Earthrise

<p>On Sunday July 20 1969 at 10:56 pm EST American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot upon the Moon. The Apollo 11 mission represented a moment of profound inspiration and hope at the end of what had been a really hard time. In addition to the murder of a promising young president the 1960s had seen the escalation of America's tragic and misguided involvement in faraway Vietnam; some but not enough progress in the Civil Rights movement; multiple political assassinations; tumultuous and deadly race riots in our cities; and general social turmoil on a grand and disruptive scale.</p><p><br></p><p>Despite all of this somehow imagining the possibility of reaching the Moon brought us together even if only for a moment. It was not just an American achievement but an achievement for all people everywhere. The Moon landing truly represented a triumph of the human spirit.</p><p><br></p><p>In <em>Earthrise</em> author Jeff Appelquist seeks to answer a fascinating question: <em>What leadership lessons can we glean from the epic story of the Apollo spaceflights?</em> In addition to Apollo 11 he details the Apollo 8 mission which successfully orbited the Moon in 1968 and the infamous near-disaster that was Apollo 13 made famous by the words Houston we've had a problem. In each of these epic voyages and in a series of compelling companion case studies Appelquist finds that such leadership dimensions as establishing a common purpose developing strong relationships and trust communicating clearly continuing to learn demonstrating energy and passion and making good decisions all played a critical role. <em>Earthrise</em> is an essential roadmap for any person who is faced with the never-ending challenges of an ongoing leadership journey.</p>