Beyond the Spreadsheet with Herb Baker

When you think of NASA, you probably picture space shuttles and moon launches -- that's the glamorous stuff. But the innovation happening at NASA is underpinned by a group of dedicated accountants and professionals who are crucial to the organization's mission. Today's guest, Herb Baker, is one of those people.

 

In his 42 years at NASA, Herb worked in contracts and procurement and was key in building relationships with firms like Grumman, Boeing, and SpaceX. While in management, he served as NASA's liaison to vendors, Congress, and the IRS.

 

Prepare for leadership lessons that are literally out of this world:

 

• You can only control your piece, and you have to trust your team — especially when the stakes are the highest

• Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is get out of the way — and a master-class example that saved the Apollo 13 astronauts

• Why "failure is not an option" makes great movie dialogue, but doesn't always play in real life

 

Plus much more, including insider tales of life on the space station and the secret of astronaut ice cream..

 

To learn more about Herb, please visit www.herbbaker.space. Keep your eye out for his memoir, From Apollo to Artemis: Stories From My 50 Years with NASA, set to be published at year's end.