It was on July 20, 1969 that Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the surface of the moon. It was an iconic day. For those who were privy to this in real time it is a seared memory. Who would have thought such an achievement could be made? I believe a few did. Fortunately the few who did were not deterred.
What I did not know was that the pair (Armstrong was joined on the moon’s surface by “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr) who made this historic walk almost did not make it back from the dusty landscape.
Jim Denison in his blog, The Daily Article, unfolded it this way.
“Following their moonwalk, Armstrong and Aldrin discovered that a one-inch engine arm circuit breaker switch had broken off an instrument panel. This breaker was needed to send electrical power to the ascent engine that would lift the two off the moon. The broken switch was reported to Mission Control, but its experts had not identified a solution by the next morning. Without a fix, the two men would have been stranded on the moon.”
“Aldrin thought a felt-tipped pen in the shoulder pocket of his suit might replace the broken switch. He wrote later: ‘Sure enough, the circuit breaker held. We were going to get off the moon, after all. To this day I still have the broken circuit breaker switch and the felt-tipped pen I used to ignite our engines.’”
A felt-tipped pen was the instrument used to ensure a triumph did not become a tragedy. There are multiple great lessons for any person in leadership.
When confronted with a crisis panic is not the best response
Unexpected challenges demand unexpected solutions
When looking for a necessary fix look outside of the ordinary options
Use what you have available, because what is unavailable has no use whatsoever
What challenge are you in the middle of? Where are you looking for solutions? Where is your felt-tipped pen?