johnmaconline

It’s now official. 

SpaceX is gonna bail out the astronauts that Boeing has stranded. An eight-day mission stretched to eight months. 

NASA awarded both SpaceX and Boeing money in 2014 to develop private transportation to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has successfully flown nine crewed NASA flights to the ISS since 2020. Boeing has yet to complete a successful mission despite reportedly going $1.5B over budget.

What’s the problem here?

There’s a host of issues, of course, but here’s a core pillar:

“Boeing, as we’ve all recently seen, is no longer an aeronautics company — it’s a profit company, the kind of business you get when MBAs hellbent on “efficiency” take over from the engineers.”

Quartz

Both SpaceX and Boeing’s cultures run on fear. 

Boeing’s culture runs on the fear of taking responsibility, of looking bad in front of the boss, of making a mistake that leads to reprimand, of losing control, and of stepping on toes. 

SpaceX’s culture runs on the fear of being unsuccessful.

Mouse poop versus elephant dung. Keep the thing the thing. 

A friend of our son’s was at our house and said, “Oh, you have an ingredient kitchen.”

Didn’t know what he meant at first.

“It means you don’t have prepared meals, you have the ingredients to make meals.”

Ah. We don’t have frozen waffles, but we do make waffles from (gluten-free) flour, eggs, baking powder, butter, and milk.

It’s slower to make waffles from ingredients, but you can get exactly what you want. You want blueberries? No problem. Maybe a little cinnamon. Sure.

Today, maybe we’ll make pancakes instead of waffles. If you have the right ingredients, you have flexibility. Plus, single ingredients are healthier. Fresh. Less-processed.

That’s also how you build a great team — ingredients.

I want an ingredient team.

You can tell when you find one.

They’re curious about different things than the others you’ve spoken to, but likely the same things as you. They ask questions that make you nod your head. They might ask questions that make you say, “Aha!” They also ask questions that make you feel uncomfortable.

This is a person who cares enough to make it better. Just like you.

If you’re talking to someone who cares enough to make it better, put that person in your contact list on your phone. Name, number, email address — Not “Philly guy” or “Red girl” or “Jake from State Farm.”

People who care enough to make it better are your people. You definitely want to know when they’re calling you.

Such a simple word. Such a slippery slope.

When applied correctly, no means focus, we’re this not that, generosity, self-care, principles, my people are over here, and growth.

When not applied correctly, no means missed opportunities, narcissism, I’m afraid, you see it wrong, and those people are dumb.

You’re gonna have to say no. The magic is knowing when to do it correctly.

Modern life is all about comfort.

We strive for comfort across all the axes — physical, emotional, intellectual, status, social…pick your own.

If you can withstand discomfort on at least one axis, or better yet, learn to thrive amid discomfort, you can make a difference.

I was describing my startup company, 4TLAS (pronounced “atlas”), to someone recently, and the person said something like, “Maybe someday you’ll get on the Great Places to Work list!”

Hmmm. Is that what we want? 

I mean, yeah, we definitely want our people to love working here. We want it to be a great place to work. But do we want/need to be formally recognized by some external entity?

If you go to Fortune’s Great Place to Work list for 2024, you’ll notice a few things:

1. The Great Place to Work list is a business. 
2. They created the criteria (ie, KPI’s).
3. They tell you whether you win.

All of that is fine if you’re OK signing up for that game. 

But, KPIs will be gamed, the criteria they choose might not be what we care about, and we might value someone who thinks differently about this. 

Here’s what we’re going to do to be a great place to work:

• Ensure our people’s mission is aligned with our mission
• Encourage their curiosity
• Empower them
• Challenge them
• Value them
• Grow them
• Reward them

So yes, I definitely want 4TLAS to be a great place to work, but we don’t need to be on a list.

If you’re a serious backpacker, astronaut, artist, startup founder, or anybody who does new things or creates new ideas, you know the wilderness.

You may have a map and water bottle, which is helpful, but at some point, you’re off the grid. You’re flying blind. It’s midnight with no moon. You got your hands out in front of you, trying not to run into things.

The ground is rocky. Sharp edges everywhere. Then mushy. You’re in a swamp. You’re just trying to take the next step without cutting yourself, or losing your leg in the quicksand, or falling off the cliff.

But then someone steals your shoes. You never even considered that would pop up.

Now what?

Well, that’s the question. How will you handle it when they steal your shoes?

You are the only one who walks around with your eyes — your personal history, experiences, and outcomes.

Maybe that sounds dumb, or you think, “so what?”

But that is the most powerful, most important, and most beautiful thing you bring to this world.

What do you see?

I’m an athlete (or I loosely identify as one — or a former one — or, OK, I still run about 20 miles a week — let’s leave it there). I also love cards, Catan, Survivor, and backyard games.

Win or lose, I love brilliant gamesmanship.

We’re seeing brilliant gamesmanship in the US political landscape right now. It’s fascinating.

It started with the right. First, they hooked into the mental capability rhetoric and found a path that was working. Then, they were thrown a bone. They took the assassination attempt and used it perfectly. It worked.

The left was on the ropes. Bloodied and confused. Reeling. Praying for the bell.

But then the left countered perfectly. They stung and wobbled the right. They’ve done it. They completely turned it around.

Now, the right is on the ropes, praying for the bell. What will they come up with?

Make no mistake. National politics is, and always has been, a game. It’s not about who is better or will be better. Nor is it about principles or right and wrong. It’s about who has the power.

Watching it unfold is a fascinating study in gamesmanship.