Leader's Guide

APOLLO 13 LEADERSHIP:
Down-to-Earth Lessons
for You and Your Organization

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James A. Lovell, Jr.

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Commander Apollo 13 Mission

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James A. Belasco, PhD.
Professor of Management
San Diego State University
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©1996 by
Dove Entertainment, Inc.
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Dr. James A. Belasco
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Media Alliance, Ltd.

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 Table of Contents
Table of Contents & Exercises 1
Copyright Issues 2
Preface 2
Section 1: Introduction and Summary 5
Section 2: Leading a Workshop 6
Section 3: Optional Exercises to
Supplement the Video 16
Section 4: The Apollo 13 Mission - Leadership
& Teamwork in a Crisis 22

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Appendix - Biographies and
Supplementary Resources 29
Table of Exercises

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Exercise Section 2 Section 3
Reference Location

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Exercise 1-Vision 9 NA
Exercise 2-Values 10 NA
Exercise 3-Teamwork
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Exercise 4-
Accountability 13 18
Exercise 5-Standing
Tall in a Crisis 14 19-21
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 COPYRIGHT ISSUES

The Video and Leader’s Guide are copyrighted by

Dove Entertainment, Media Alliance and Dr. James
A. Belasco. The video is licensed to our customers
for use at a single location and for internal purposes
only. Multiple copies are available for discounted
prices. Multiple site licenses and licenses for public
showings and usage are also available. This
Leader’s Guide is copyrighted by Media Alliance, Ltd.
and permission is hereby granted to our customers
for unlimited duplication or customization at no
charge. The Video may not be edited, duplicated or
broadcast in any matter or in any broadcast medium
without prior written permission of Media Alliance.

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PREFACE

This guide gives managers and instructors the

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information they need to use Apollo 13 Leadership:
Down-to-Earth Lessons for You and Your
Organization as a learning tool for any of several

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purposes:
• Motivation
• Team Building
• Training
• Education
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The Program may be used by a wide range of
organizations:
• Well-established businesses
• New or young businesses
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• Governmental organizations
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• Not-for-profit institutions
in building an understanding of teamwork, leadership,
and crisis management.
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 The Program is also designed to be used by
educational institutions in organizational development
and management courses.

Organizations may use the Program on a standalone

basis or may integrate it into a larger staff
development or training effort.

An organization using Apollo 13 Leadership on a

standalone basis should consider using the
suggestions and exercises in this Guide to
supplement the showing of the video to a group.

This Guide begins with an Introduction and Summary

(Section 1), briefly describing the Program and the

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Video.
Section 2 follows with step-by-step advice to assist a
manager or trainer in leading a workshop. This will
enable a group to develop and apply important

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lessons concerning leadership, teamwork, and crisis
management in an interactive setting.

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Section 3 provides several model Worksheets to
be used or adapted during a Workshop. A
convenient Table of Exercises provides cross
references between Sections 2 and 3. A 3 1/2”
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diskette of this guide is provided in Word for Windows
6.0 to assist trainers in blowing up the worksheets to
8 1/2 x 11 or other convenient size and in providing
specific sections for handouts (such as Section 4).
Section 4 includes a brief but comprehensive account
of the dramatic Apollo 13 Mission and is intended to
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provide a complete context to help the leader and
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participant understand the significance of the many

incidents and decisions to which Jim Lovell refers
during the Video.
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 The Appendix includes additional resources to assist
an organization in developing a broader training,
planning, or action program.
Apollo 13 Leadership: Down-to-Earth Lessons for
You and Your Organization is not a short cut to
building teamwork, establishing strong leadership, or
handling a crisis. It is one tool intended to be used
with others in building more flexible and effective
organizations. Jim Lovell’s experience and thoughts
can be taken to heart by both managers and team
members in a broad range of organizations. The
Video does not provide answers, but it may help
organizations to find them on their own.
This Guide provides detailed information about other

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tools which can be used along with this Program.
The annotated bibliography in the Appendix suggests
other resources to be used by an organization which
desires to pursue the issues addressed here in

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greater depth.

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 Section 1: Introduction and Summary
Introduction
Thanks to the acclaimed motion picture, Apollo 13,
even those too young to remember the actual
events know that the story of the ill-starred mission to
the Moon is filled with drama, danger, and heroism.

Yet there is more to the story. The Apollo 13 Mission

also provides important lessons in leadership,
teamwork, and crisis management.

