Aerospace executive Jane Poynter shares her leadership advice
Jane Poynter is the founder, co-CEO and chief experience officer of Space Perspective, an extraordinary space tourism company. Poynter has extensive experience as a deep tech entrepreneur and explorer and was part of the original crew for Biosphere 2, the world’s first human-made prototype space base.
In 1993, she founded Paragon Space Development Corporation which, three decades later is still a key part of NASA’s human exploration mission to the Moon and Mars. She has since headed up countless companies and projects which have revolutionised our access to space. She is a current fellow of the Explorer’s Club and her Ted talk on global sustainability has been viewed over one million times.
Here, ahead of her appearance at the Bazaar At Work Summit, she reflects on the lessons learnt in her impressive career.
The three most important qualities for a good leader are…
'Having a magnetic vision and being able to communicate it clearly and with passion is core to any leadership team. At Space Perspective our team is dedicated to giving millions of people the transformative experience of seeing Earth in space, which creates a deep connection to our one human family living together on Earth. Imagine a society where people have this view, it will change things for good forever.
As a human spaceflight company, a critical quality for everyone in the company is to be able to provide clear feedback. It is important to create an environment where everyone feels that it is his or her job to say something when they see something wrong and for leadership to listen and learn. Having a listening and learning organisation is a critical component to doing human spaceflight operations safely.'
My personal strength as a leader is…
'I think it would be the work I am doing reimagining space travel. This is to exclude the high g-forces and rigours required of rocket flight and instead offer a gentle, safe and responsible way to go to space in Spaceship Neptune, a pressurised capsule propelled by a SpaceBalloon™ that ascends at the contemplative speed of 12mph. To do all that that takes passion and perseverance.'
The biggest priority for my business right now is…
'To get to commercial operations in 2024. We are now building Spaceship Neptune’s capsule and detailing our rapidly growing customers’ experience from now, through their flight to space and beyond. Because of the safety and comfort of our space experience, we are finding that this is becoming a social experience with groups of friends and family all going together to have this incredibly rarefied experience (to date under 600 people have been to space). The journey to space starts from the moment a customer puts down a deposit to go, and our focus is to make the entire experience utterly mind blowing and meaningful for them.'
The economic outlook may be uncertain, but I’m mitigating risk by…
'Our recent focus has been on financing the business all the way through to commercial operations to mitigate the risk of capital markets locking up. I’m thrilled to say we have now completed that, which shows huge confidence in the global market for space travel and in our team. Having a diverse dream team as we have is critical for every business and is one of the best ways to mitigate a whole host of risks. I could not be prouder of the team we are building at Space Perspective.'
I keep my team motivated by…
'We are mission-focused company, and little could be more motivating than a significant mission that everyone in the business is passionate about. It aligns everyone so we are all pulling in the same direction. We get up every morning to work on something as inspiring as taking people to space so they can see the curved horizon and the miraculously thin blue line of our planet’s atmosphere illuminated by our sun in a completely black sky and the perspective change that comes with that breath-taking view. That provides such inspiration that sometimes I have to pinch myself. Remembering to celebrate and give thanks that we get to do this is incredibly important to keeping us grounded.'
The hardest decision I’ve had to make as a leader was…
'Saying no to opportunities, bright shiny objects that are so enticing that some might think you mad for not taking them, is an incredibly difficult but critical thing to do. Staying focused on one’s core mission and not forgetting who you are as a company is crucial.'
The worst mistake I’ve ever made as a leader (and the lessons I learnt from it)
'Space Perspective is creating a new industry and a new way to travel to space so one of our key metrics is rate of learning. We cannot and do not shy away from failures, and learning from the outcome is an important aspect of how we progress rapidly, as it always has been for me in life and business. We are building the safe spaceflight experience, and for that we need our systems to be inherently safe (the SpaceBalloon we fly has been flown by NASA a thousand times, for example), build in backup systems (between the capsule and SpaceBalloon is a parachute system that has never failed in the thousands of times it has been used), and then test those systems over and over again. And we expect failures. Not pushing our systems to failure would be a huge mistake. '
An effective leader will always…
'Lead by doing. We are offering people the Space Perspective whereby those who go to space return with an expanded vision of who they are in the context of our planet and our human family. We run our business according to this perspective. Our spaceship is emissions free, and our business operations are carbon neutral. This perspective is just about woven into my DNA. Who you are as a leader has to come from who you are authentically and deeply.'
An effective leader will never…
'Place blame. A blaming organisation is a shaming organisation and that never results in a productive team but one where issues are hidden and go unaddressed. Worse yet, they become organisations of fear where people are afraid to make a mistake and speak their mind. This is the opposite of a team that fosters innovation, trust and ultimately safety for employees and customers. Whatever issues occur in the business are the leadership’s responsibility. Whatever goes well is cause for team celebration where the credit belongs. Business is a team effort and a human endeavour. Never forget that.'
My role model for leadership is…
'Dr. Jane Goodall for her absolute dedication to her mission. Buckminster Fuller for his refusal to include “impossible” in his vocabulary, and for insisting we create Biosphere 2. Carl Sagan for his extraordinary abilities as a visionary communicator who helped us see ourselves in the context of the cosmos. Ruth Bader Ginsburg for her incredible intelligence and compassion who insisted that women be equal in fact and in law. And as Theodore Roosevelt said, “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” Words to live by.'
The one piece of advice I’d give to a new leader is…
'Do not judge your insides by other people’s outsides. A new leader often believes that showing a tough exterior is the sign of strength and that having voices of fear and doubt in your head is a sign of weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. A little fear is a gift not to be squandered. It makes you alert, rise to the occasion, often allowing you to see and do things that you would not if always comfortable. Few people are truly fearless, and those who are crash badly. Building real confidence comes with work on your skills as a leader and as a human. '
You Might Also Like
