making the tough call! Chandrayaan 2 wouldn’t have been possible if Dr. Sivan had succumbed to feelings of despair and given up hope after the previously aborted launch. I definitely would want to explore more about Dr. Sivan’s practices that help him keep his emotional balance.
The Rocket Man remained firm. He didn’t let his emotions move him. Instead, he chose to objectively evaluate the problem along with his team. They figured out that the launch condition wasn’t “conducive” enough. The problem had occurred due to a technical snag, which he called a blind spot–the unknown unknown. This is what Daniel Kahneman in his must-read book Thinking, Fast and Slow refers to as System 2 thinking, that is, rationalizing and taking control of the situation. I highly recommend reading Kahneman’s work. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2002 for his pioneering work in human judgment and decision-making under uncertainty.
Instead of blaming someone for the technical glitch, he took ownership of the situation and gave his team the much-needed support, morale boost and let them do the work. By doing so, he uplifted their confidence and within a few hours, the team of scientists zeroed in on the solution for the problem. As Dr. Travis puts it, “Taking action turns all your worry and concern about failure into positive, focused energy.”
Finally, I always come back to “why” because I think that’s what drives such humungous missions. I believe the entire team was driven by the why of expanding India’s footprint in space. They boldly went into a completely unexplored area of the moon where no country has ever gone before—the South Polar Region. Indeed, it is not only about the resources or the best technology but the will and collective effort to play a bigger game, much bigger than yourself. Listen to Simon Sinek’s TED talk on why.
Dr. Sivan also spoke about his why. “My biggest joy will be when India’s flag reaches the lunar surface,” he said.
The Rocket Man has shown that, when we don’t allow our own ego or needs before the bigger mission, we can accomplish seemingly impossible feats. Dr. Bill George calls it the True North. In his book, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, he showed how anyone who follows their internal compass can become an authentic leader. It takes a genuinely inspirational and exemplary leader like Dr. Sivan whose growth mindset turns such seemingly impossible large missions to reality.
Again, Carol Dweck beautifully puts it, “People in the growth mindset don’t just *seek* challenge, they thrive on it.”
How about you? Is it worth taking a few minutes to contemplate about your own thinking and learn what can you do to build a growth mindset?
Until next…
Keep smiling!
Archana
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