This Video Training Program will help an organization

draw important lessons from the events of 1970 to
improve its ability to handle crises—including crises

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far less dramatic but far more likely than those faced
by the Apollo 13 astronauts and their ground support
team.

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This Leader’s Guide will help the manager or trainer
to use this Program by itself or in connection with
other resources to conduct a Workshop.

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Summary of the Video

On April 13, 1970, an explosion crippled the Apollo 13

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spacecraft as it was on the way to the Moon. Survival
of the three astronauts was very much in doubt until
splashdown four days later. The story of the Mission
is summarized in Section 4 of this Guide and is told in
greater detail in other resources mentioned in the
next Section and the Appendix.
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In this Video Captain Jim Lovell, commander of the

Mission, and Dr. James Belasco, professor of
management, reveal important lessons from Apollo
13 in a series of dialogues as well as excerpts from
their leadership seminar.
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 The Video is divided into five sections:
VISION
VALUES
TEAMWORK
ACCOUNTABILITY
STANDING TALL IN A CRISIS

Taken together they provide important lessons in

leadership.

Section 2: Leading a Workshop

Training Strategy

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This Program is designed for facilitation by
inexperienced trainers as well as professionals. This
Leader’s Guide provides step-by-step instructions for
you to conduct stimulating, interactive and productive
learning sessions with a wide variety of audiences.

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The Video is designed for use in a motivational and

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training program involving key members of an
organization or team.

• The Video creates a powerful effect when it is

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shown without stopping in one sitting.

Or the Video may be shown in segments

interspersed with discussion and Workshop
Exercises.
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This Section suggests Exercises and topics for
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discussion which may be employed after viewing the

Video or at several points during the Video program.
These Exercises may be customized and both Video
and Exercises may be integrated into larger programs
or supplemented with additional readings and videos.
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A typical Workshop will require 1 1/2 to 3 hours.

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 Before You Begin

Please view the complete video before leading this

program. Please also read this entire Leader’s Guide
and determine what additional materials, such as
Exercise handouts, you may need.

Audience: Select a group which already works as a

team or which may need to work as a
team in a crisis. It is best to bring together either
people of a similar level across a horizontal
organization or people from different levels within a
single department or business line.

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Learning Materials: Have the following materials at
hand:
• VHS-format VCR and television monitor or video
projector & projection screen (for large groups)

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• Video: Apollo 13 Leadership: Down-to-Earth
Lessons for You and Your Organization
• Additional videos, if any

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• Flipchart (You may wish to prepare titles and
matrices on Flipchart pages in advance of the
session; see each of the Discussion topics in the
suggested Agenda, below.)
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• Exercise handouts, if any (See Section 3 for
examples). You may want to change the size of
the handouts using the 3 1/2” floppy disk
provided.
• Paper, pencils, and an assortment of colored
pencils for participants
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About this Leader’s Guide. This Leader’s Guide is

designed to help you lead a Workshop step by step
and fully timed. All activities are designated by a
written intruction to make it easy for the leader to
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 learn the material and present it without intensive
preparation.

Optimum Room Setup for all programs is U-shaped

to encourage dialogue and active participation. The
Flipchart should be to one side of the front of the
class, while the TV or projection screen should be set
up on the other side.

Suggested Workshop Agenda

Leader Lecture
Introduction and Icebreaker: Background concerning
the Apollo 13 Mission. Summarize the story of the

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Apollo 13 Mission by using the description in Section
4 of this Guide. A full understanding of the nature of
the Mission and the challenges faced and
surmounted by the participants is helpful (but not
mandatory) in understanding the stories told by Jim

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Lovell and the points made by him and Dr. Belasco.

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Video. Start the Apollo 13 Leadership Video. Run it
until the conclusion of the discussion of “VISION.”
Stop the Video when Lovell finishes discussion of his
personal vision and says, “It’s really a lot of people
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working together.” (Elapsed time: 6 minutes, 20
seconds)

Key Points:

• An organization’s vision must be articulated by

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the leader and shared by the members.
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• It should be developed participatively.

• It must reflect not only the best interest of the
organization but also the needs of its members.

Exercise 1--VISION: Take five minutes for each

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participant to record on paper his or her

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 understanding of the organization’s vision and then
her or his own vision. Use any combination of words,
pictures, numbers, or symbols.

