Friend,
Earlier this month, the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft made history, traveling farther from Earth than any humans before them. It was special to follow Pilot Victor Glover among them, as the fourth Cal Poly SLO fellow alumni who studied in our organization’s headquarters home town, and went on to become an astronaut. Like many others, I had the privilege of listening live to the transmissions between the astronauts 252,760 miles from home and the science team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The technology enabling that achievement was extraordinary of course, but what struck me most was not the machinery – it was the communication.
What unfolded was a master class in how humans work together at their very best. There was patience and precision. There were moments of silence – intentional pauses built into the flight plan – allowing the crew and mission control to process what they were seeing, to ask questions, and to reflect together.
In a world where speed is often rewarded, it was powerful to see how much value came from slowing down. So often in our own work, we are immersed in execution – moving quickly from one task to the next – without creating enough space to observe, to reflect, or to learn from one another in real time.
There was a period during the mission known as LOS, loss of signal, an expected communications blackout as the spacecraft passed behind the far side of the Moon. In an otherwise nonstop stream of data and dialogue, those 40 minutes were monumental. And yet, even in that silence, trust, preparation, and shared purpose carried the team forward.
In the end, it wasn’t the discussion of orbital mechanics, dust, color, or albedo that stayed with me most, (though I did nerd out on those!), it was the human experience – the collaboration, the restraint, and yes, the silences in between – that spoke the most powerfully.
As we continue our work together, I’d like to encourage us all to make space for thoughtful communication, reflection, and collective problem-solving. I believe that when we do, we don’t just perform better, we are better.
Ken Trigueiro, CEO & President
On behalf of the People’s Team
