Chris Hadfield and Buzz Aldrin pose for some photos at the Enmax Centre.
The qualities of a space shuttle commander and the future of space exploration were the topic of discussion as residents lifted off on a journey into the final frontier.
Last week, the Greatness in Leadership conference was held at the ENMAX Centre and featured guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds to speak on leadership.
As a leadership consultant who helps firms develop better management-employee relationships, CBC radio host and author Chester Elton spoke at the conference and gave his thoughts on what makes a good leader.
“They’re willing to jump in and roll up their sleeves. There’s not a lot of hierarchy. The titles are there but everybody pitches in,” Elton said. “One of the biggest differences I found is they share the credit. They have the ability to cheer for their teams, so your success is my success.”
Being sure to check in with his wife to ensure he sets an example of these qualities, Elton also believed these were qualities shared among all the guest speakers of the day.
As the first Canadian to ever space walk, Commander Chris Hadfield played an important role in Canada’s global leadership and shared what it takes to go from a nine year-old dreamer to commander of a space shuttle.
“To challenge yourself to do something that is extremely complex and has huge repercussions if you don’t do it right, takes a complex set of skills and developed methods of dealing with things,” Hadfield said. “By pushing yourself to that level, you come up with ideas that are applicable across the board.”
Hadfield was not the only astronaut on hand to discuss how vital a great leader is on a space shuttle and the importance of a space program to a country’s global position.
Buzz Aldrin, one of the men who accompanied Neil Armstrong on the first moon walk, joined the speakers and believes space exploration can lead us towards world peace.
“I have stuck with a desire for a better space program. My obligation to serve my country has extended to the space-fairing world, in resolving international friction while working together in space,” Aldrin said. “The same thing can continue to happen in low-earth orbit, human space flight for peaceful purposes.”
The future of space exploration lies in settlements on the moon and Mars for Aldrin, who outlines his plans in his new book Mission to Mars.