Discussion. Lead the group in a discussion of the

points made in the Video and of their responses to
the Exercise. Record various definitions of the
organization’s vision on one page of the flip chart and
of participants’ personal visions on another page.
Look for opportunities to derive one or more of these
key points from the discussion:

Key Point:

Vision appeals to the heart, not the mind or the

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pocketbook

An ideal vision for an organization needs to be:

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• Clear and concise
• Focused on getting and keeping customers
• Inspirational

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• Shared by everyone
• Put together participatively
• Used as a guide to action

Key Point:
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A single unifying vision can unite all of an
organization’s sub-units and enable it to make a
difference for its members and in the world.
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Video. Restart the Apollo 13 Leadership Video. Run
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it until the conclusion of the discussion of “VALUES.”

Stop the Video after Lovell relates Dr. von Braun’s
story about the mouse in the nose cone. (Elapsed
time: 12 minutes, 55 seconds)
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Key Point:
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 Values, like vision, should be articulated and
shared by an organization and adopted and accepted
by its members.

Exercise 2--VALUES: Take five minutes for each

participant to record on paper his or her
understanding of the organization’s values and then
her or his own values. Use any combination of
words, pictures, numbers, or symbols.

Discussion. Lead the group in a discussion of the

points made in the Video and of their responses to
the Exercise. Record various definitions of the
organization’s values on one page of the flip chart

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and of participants’ personal values on another page.
Look for opportunities to derive these key points from
the discussion:
Key Points:

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Values are:
• Fundamental beliefs which guide how we deal

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with others inside and outside the organization
• Belief in what is right and wrong
• A code of desirable behavior
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Things which cannot be bought or sold

Video. Restart the Apollo 13 Leadership Video. Run

it until the conclusion of the discussion of
“TEAMWORK.” Stop the Video after Lovell talks
about the ground crew and says, “Once you make a
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decision, everybody has to concur and agree that
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that’s the way to go and work towards that solution.”

(Elapsed time: 21 minutes, 10 seconds)

Key Point:
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 Teamwork, to be available day to day and during a
crisis, requires shared vision and values. But, that is
not enough. Team members must have experience
working together, training together, and planning.
Exercise 3--TEAMWORK: Take ten minutes for each
participant to complete a facsimile of the Worksheet.
A model for the Worksheet appears in Section 3 on
page 17. Customize it as appropriate to fit your
organization’s nature and needs, the responsibilities
of the participants and the specific objectives of your
Workshop.

Discussion. Lead the group in a discussion of both

the Video and the Exercise. Ask them to compare

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the teamwork which exists in your organization with
that demonstrated by the Apollo 13 team. Then
record answers to each of the five questions in
Worksheet 3 on a separate page of the Flipchart.

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• What are the few most important contributions my
group must make to create success for our
customers?

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• What are our most important interdependencies -
and what must our partners contribute?

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What are the best methods for measuring both
our contributions and those of our partners?

• What are the few most important contributions I

make to help my team create success for our
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customers?
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• What are the best methods for measuring my

personal contributions?

Look for opportunities to derive these key points from

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the discussion:

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 Key Points:

• Teamwork is built through shared special events

and play activities as well as shared tasks.
• Teamwork often results in a shared culture,
shared legends, shared jargon, and shared
heroes.

Video. Restart the Apollo 13 Leadership Video. Run

it until the conclusion of the discussion of
“ACCOUNTABILITY.” Stop the Video after Lovell
discusses the value of the specialized knowledge
of individual crew members and says, “along with that
great team on the ground who gave us

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solutions to crises as they came up one by one.”
(Elapsed time: 23 minutes, 10 seconds)

Key Point:
Accountability is the fourth and last essential element

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in preparing an organization for effective operation,
optimal development, and for weathering

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unanticipated crises.

Three key elements of a culture of accountability:

• Clear objectives to implement the organization’s
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vision, defined where possible by agreements
within the organization.
• Measurement of performance, both financially
and in terms of customer satisfaction.
• Rewards based on satisfaction of objectives and
benchmarks established by the participants.
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Exercise 5--ACCOUNTABILITY: Take ten minutes

for each participant to complete a facsimile of the
Worksheet. A model for the Worksheet appears in
Section 3 on page 18. Customize it as appropriate to
fit your organization’s nature and needs.
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 Discussion. Lead the group in a discussion of the
Exercise. Record on a single page of the Flipchart
consensus definitions of objectives, measurement
procedures, and reward mechanisms. Then on a
separate sheet list suggestions derived from the
exercise about how objectives, measurement, and
rewards might be improved.

