Crew Commander: From Appointment to Recognition

A commander is appointed by order. But whether the team will follow him at a critical moment is a question of authority, not of position.

The history of spaceflight is full of examples where everything went off plan. Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh restored the uncontrolled Salyut-7 station. The crew of Apollo 13 turned a potential catastrophe into a triumph of the human spirit. In situations like these a formal position does not save you—a team follows only the person it trusts.

Having spent 15 years in the cosmonaut corps and nearly a year in space, I have watched some commanders create an atmosphere in which the crew acts as a single organism, while others face challenges in how the crew works together.

Space confirms the words of twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Lyakhov, “Everything will go off script!”: what distinguishes a commander from a boss is the ability to lead people through uncertainty. There is a reason for the saying: “Don’t try to manage people. Learn to lead them.”

What is that invisible foundation built on—the one that turns an appointed commander into a recognized leader? What allows a crew to act as a single organism at moments when everything goes off plan? I propose we work this out through the lens of space experience.

Using examples from the history of spaceflight and from personal experience, the lecture examines the qualities and actions that turn a formal appointment into real authority. A PowerPoint presentation with integrated photo and video material is shown during the lecture, and an active dialogue with the audience is maintained.

The lecture “Crew Commander: From Appointment to Recognition” will be of interest to:

1. managers who build and develop teams;
2. senior executives responsible for shaping corporate culture;
3. HR directors and heads of training centers;
4. entrepreneurs building teamwork;
5. leaders of project teams.

1. A team begins with a shared meaning in the work.
2. Leadership is non-coercive influence and responsibility. Its essence lies in creating meaning and values not for yourself but for other people.
3. Trust is the foundation of effective teamwork.
4. As long as everything goes to plan, a manager is enough for a team; in a hard moment it will follow only a leader—and you have to become one in advance.

INTRODUCTION (for in-person events): to create a sense of what human spaceflight is like, an eight-minute video about Alexander’s spaceflights will be shown, accompanied by his own voice commentary.

THE LEADER’S ROLE IN BUILDING A TEAM:

1. shaping meaning and values and transmitting them throughout the structure of the team;
2. turning a shared idea into concrete goals and decisions (based on the experience of chief designer and academician Vladimir Barmin and of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot-cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov);
3. creating team spirit and a comfortable emotional environment (an analysis of a conflict within the Apollo 13 crew).

KEY REQUIREMENTS FOR A LEADER AND THE LEADER’S MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES:

1. readiness to accept risk and responsibility (the examples of Sergei Korolev and of Vladimir Popovkin, head of Roscosmos in 2013);
2. professional superiority—a leader has to be just a little better (the experience of a spacewalk with Fyodor Yurchikhin);
3. readiness to come to the rescue (Pavel Vinogradov, the crew commander on the first flight);
4. readiness to keep learning and to develop the team (the experience of cave training);
5. a proactive stance (preparing and carrying out Alexander’s third flight—the first flight to the ISS on a fully commercial basis, with two space tourists on board).

THE PRINCIPLE OF BUILDING A TEAM:

1. what unites people into a team is an idea and a meaning in the work that matter to every one of them (as legend has it—a conversation with a cleaning woman at Korolev’s design bureau);
2. besides engagement with a uniting idea, a force has to arise that draws people to each other, and an atmosphere of trust has to form. The role of trust in teamwork is shown through an analysis of contingencies in flight;
3. the fundamental components that shape an atmosphere of trust are identified: respect, professionalism, honesty, mutual support, openness.

THE ROLE OF TRUST IN COMPLEX PROJECTS (examined using examples from Alexander’s professional experience and an analysis of the plots of well-known films about space):

1. trust determines the quality of communication within a system;
2. trust in the system reduces anxiety and raises each person’s effectiveness;
3. the trust the system places in you raises motivation;
4. trust as prevention of professional burnout.

1. become familiar with the principles behind the formation of space crews;
2. learn about the role of trust in teamwork using examples from space;
3. gain a new perspective on leadership through the lens of space experience;
4. hear real stories about how teams come together in extreme conditions.

60–90 minutes, including Q&A.