IHI 2016: Captain Scott Kelly on leadership and risks

ORLANDO, Fla.—Captain Scott Kelly, a NASA astronaut who spent a year in space aboard the International Space Station, says being a good leader means being a good follower first.

Kelly

Kelly, who kicked off the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 28th annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare in Orlando, said he achieved his dream of becoming an astronaut despite the fact he wasn’t a great student or particularly motivated. However, he learned as a young child, as he watched his mother reach her goal of becoming a police officer, that the sky isn’t the limit if you have a goal, strategy and the willingness to take small steps to achieve it.

“For me, small manageable steps became giant leaps,” he said, noting that he eventually graduated from college with an engineering degree, went to the Navy and flight school.  He also learned throughout his career to never be comfortable with the status quo. “Small very positive corrections are always required to get better. If not, things will get worse,” a philosophy Kelly says he followed throughout his entire career.

Kelly said he has learned a lot about leadership in space. He told attendees that the key trait of being a good leader means being a good follower. “Recognize that the people you are leading may know more than what you are trying to do and you may need to defer to them,” he said.

He also said that the management style of leading should change depending on the situation. Sometimes voting is good, sometimes it means being a coach and cheerleader, and other times it means being a dictator. And when you are willing to bend, the sky is never the limit, Kelly said.