The specific questions are:

• What are the articulated objectives intended to

implement your organization’s vision (including
those defined by internal agreements)?

• Should they be modified? How?

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• How is performance relative to those objectives
measured (financially, customer satisfaction,
market share, etc.)?

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• How should the measurements be modified?
What new measuring techniques should be

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added?

• What rewards are now in place based upon

satisfaction of objectives and benchmarks?
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• How should those reward procedures be modified
or supplemented?

Video. Restart the Apollo 13 Leadership Video. Run

it through the discussion of “STANDING TALL IN A
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CRISIS” to the end. (Elapsed time: 30 minutes)
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Key Point.
All of the elements analyzed so far-VISION, VALUES,
TEAMWORK, and ACCOUNTABILITY-will help to
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prepare and position an organization to handle a

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 crisis, but more is required. An organization should
brainstorm and practice specifically to prepare for
crises. The exercise will make even a crisis that is
completely unanticipated in form easier to manage.
Exercise 6--STANDING TALL IN A CRISIS: Take
ten minutes for each participant to complete a
facsimile of the Worksheet. A model for the
Worksheet appears in Section 3 on page 19.
Discussion. Lead the group in a discussion of the
Exercise. Create a matrix on a Flipchart page
similar to that in the Exercise. Record candidate
types of crisis in each of the four cells. Have the
group choose two or three types of crisis for further

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discussion. The choice might be based upon
probability, difficulty, or the organizational challenge
which would result.

Encourage the participants to identify actual past or

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potential future crises in your organization. Examples
include:

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• Significant shortfalls in profits, sales or other
budgeted items.

• A serious accident or natural disaster involving

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major human or property loss.

• Loss, unavailability or reassignment of vital

personnel.

•
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Late delivery of inventory of raw materials, lost
shipments or production delays, whether due to
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natural disasters or human error.

• A major initiative by an existing or new

competitor.
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 • Pressure from a source of financing, such as
revocation of a line of credit, or failure of an
underwriting.

• A hostile takeover attempt or bearhug.

During this discussion introduce the Exercise 5A

Worksheet (See page 20 in Section 3), the
Resolution Methods matrix. Discuss whether the
preferred resolution methods seem to fit the
crises your group has chosen to consider.
You may wish to introduce some specific strategies
for the types of crises your group is considering. See
the Exercise 5B Worksheet on page 21 in Section 3.

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Leader Lecture. Bring your crisis team successfully
and safely back to Earth. Discuss next steps if your
organization intends to proceed to more specific crisis
planning or role playing. You may wish to close the

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session by quoting Steve Fink in Crisis Management:
“View and plan for the inevitability of a crisis in much

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the same way you view and plan for the inevitability of
death and taxes.”

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 Section 3: Optional Exercises for Use to
Supplement the Video

Depending upon your organization’s specific

objectives and the amount of time available, you may
wish to use any or all of these Exercises during a
training or discussion session based on the Apollo 13
Leadership Video.

In Section 2, above, a point of insertion in the

Program is suggested for each Exercise. The Table
of Exercises at page 1 will help the group leader to
move back and forth between Section 2 and Section
3 in planning for a Program session.

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You may produce an unlimited number of copies of
these Exercises for internal use by your
organization. You may photocopy the Exercises in
their current size or enlarged. You may produce

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facsimiles in any size. You should modify the
Exercises to meet your specific needs.

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Specific Exercises
Exercises 1, 2 and 3 are intended to warm up the
group by stimulating and focusing discussions of
VISION and VALUES. No format is provided here for
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them; your participants can use plain paper. Separate
Worksheets are provided on the following pages for
the remaining Exercises which can be modified as
you see fit. These Exercise Worksheets are also
included on your disk where they are easiest to
change in size and shape to fit your needs.
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Exercise 3 Worksheet
Teamwork
What are the few What are our most What are the best What are the few What are the best

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most important important methods for most important methods for
contributions my interdependencies - measuring both our contributions I make measuring my
group must make to and what must our contributions and to help my team personal
create success for partners contribute? those of our create success for contributions?
our customers? partners? our customers

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Exercise 4 Worksheet
Accountability

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What are the articulated How is performance relative What rewards are now in
objectives intended to to those objectives measured placed based upon
implement the vision (financially. customer satisfaction of objectives and
(including those defined by satisfaction, market share, benchmarks?
internal agreements)? etc.)?

