The movie Hidden Figures depicts the story of three African American women mathematicians and human computers that were key to John Glenn’s first orbit around the Earth. This story is extremely interesting to me because my first job as an engineer was working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. There weren’t any computers that took up the size of a room, women wearing a string of pearls and a calf length skirt making launch and landing calculations, or segregated work units or bathrooms.
Katherine Jackson (Taraji Henson) calculated the precise reentry requirements to ensure John Glenn didn’t burn up on reentry, and landed in the right spot to be rescued upon landing safely. She was only brought on to the project as a last resort and endured many challenges from her coworkers as she tried to do her job. Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) was a supervisor of the West Area Computers an all black female computing group. When NASA brought in the first IBM computer she had the insight and skill to learn how to operate it and taught herself and the entire group Fortran programming. This computer was used to verify the calculations that sent John Glenn into orbit.
Katherine Jackson (Taraji Henson) calculated the precise reentry requirements to ensure John Glenn didn’t burn up on reentry, and landed in the right spot to be rescued upon landing safely. She was only brought on to the project as a last resort and endured many challenges from her coworkers as she tried to do her job. Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) was a supervisor of the West Area Computers an all black female computing group. When NASA brought in the first IBM computer she had the insight and skill to learn how to operate it and taught herself and the entire group Fortran programming. This computer was used to verify the calculations that sent John Glenn into orbit.
These are two examples of phenomenal minds that people at NASA worked very hard to try and hide. An organization that was racing to do the impossible that didn’t have the best minds with the best conditions working to solve the problems. How much faster could we have gotten to space if the team of scientists and engineers collaborated openly with Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) instead of trying to block them? Would NASA have beat the Russians into space if ALL of the best and brightest minds were being used from the beginning?
I am constantly thinking of how organizations can be more innovative. Starting with the best team you can attract seems like a simple first step. However, companies today are still blocking talent. I believe people that try to progress by pushing others down do so from a place of fear. Fear that there is not enough recognition, opportunity, or because they are oppressed by another person/group and now cherish the opportunity to be on top. When we make it hard for people of a certain race, sex, or age to use their brain to solve problems for our company and we are preventing innovation.
Hidden Figures was a different story about different heroines and resulted in the #1 movie in the box office over the weekend raking in $22.8 dollars. Willow breast pump, a quiet hands free breast pump that can be worn under the bra, received best wearable and best health and fitness gadget at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas last week. A different product for a different audience that was a winner. Let’s help our companies innovate and endure by attracting and utilizing the best talent for your company. The world needs the new products for different problems and your company needs the breakout successes.
I am constantly thinking of how organizations can be more innovative. Starting with the best team you can attract seems like a simple first step. However, companies today are still blocking talent. I believe people that try to progress by pushing others down do so from a place of fear. Fear that there is not enough recognition, opportunity, or because they are oppressed by another person/group and now cherish the opportunity to be on top. When we make it hard for people of a certain race, sex, or age to use their brain to solve problems for our company and we are preventing innovation.
Hidden Figures was a different story about different heroines and resulted in the #1 movie in the box office over the weekend raking in $22.8 dollars. Willow breast pump, a quiet hands free breast pump that can be worn under the bra, received best wearable and best health and fitness gadget at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas last week. A different product for a different audience that was a winner. Let’s help our companies innovate and endure by attracting and utilizing the best talent for your company. The world needs the new products for different problems and your company needs the breakout successes.
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