TEAM BLUE IS BUILDING THE FUTURE

Our mission is bold—to enable millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. Blue leaders are above all else mission driven. Mission-driven leaders create and communicate a direction that inspires results, and their actions and attitudes are guided by “mission first.”

Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.

Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.

Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.

Leaders are sincerely open-minded, genuinely listen, and examine their own strongest convictions with humility. They value diversity, in all its forms, since different viewpoints result in novel ideas. Their openness enables them to trust those around them—and to earn the trust of others in turn. 

Leaders convey optimism without naiveté. They say “let’s figure it out.” They take setback in stride and know it’s not about how they start, but how they finish. They display grit by refusing to stop at the first barrier and constantly looking for a way to make forward progress. Keep climbing at a steady pace—it’s the best way forward. 

Leaders have a habitual drive to correct errors at the root. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed. They have incredible attention to details. They replace good intentions with mechanisms and never rely on, “We’ll do better next time.” Leaders understand that great process can accelerate progress. They demand that processes exist to serve them; they don’t exist to serve processes. 

Leaders are owners. They think long term and don't sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say "that's not my job."

Leaders have relentlessly high standards. Many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to hire great people and produce high-quality products, services, and processes. 

Leaders push for high-performance technical architectures and are willing to break new ground with novel approaches. They use judgement to make these decisions, and recognize that even “simple” lower performance systems are hard to develop. They understand that medium-performing variants of high-performance architectures can meet mission needs and provide a path to higher-performing upgrades.

Going to space requires a team, and leaders know this. Leaders derive energy from pulling people together and moving in the same direction while leaving room for healthy tension and dissent. They recognize that skeptics productively lead them away from failure. They also recognize that cynics suck energy from the team like air from a vacuum chamber. Leaders develop their teams by giving timely, critical feedback in the spirit of helping others and strengthening Blue. 

Leaders are bold in their mission and humble in their execution. They look to the past for inspiration and knowledge. They know that there are many future lessons to be discovered, and—more importantly—lessons to be truly learned. They know when to ask for help and embrace that help when given. Leaders are slow to take credit for their own contributions but are quick to point out the value of others.