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What is the
current answer
for the
organization?

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What should
the
organization
do differently?
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Exercise 5 Worksheet
Standing Tall in a Crisis
Place each of several crises your organization may face in one of the four cells of this matrix

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Very little time to respond after crisis is More time to respond after crisis is
revealed (minutes or hours) revealed (weeks or months)
Ability to
anticipate is

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high

Ability to

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anticipate is
low
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Exercise 5A Worksheet
Resolutions Matrix
Very little time to respond after More time to respond after crisis is

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crisis is revealed (minutes or revealed (weeks or months)
hours)
Ability to
anticipate is

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high READINESS EMPOWERMENT

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Ability to
anticipate is
low ADAPTABILITY PLANNING
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Exercise 5B Worksheet
Reactions Matrix
Very little time to respond after More time to respond after crisis is

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crisis is revealed (minutes or revealed (weeks or months)
hours)
Ability to 1. Identify prime risks 1. Assign responsibility for
anticipate is 2. Clarify expected behavior performance

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high 3. Develop/distribute disaster plan 2. Increase customer orientation
4. Rehearse 3. Increase accountability
5. Test communications systems 4. Train to improve skills

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Ability to
anticipate is
low
1. Make quick decisions
2. Involve experts
3. Use one spokesperson/full
disclosure
4. Keep Vision/Values uppermost
1. Keep an outward focus
2. Keep an open mind
3. Launch multiple efforts/evaluate
early
4. Keep bets small
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 Section 4: The Story of the Apollo 13
Mission—Leadership and Teamwork in a
True Crisis

In the turbulent Spring of 1970 the world was focused

on the Cold War rivalry among the United States, the
Soviet Union, and China. And the U.S. itself was
dominated by the internal debate about the war in
Vietnam.

Then, in an instant, people worldwide stopped what

they were doing and focused on their television and
radios---riveted by five words beamed from a point
between the Earth and the Moon:

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“Houston, we have a problem!”

Thus began one of the most dramatic episodes in the

history of human exploration. Three men in

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a crippled space ship were in grave danger. The
world held its collective breath through four days
of recurring crises, heroic efforts, and unrelieved

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uncertainty, until the astronauts were safe on a
carrier deck in the Pacific. This was NASA’s finest
hour, as well as a watershed event for the
broadcast industry---able to carry the story live and in
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real time.

The millions who have seen the recent Academy

Award-winning motion picture know that the story
was far more than one of adventure: it was a
remarkable example of leadership and teamwork in
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the face of unanticipated crisis.
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This is the story of the Apollo 13 Mission as a lesson

in leadership.

The Apollo Program grew out of President Kennedy’s

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commitment to place a man on the Moon by the end

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 of the 1960’s. The complexity of the missions and the
size of the payloads were far greater than in the
previous Mercury and Gemini programs.

Among the purposes of the Apollo Program were to

conduct scientific experiments, to advance aerospace
technology, and to beat the Soviets to the Moon.

The program achieved all of its objectives in spite of

an inauspicious start.

• A fire triggered by the oxygen tanks in the Apollo

1 Service Module killed astronauts Gus Grissom,
Ed White and Roger Chaffee on the launchpad
on January 27, 1967.

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After this enormous setback NASA got the Program
back on track with a series of progressively more
complex missions.

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• The next Mission, Apollo 7 on October 11-12,
1968 put Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walt

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Cunningham in Earth orbit in the Command
Module-Service Module combination.

• Between December 21 and 27, 1968, Frank

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Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders in Apollo 8
became the first persons to reach the Moon and
to establish a lunar orbit.

The Program proceeded quickly from this point.

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• Apollo 9, manned by Jim McDivitt, David Scott
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and Rusty Schweickart, carried the Lunar Module

into Earth orbit for the first time and docked it with
the Command Module on March 3-13, 1969

• Apollo 10 astronauts Tom Stafford and Gene

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Cernan flew the Lunar Module into a low lunar

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 orbit, then ascended to rejoin John Young in the
Command Module between May 18 and 26,
1969.

• On July 10, 1969, Neil Armstrong made “one

small step” onto the lunar surface as the Apollo
11 commander with Michael Collins and Buzz
Aldrin as crew members.

The Program’s pace slowed after this stunning

success and the fulfillment of Kennedy’s commitment.

• The Apollo 12 Mission, between November 14

and 24, 1969 achieved the second Moon landing
carrying Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan

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Beam.

