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Command and Control Doesn’t Work Anymore…:

Kristine Sizemore Sandler

We’ll talk about what does

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Have you seen the Movie Apoll0 13 – stars Tom Hanks

In the true story portrayed in Apollo 13, flight director Gene Kranz initially oversees operations under strict NASA protocols—tight command and control management style.

Early on, NASA leadership pushed rigorous, checklist-driven procedures with little autonomy for the crew. Under intense pressure to maintain schedules, small details were overlooked during preparations.

During pre-flight testing, technicians saw anomalies with the oxygen tank heater. The internal thermostat was damaged due to earlier mishandling, causing it to dangerously overheat. Despite noticing unusual readings, technicians strictly followed protocol and existing checklists, rather than questioning procedures or alerting leaders about their doubts.

Why It Happened (Lack of Empowerment):

Under intense schedule pressures and a rigid NASA command structure, technicians didn't feel empowered to question procedures, challenge superiors, or halt operations—even when sensing something was off.

Had leadership fostered an environment of psychological safety and empowered the technicians to act proactively, someone likely would have flagged the issue, preventing the in-flig ht explosion altogether.

Tell mode doesn’t empower, tell mode restricts. Krantz went on to win many awards What can we learn?

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AhaSlides - Live Polls & Quizzes

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Great Leadership:

Doesn’t me a n being an expert or being

great at everything!

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3 areas of focus for you, the leader

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Don't try to be involved in everything about

your business and how it operates

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Why do we throw tennis balls at Managers?

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AhaSlides - Live Polls & Quizzes

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Empowered to fail forward?

“In Lean, problems aren’t roadblocks—they’re gold. Every failure reveals waste, and every fix brings us closer to flow.”

“Kaizen thrives on failing forward. Small, continuous improvements come from noticing what’s not working—and empowering people to fix it.”

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”�— Thomas Edison

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Future

Your Title

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Set the vision, the road

Empower them to fill the potholes!

Be there to support, resources, encouragement

Does it take time? Is it worth it?

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Don’t rescue

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Coach and Nurture through eggshell moments

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Harris Poll

What percentage of managers are uncomfortable communicating with employees?

��

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What do you need to change?

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Manage Complacency

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72%

Of people said their performance would improve if their managers would provide corrective feedback.
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RULE #4

52 RULES FOR SALES SUCCESS

People don’t argue with their own data.

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Coach to Success Model

Define

Decide on the agreed-upon next steps for the direct report and leader.

Execute

Direct Report takes agreed-upon actions.
Leader follows up.

Assess

Before: Observe and use leading and lagging indicators to explore coaching opportunities.
Before: Identify risks, coaching questions, and possible actions.
During: Utilize questioning strategies with direct report to further analyze the coaching opportunity.

Establish

Explore new actions (behaviors, attitudes, techniques) the direct report can take to improve performance.

COACH TO SUCCESS ASSES,: ESTABLISH, DEFINE, EXECUTE

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Don’t be involved with everything

Example Coaching Questions

How can I support you with this issue? (let them answer…. then) What action will you take?

COACH TO SUCCESS MODEL

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Let them fail forward

Example Coaching Questions

Looking back, what would have ben the best approach to take?

COACH TO SUCCESS MODEL

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Nurture Through Eggshell Moments

Example Coaching Questions

Knowing what you know now, how could you handle this differently next time?

COACH TO SUCCESS MODEL

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Manage Complacency

Example Coaching Questions

(blame… reason…) I can see your point… What do you think your role was….

COACH TO SUCCESS MODEL

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AhaSlides - Live Polls & Quizzes

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Thank you