Valuable Work Lessons from an Astronaut

I don’t like audiobooks. Here’s why.

The first audiobook I ever borrowed from the library was Bossypants by Tina Fey. I was pumped to hear Tina narrate her own book because I loved her in 30 Rock. However, I had to throw in the towel when she started talking about her first menstruation by chapter three (why do so many memoirs by famous women do that nowadays?). I concluded that audiobooks and celebrity memoirs are not for me. Normally, I find them to be typically slow and the narrator can be hit or miss.

I made an exception to my ‘No Audiobooks’ rule when I saw Chris Hadfield’s An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth on the desk of a colleague of mine. She was just about to return it and there were no holds on it – so I got to snag it during my break at work. These are the perks of working in a library, people. Billy and I listened to it during the long trek down the Icepark Freeway. By the time we got home, I was feeling very inspired and felt I learned a thing or two from Hadfield that could propel my career and my hobbies forward.

So what did Hadfield have to say that really resonated? A lot. I think if one really focused on improving in these areas, these lessons could take average Joe/Jane and turn them into that over-achiever who everyone wants to work with.

1. Have an attitude – Sometimes it’s the only variable that you can control in your life. It’s important to go into a new job or challenge with an earnest attitude and willingness to learn.  The key to harnessing ‘attitude’ is enjoying the extra effort you put into your job or hobby. To reach real success, just ‘winging it’ doesn’t cut it anymore. If you have the time, use it to prepare – this could be for a test, a concert with your new band, or presenting at a conference.

2. Be ready – Most of us will not succeed at everything we try and nor should we. Hadfield suggests combatting this fear of failure by using ‘the power of negative thinking’. Basically, this is considering every possible scenario and making a plan on how to deal with each one. He stresses that if we take the time to think about these things, then it’s easier to overcome failure and continue moving towards the goal.

3. Depersonalize criticism – Try to use criticism as potentially helpful advice. It’s a great opportunity to learn. Even if you are hyper-competitive (like most astronauts), it’s best to respond positively to criticism and even go as far as to draw attention to your own missteps. By being open to talking about your screw ups, it makes you approachable to others and gives the impression of accountability. Try to create an atmosphere at work where mistakes are permissible and everyone can work together to fix it.

4. Invest in other people’s success – This not only makes you more enjoyable to work with but increases your own success. Hadfield insists that promoting your colleagues interests also keeps you competitive. They will be around to help when you need it.

5. Never rely on raw talent – Hadfield says that this is the worst and it’s an attitude that stands in the way of many talented people from being successful. Here’s the deal – when you succeed by just ‘winging it’ you have essentially been rewarded for lack of preparation. Once you reach a point in your career where preparation is required, you will struggle. These people are often frustrated by their performance, disappointed about being in the back of the pack, and haven’t figured out how to buckle down. They feel uncomfortable and are are unwilling to acknowledge weaknesses. Thus, they don’t ever end up improving. It’s like starting out as a rock star and then ending up as someone with a bad reputation for being unreliable and not responsible. ACK!

And the most influential lesson for me is…

6. Aim to be a zero – When you find yourself in a new situation, with a new team, aim to be neutral. It’s easy to feel that you have to bring your “A” game and be the best on the team to prove that they made the right choice in you. However, this approach usually backfires. In any teamwork situation, you can either be a +1, 0, or a -1. The +1 teammate really makes things happen. They have likely been on the team for a long time and know the environment well. A 0 is the person who does their job well, doesn’t make any ripples, and doesn’t need supervising. A -1 is making a mess of everything, often because they are trying to be a +1, and have a bad attitude.

So now when I find myself in a new situation, I tell myself that impressing others and aiming to be a +1 is not important. What’s more important is the goal. To get that done, I need to aim to be a 0 until I learn more. My thinking is that a consistent 0 will have a chance to be a +1 eventually, when it really matters.

If you are into audiobooks or you are looking for your first audiobook experience, I HIGHLY recommend An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, because it is fascinating, educational, and entertaining. I’m a little late on the uptake here since Hadfield is releasing his second book this fall but I don’t care. A good book is always worth sharing with others, no matter when it was written.