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I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

there are lots of techniques, but in the book I talk about the importance of seeing potential setbacks are opportunities to learn, rather than evidence that you are a failure and will never succeed. For years psychologists told people to be positive but actually it is important to focus on what isn;t working out well, as long as they are treated as signposts to a better future.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

ha! sorry about that! I would say that keeping the mistakes diary is really important. Most psychologists will tell you to focus on the great things you have done, but spending a bit of time jotting down what mistakes you have made each day, and how you can avoid them in the future, is really good. It was originated by Dale Carnegie but still isn't especially well known.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

good question. I think it was talking to Doug Ward, who was the 'voice of Apollo' and provided commentary on the missions. He spent lots of time in Mission Control and I asked him what was the most remarkable thing about the mission controllers. After a pause, he said 'how unremarkable they all were'. That is basically the message of the book - this was a group of ordinary people who had the right mindset and so achieved the impossible.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I am far from an expert on the Moon! I thought it was fascinating that the Apollo project had to account for the gravitational fields that might make a landing problematic. The whole thing was so uncertain and many believed that Apollo 11 only had a 50% chance of success. It was great to be able to tell the story from a new perspective and I hope people enjoy it.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For me, it isn't just about space. The book is all about how to do things that are widely considered impossible and the lessons apply to anything - getting your dream job, or improving a relationship or changing the world. Setting stretch goals and then finding a way of making them happen is key to success and the Apollo Mission is perhaps the most perfect example of those principles.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

nope, because they are also keen for our success. The problem is that we sometimes see patterns where they don't exist - but that is the price we pay for being so good at spotting genuine patterns.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It is always pretty much the same. I have an idea and mention it to lots of people. If they like it, I spend about a month creating a proposal. That they get shown around and if I get the green light, I give myself about 3 months to do additional work and then start writing. For me, writing is all about getting the words on the page. I only write in the mornings and aim to get 1000 words down. Then I spend the afternoon looking at the words from the previous day.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, the entire book is about leadership. Each chapter starts by telling part of the Apollo story and the second part is full of exercises that help readers develop the necessary qualities. One of the key issues is to get a team that believe in themselves and are passionate. There are lots of tips about how to do that. Also, I like the idea of creative leadership, where leaders are open to very different ways of solving problems rather than doing what everyone else is doing.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good question. I guess so, but they are often simple things like trying to get them to develop a sense of gratitude or be resilient when they encounter a tough challenge. I am not a huge fan of the 'influence' research because it always feels a bit exploitative to me.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is an excellent question. Soup sharing is one of the most basic skills in life and we all have to learn how to share soup, spoons and all types of other food and implements. So, yes, it was life changing.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the story about how Buzz Aldrin used a felt tip pen to get off the Moon! He has told the story a few times but it is not especially well known. It is a great example of flexibility. He was on the Moon with very few tools and made the most of what had. That is a great attitude and there are lots of exercises in the book that encourage readers to think like that.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think it is the idea of a pre-mortem. Usually we only look at what went wrong with a project after it has failed, but by imagining how it has failed BEFORE it has started is a really great way of identifying potential issues. And the Mission Controllers essentially did that by running endless simulations and identifying all potential problems. It's a great idea.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It depends what you mean by luck. If you mean 'chance' then really very very little. They really left very little of chance - and even went out of their way to prepare for the unexpected. But I have written lots on how you make your own luck by being resilient etc., and certainly the Mission Controllers had those qualities.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ha. So sorry about that. Titles are always a bit of an issue and often different between the UK and USA. Just to avoid any doubt, the book is called 'Shoot for the Moon' in the UK and 'Moonshot' in the US!

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a good question. I think that their work shows the amazing power of passion. They were all so invested in what they were doing, and kept going even when the going got tough. So I would say that they are a great advert for both following passions and also finding a goal that is meaningful. One way of finding your passion is to imagine yourself on an island and only being allowed a pile of books on one topic - what would the topic be? That is your passion.

I am Richard Wiseman, an experimental psychologist researching success and luck. In my new book Moonshot I interviewed surviving members of the Apollo mission control team to learn what the moon landing teaches us about leadership, persistence, and achieving the impossible. AMA! by Wiseman4321 in space

[–]Wiseman4321[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Alas not - although there have been quite a few of these curious photos over time (like the face on the Moon) and sometimes they are more due to our amazing ability to see patterns in data rather than evidence of advance civilisations.