Leadership Attributes In Apollo 13 Movie

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MCCS-HH 17 October 2011 Executive Summary SUBJECT: An Executive Summary of leadership gleaned from the motion picture “Apollo 13” 1. Issue or purpose. This document discusses two leadership lessons learned from “Apollo 13”, a blockbuster motion picture released in 1995 that starred Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard. 2. Discussion. a. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. This leadership attribute was clearly manifested by Apollo 13’s Commander Jim Lovell (played by Tom Hanks). He and fellow astronauts Jack Swiggert (played by Kevin Bacon), and Fred Haise (played by Bill Paxton) were marooned in space with rising levels of carbon dioxide, dangerously low supply of air, and diminishing power supply that threatened their survival. Against these seemingly insurmountable problems, CDR Lovell exhibited focused strength borne out of tactical knowledge of his milieu. I believe that his fellow astronauts were able to lock on to this attribute. As an example, Lovell’s keen situational awareness enabled him to quickly quell a heated argument between Haise and Swiggert after the former blamed the latter’s inexperience for the accident. Realizing that this occurrence may have severely demoralized Swiggert, he began to build his confidence to the point where Swiggert was able to function again as an effective member of the team. b. NEVER GIVING UP. The Army’s Warrior Ethos declares that soldiers must soldier on no matter what obstacles lay ahead. Soldiers must never accept defeat. No cinematic character has ever embodied the warrior ethos more than Gene Kranz

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