The next scheduled mission was Apollo 13. It would

explore more challenging terrain than its

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predecessors and would emphasize scientific
experiments. Jim Lovell would be the commander
and the first to fly in two Apollo missions. Jack

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Swigert (a last-minute substitute for Ken Mattingly)
and Fred Haise would round out the crew. The rest of
the Apollo 13 story appears below.
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During 1971 and 1972 there were four more
successful Apollo Moon landings.

In the final Apollo Mission, July 15-24, 1975, Tom

Stafford, Deke Slayton and Vance Brand docked
successfully with the Soyuz spacecraft in Earth orbit.
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The Ill-Fated Mission

Each mission was a little more complex than its

predecessor. By the time of Apollo 13 the mission
involved a series of intricate procedures and an
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astonishing array of equipment.

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 The first two stages of a Saturn V rocket would lift the
third stage and the payload—the command and
service modules—into Earth orbit. Shortly thereafter
the third stage motors would be fired to send the
entire package toward the Moon. Early in the
passage to the Moon, the Command Module with
Service Module attached would separate from the
now spent rocket, turn and dock with the Lunar
Module, until now housed within the rocket casing.
After successful docking, the Command Module
would pull the Lunar Module away from the rocket.

This extraordinary vehicle would complete the

passage of almost 250,000 miles to the Moon and

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settle into a lunar orbit. With one crew member
remaining in orbit in the Command Module, two
crew members would enter the Lunar Module, detach
it from the Command Module, and pilot it to a landing
at a predetermined site on the lunar surface.

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Compared to the Command Module which was built
to withstand the heat of reentry into the Earth’s

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atmosphere, the Lunar Module was a flimsy, light-
weight affair, built to make just one round trip to the
lunar surface. The complete absence of any
atmosphere and the Moon’s weak gravity made a
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gentle arrival and departure possible.
After completing a series of explorations and
experiments, the two astronauts would lift off from the
lunar surface in the Ascent Stage of the Lunar
Module, leaving the spider-like Descent stage behind.
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The Ascent Stage would redock with the Command
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Module and the lunar visitors would reenter it.

Then the Command Module would jettison the Ascent
Stage and fire its engines to establish a course back
to earth and reentry.
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 Throughout this process the Command Module would
remain attached to the larger Service Module. It holds
virtually all of the fuel and oxygen along with a
primary rocket engine and smaller thruster engines
for delicate adjustments. By itself, the Command
Module could neither control its motion, other than by
adjusting its attitude nor sustain life for more than a
short period.

Like most earlier manned space missions and unlike

later Space Shuttle missions, Apollo 13 was staffed
entirely by experienced test pilots—reflecting a
process which was still far from automated and the
belief that a skilled, experienced, and highly trained
flight crew would probably be necessary to assure

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safety and to achieve success.

Navy Captain Jim Lovell was on his fourth space

flight and had already logged more time in space than
any other human. Fred Haise and Jack Swigert were

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both first timers and both military-trained civilian test
pilots. Supporting them were primitive on-board

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computers and a large, experienced staff at NASA
headquarters in Houston. The public had already
begun to think such flights routine.

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Routine this flight would not be. Two days after liftoff,
when the spacecraft with Lunar Module attached was
almost three quarters of the way to the Moon, one of
two oxygen tanks in the Service Module exploded,
tearing off one entire side of the Service Module and
causing a rapid and irreparable leak in the other
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oxygen tank.
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There would be enough oxygen to breathe for only

two hours. The ship’s electrical system powered by
batteries once the fuel cells were deprived of oxygen,
would have lasted a few hours longer. The Service
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 Module had been converted in a flash from a lifeline
to a dead weight.

However, Apollo 13 had a Lunar Module with

separate oxygen supplies and separate propulsion
systems. It would become their lifeboat.

The first vital decision, made by the test pilots on

board before their ground support had grasped
the gravity of the situation, was to shut down the
Command Module and move through the connecting
tunnel into the Lunar Module. They did not even try to
calculate at the moment whether the Lunar Module’s
meager supply of oxygen could sustain all three of
them for four days; there was no other choice. They

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had to act immediately to shut down the Command
Module in order to preserve enough battery capacity
to operate its controls during final reentry. They could
not abandon the Command Module entirely, because
it had the only heat shield.

