The Program

If you have been following the news, you are aware of NASA’s next generation of space flight, known as the Artemis Program. Its inaugural flight occurred November 15, 2022 when Orion was launched. Without a hitch. Awesome.

One of the selected astronauts to the program is Anne McClain. In one of her blog posts, she wrote about the application process, explaining to future applicants what to expect and how to prepare. She ended her post with this:

“To sum it up: do what you love doing because you love doing it. Be adaptable, trustworthy, tenacious, and detail oriented.”

The Muscles

While McClain may be speaking to those aspiring to be astronauts, she was also speaking to professionals everywhere. What caught my attention was how similar these characteristics are to what is required of you as a professional. Each of these is like a muscle. They get stronger when you deliberately put them into practice.

Be adaptable. Nothing happens the way it was planned. The sooner you accept this, the more ready you will be when your plans go awry. If you aren’t flexible, you are weak at engaging real life. Do changes in plans discourage or paralyze you? Or are you prompted to find solutions?

Be trustworthy. Proving yourself worthy of being trusted by your team is demonstrated when you do the right things the right ways. Meeting deadlines, following through and following up are crucial to earn the trust of others. When you agree to something, your team should feel relieved with the assurance that it is already taken care of. Have you earned this level of trust with your team?

Be tenacious. Your work ethic and your perseverance is accentuated when you are committed to what you are doing. If you’re just doing what is minimally expected, you won’t be resolute in pushing through the challenges and difficulties. Are your expectations of yourself reflected in what you produce?

Be detail oriented. All details aren’t created equal. Be attentive to the details that matter. 100% accuracy in things that don’t matter isn’t of much value. Rather, pay attention to the things that are important. Are you focused on the right details or is your attention scattered?

The Relevance

I’m not suggesting that you should apply for to a trip to Mars on Artemis I, but you can strengthen the muscles of astronauts by pursuing the traits of professionalism that even NASA is looking for. The world needs this level of professionalism, and you are just the one to lead the way.