Insights for Martech Professionals from a NASA Engineer’s Perspective
What insights can a former NASA engineer bring to the martech sector? A great deal, particularly in areas that transcend mere technical know-how — underscoring the significance of communication, leadership, and problem-solving methods that propel project achievements.
John Ruffa, who spent years as an engineer at NASA and is a close associate of mine, shares his perspectives in his book, “Nice Guys Finish Last And Other Workplace Lies.” His extensive career provides valuable lessons that strike a chord with the technical endeavors I’ve participated in — insights poised to enrich the martech community.
Ready, fire, aim
Some companies promote a culture of “act first, think later.” They encourage challenging the status quo, experimenting boldly, and embracing disruption to see where it leads.
This approach may be effective for certain initiatives where trial and error fuel advancement — but it utterly fails when it comes to critical missions like launching a spacecraft, which typically can’t be repaired mid-mission (with a few rare exceptions).
My foremost insight from the book was the necessity to comprehend the nature of the project at hand. Does it require unwavering functionality in challenging and unpredictable environments? If yes, a carefree attitude towards technical specifications is simply not viable. For instance, if you’re creating applications for healthcare professionals, hiring individuals whose backgrounds are rooted in social media platforms like Facebook or TikTok would be ill-advised.
This “ready, fire, aim” orientation highlights a primary challenge in aligning marketing with tech teams. Technical experts are tasked with building reliable products, while marketing often seeks to experiment. These perspectives frequently clash.
Ultimately, it’s not just technical prowess that prevails.
Dig deeper: Two essentials that matter in marketing
Soft skills
The most significant hurdles for technical teams generally stem from interpersonal issues, such as ineffective communication, territorial disputes, conflicting priorities, diverging cultures, lack of unity, inadequate leadership, and incompatible personalities.
While it’s relatively straightforward to convince technical personnel of the importance of procedural documentation for addressing technical challenges, they are often less responsive to tackling interpersonal dynamics, which can be the fundamental cause of many failures.
This necessity emphasizes the importance of assessing new tech hires for soft skills, such as creativity, influence, teamwork, flexibility, and emotional intelligence. Promoting internally allows you to observe how employees navigate challenges and collaborate. When hiring externally, prioritize soft skill inquiries during reference checks.
However, assessment alone isn’t sufficient. Ensure that soft skill development is incorporated into employee onboarding, evaluations, and ongoing training. While it’s tempting to focus professional development predominantly on technical skills, it’s often the soft skills that can lead to pitfalls.
Cultivate a network
You don’t need to possess expertise in everything, and if you believe you do, that’s likely an illusion. It’s vital for technical professionals to create a network of reliable resources for guidance on significant issues. Demonstrating expertise is often more effectively achieved by surrounding yourself with specialists rather than trying to know it all.
Managers in technical domains shouldn’t isolate themselves. They should foster a network of trustworthy colleagues whom they can depend upon.
I once heard an interesting story about job selection in the first Bush administration: candidates had to prove they had maintained at least one friendship from their high school days. While that may seem unrelated to professional settings, the capacity to sustain long-term friendships translates to valuable skills in the workplace. Perhaps a more insightful interview question could be, “What’s a relationship you’ve maintained over time?”
Also, consider the wisdom of Socrates and the oracle at Delphi. Socrates earned his reputation for wisdom because he recognized the limits of his own knowledge.
Communication
Ruffa was taken aback when he learned from NASA’s chief engineer that “virtually every failure at NASA can be traced back to a communication breakdown.” Not technology, not materials — communication.
Technical experts are often not the most proficient communicators. Whether due to cognitive differences, individual personality traits, or cultural factors, this is frequently the case. One significant communication failure occurs when individuals fail to share, question, or challenge underlying assumptions. For example, the assumption “they’re using the metric system” led to the Mars Climate Observer’s catastrophic crash.
Remote work can exacerbate communication challenges. John recalls the wear on the carpet between his office and key collaborators — interactions that are difficult to replicate over virtual meetings. Communication can become more complex across different time zones, languages, and cultures, necessitating additional measures to ensure clarity.
Systems engineering involves not only technical duties but also effective communication. Systems must operate synergistically.
“An effective leader’s most critical role in facilitating team success is to cultivate an environment defined by clear, open, honest, and efficient communication.” However, don’t assume your communication strategies are functioning well. Regularly follow up with team members to uncover any concealed issues or concerns.
Dig deeper: The four pillars of effective communication
Avoid escalating to the boss
A significant communication obstruction lies within organizational hierarchies. Some individuals hesitate to escalate issues, while others are overly quick to do so. Consequently, problems may simmer unnoticed at lower tiers, leaving upper management uninformed and resources misallocated.
I once heard an illustrative tale from a priest that seems pertinent in this context. Within the Catholic Church, when a bishop assigns a task to a priest, the priest must comply. However, an insightful bishop recognizes the importance of ascertaining whether the priest is genuinely interested in undertaking the task or if they’re simply obeying out of duty. He might send another priest to inquire, “While the bishop appreciates your vow of obedience, what are your thoughts on the assignment?”
The key is to establish intermediary processes that allow issues to be raised despite hierarchical constraints. Executives can play a role by fostering relationships at all organizational levels. Heightened layers in the org chart may create invisible barriers to communication that threaten project success. Make a conscious effort to engage with team members at all levels.
Test, but scrutinize your testing methods
A memorable story from the book involved assessing a system under the conditions it would experience in space. The system initially appeared to fail, resulting in scheduling setbacks, excessive hours, and budget overruns.
Yet the system had not actually failed. The testing process had.
It is essential to conduct thorough tests on your systems prior to deployment. However, remember that when a system does not pass a test, it may not necessarily be its fault. Testing protocols may not have been implemented properly.
This experience serves as a reminder to evaluate your assumptions critically. The human mind has limitations in processing information, leading it to filter out vital details. It’s crucial to learn how to challenge your assumptions and remain open when others do the same.
Take a break from technical reading
While it’s undeniably important to be well-versed in your field, and staying up-to-date is essential, Ruffa reminds us that technical knowledge by itself is insufficient. Many issues that derail projects stem from interpersonal challenges rather than technical deficiencies. The next time you seek professional development opportunities, consider placing an emphasis on enhancing soft skills.
Dig deeper: Keys to effective leadership
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