International Space Station Program Manager Dana Weigel

“When people begin their careers, they start as an individual contributor. You’re a technical expert; your worth and your value are based on what you know and what you can do as an individual. 

“Then there’s an interesting journey that you have to take from an individual contributor to a leader of people. I enjoy watching people go through this change and helping them make the transition. What you eventually realize is that your success as a leader is not really yours, it’s the team’s. You’re not successful without the team, so it’s your ability to support, motivate, and guide the team that allows us to accomplish amazing things.

“It’s really important as a leader to keep this in mind. Certainly, leaders have opinions, but it’s your ability to give the team a voice and to get them working effectively as a team that makes us successful.”

— Dana Weigel, International Space Station Program Manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Image Credit: NASA / Josh Valcarcel
Interviewer: NASA / Michelle Zajac

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First published at NASA.gov