Leaders Need To Look To The Stars. 6 Février 2014 by Roger Trapp
posted by admin on juillet 07th, 2020
In these fast-moving and unpredictable times, it is widely acknowledged that adaptability is among the most important of attributes for a successful leader. With employees increasingly coming from a variety of backgrounds and admitting to a range of motivations, it is also accepted that managers can no longer take a command-and-control approach, but must seek to understand the people they are managing.
Both these themes were duly discussed at this last night’s London conference of the alumni of the Reims Management School and the Rouen BusinessSchool, which have recently merged to create NEOMA Business School. Addressing the topic “Achieving excellence – The role of leadership”, guest speaker Patrick Baudry drew on his lengthy career as a test pilot and astronaut to point to the importance of building relationships with other people and being prepared to change if the circumstances require it.
The willingness to adapt was an obvious factor in his success as a test pilot. He logged more than 14,000 hours on 350 different aircraft, including Mirages, Jaguars and Migs. Nor was he content to stick to his native France. He qualified as a test pilot in England and later joined the Soviet space program through an arrangement whereby France could have an involvement. Selected from a pool of 2,000 candidates, he learned Russian in two months and was set to join a mission. But the death of President Brezhnev in late 1982 led to the program being called off. When the French government entered into a similar agreement with the US Baudry received another chance – and duly joined the Discovery space shuttle mission that took place in June 1985.
As he said, he has learned to adapt to different environments. The challenge is not just to learn different languages, but to understand different cultures and to accept different ways of doing things. For example, he offered a telling illustration of the difference between the Soviet and US space programs. “In the free world, you’ve got different opinions. The big advantage of socialism is that everybody has the same opinion,” he said.
But – in keeping with the importance he attached to the human side of management – he also made clear that there were similarities between all the situations in which he had worked. In all the groups, the members worked to integrate and to bring everything they could to the team. “The understanding between us was perfect, not just because of the training,” he added. As he said in answer to a question about egos in such groups, in a team everybody knows the effectiveness of the team is much more powerful than the sum of the parts.
However, Baudry stressed that the most important quality he associated with leaders was imagination. Imagination and curiosity were what distinguished humans from other species, he said, adding that these qualities led us to take risks and to move forward. Admitting that it was hard to predict the future, he nevertheless regarded the ability to offer a vision of the future as fundamental to leadership.
Bold initiatives such as the space programs were necessary for encouraging people to do great work. They also have many and varied spin-offs – from new technologies to fresh approaches to running projects. It is for this reason that he was disappointed by the abandonment of the European space program that he joined after returning from the United States. On the other hand, his part (as senior test pilot) in the success of Airbus in rising to become a genuine European rival in commercial aircraft to the mighty Boeing has been highly rewarding. “It was the most rich experience of my life,” he said. Quite a claim for a man with a life like his.
Source : http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogertrapp/2014/01/29/leaders-need-to-look-to-the-stars/
EN NOVEMBRE DERNIER,PARICK BAUDRY S’EST RETROUVÉ SUR TOUS LES FRONTS A TOULOUSE
posted by admin on juillet 07th, 2020
EN NOVEMBRE DERNIER,PARICK BAUDRY S’EST RETROUVÉ SUR TOUS LES FRONTS A TOULOUSE:Invité d’Honneur de L’ESC,Président avec son fidèle ami Jean-Loup Chrétien du Festival des Etoiles et des Ailes, et « Parole d’Expert de DICCIT dont voici l’interview…
Patrick Baudry à l’éco-Parc de Mougins
posted by admin on juillet 07th, 2020
L’ancien astronaute Patrick Baudry était ce samedi à l’éco-Parc de Mougins pour donner une conférence sur « Le rêve et l’espace ».
« Je suis là parce que c’est une magnifique expo (…), j’admirais ça quand je suis venu à l’inauguration et comme j’étais en France au moment de la clôture (…) j’ai donné une conférence ».
Limoux. Rando motards sous les étoiles pour les enfants malades (25-26 mai 2013)
posted by admin on juillet 07th, 2020
Pour la seconde année l’astronaute européen Patrick Baudry conduira une rando motards sur nos routes au profit des enfants atteints du cancer.
La leucémie c’est évidemment moins populaire que le football. Heureusement. Mais si les médias et l’opinion publique en général accordaient l’importance requise par ce problème de santé majeur qui touche 1 enfant sur 440 dans notre pays, les jeux du cirque seraient remis à leur juste place, les footballeurs seraient moins payés (avec la différence on pourrait peut-être rémunérer les chercheurs qui préfèrent s’exiler aux USA par exemple)… Sans doute la morale y trouverait-elle son compte. Mais le sujet qui nous occupe aujourd’hui est autrement plus urgent qu’une leçon de vertu. Retenez ces dates, les 25 et 26 mai, l’astronaute européen Patrick Baudry pilotera sur sa moto une randonnée à laquelle tous les motards de Midi-Pyrénées et de Languedoc-Roussillon sont invités à participer. Grâce à leur présence et aux dons recueillis, la recherche pour découvrir de nouveaux traitements et l’amélioration de ceux qui sont appliqués sera financée. Vingt pour cent des enfants qui meurent encore de cette terrible maladie sont concernés. C’est la seconde fois que le scientifique toulousain accompagné de son épouse Stéphanie, qui ont créé l’association Enfants et santé, en 2005, organise cette manifestation, principal donateur de la recherche française en cancérologie pédiatrique, avec l’attribution d’un million de dons. Cette seconde édition du tour à moto Enfants et Santé Solidaire s’étalera sur une boucle de 600 km et traversera six départements. Les participants et leur prestigieux chef de troupe seront accueillis dans de nombreuses villes et localités, mobilisées autour de mécènes dont les Lions en première ligne. La caravane fera étape à Limoux dimanche prochain 26 mai, et fera l’objet d’une réception au gymnase de Flassian à partir de 13 heures.
«Ce qui est important, rectifie dans l’ordre des priorités Patrick Baudry, c’est que ce n’est pas la Terre que nous laisserons aux enfants, mais bien les enfants que nous laisserons à la Terre». En sachant que là encore la solidarité est aussi de mise.
Article en PDF de LA DEPECHE DU MIDI – 20.05.13
Article en PDF de MIDI LIBRE – 15.05.13