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The following four days contained many remarkable
examples of leadership, teamwork, and crisis

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management:
• Lovell transferring the guidance software from the
Command Module computer to the Lunar Module
computer—an operation which had not been
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planned or trained for—in a very short time.
• Houston recalculating the trajectory necessary to
achieve the slingshot effect around the Moon and
then adding an extra burn to increase speed and
cut eight hours off the return flight.
• Lovell figuring out how to fly the Command
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Module-Lunar Module combination with the Lunar

Module engines—another unanticipated and
unplanned operation.
• Houston devising and instructing the astronauts
in building an impromptu air filter mechanism
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 which saved them from a potentially deadly build
up of carbon dioxide.
• Houston devising and testing new reentry control
procedures necessary to operate within the
limited capability of the weakened batteries. This
was possible only because seasoned astronauts
who understood the situation were available on
the ground, astronauts who were not hampered
by exhaustion, discomfort and carbon dioxide
poisoning.
Once things had gone badly wrong, absolutely
everything else had to go right. Quick and decisive
action and seamless cooperation within a diverse and
far-flung team were both essential. And, even though

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the actual crisis was completely unanticipated, the
extensive contingency planning and role playing in
the training of the flight crew and ground controllers
was probably decisive.

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Few organizations and fewer individuals will ever face
a crisis so immediate or intense. Even so, there are
important lessons which the Apollo 13 team and Jim

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Lovell can impart which can serve organizations well
when their own crises occur—or even when they do
not.
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 APPENDIX
BIOGRAPHIES

Captain James A. Lovell

Jim Lovell graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy
and served as a pilot, before joining NASA with the
second class of astronauts. In 11 years with NASA
he made four space flights, including the Apollo 13
Mission, which he commanded. In 1968 he and the
other crew members of Apollo 8 were named Time
Magazine “Men of the Year.”

Since retiring from the service, he attended the

Harvard Business School Advanced Management

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Program and rose to become Executive Vice-
President of a large independent telephone company.
He is an author and frequent speaker.

James A. Belasco, Ph.D.

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Dr. Belasco is an internationally known author,
consultant, educator and coach. Best known for his
work in the areas of change management and

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empowerment and his best selling books FLIGHT OF
THE BUFFALO and TEACHING THE ELEPHANT
TO DANCE. He is Professor of Management at San
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Diego State University and has been chosen
“Outstanding Professor” five times.

He is also owner and CEO of two companies

including one in the specialty chemical business as
well as a multi-billion dollar software and service
organization. As a consultant he has coached
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executives in such organizations as Royal Dutch
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Shell, IBM, McDonnell Douglas, Motorola, Home

Federal, Purina, Merck and Heineken Beer.
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 SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES
Print
Lovell and Kluger APOLLO 13 Simon & Schuster
(previously titled LOST MOON Houghton Mifflin),
1994
Hurt FOR ALL MANKIND The Atlantic Monthly
Press, 1988
Lewis THE VOYAGES OF APOLLO The New York
Times Book Co., 1974

Belasco TEACHING THE ELEPHANT TO DANCE

Crown Publishers, 1990

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Belasco & Stayer FLIGHT OF THE BUFFALO
Warner Books Inc., 1993

Stayer HOW I LEARNED TO LET MY WORKERS

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LEAD Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec 1990

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VIDEO

TEACHING THE ELEPHANT TO DANCE...TODAY

featuring James A. Belasco, Ph.D. Media Alliance,
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Ltd. Bannockburn, IL, 1995

FLIGHT OF THE BUFFALO featuring James A.

Belasco, Ph.D., corVision Media, Inc.,
Buffalo Grove. IL, 1994
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AMERICA3:The Power to Create, Enterprise Media,
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Cambridge MA, 1993

DO RIGHT I & II featuring Lou Holtz, Washington

Productions
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GROUPTHINK, CRM Films, Carlsbad, CA

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 SUMARINE SYNDROME, featuring Ken Blanchard,
CRM Films, Carlsbad, CA

A TEAM OF EAGLES, featuring Mike Singletary,

Dartnell Corporation, Chicago, IL 1994

TEAMWORK WITH PAT RILEY, America Media

Incorporated, Des Moines, IA, 1988

SCENARIO THINKING, Videolearning Resource

Group, Bryn Mawr, PA , 1994

MILLENNIUM Series (7 programs) Quality Media

Resources, Bellevue, WA, 1995

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Note: All Videos available from Media Alliance and
listed in Media Alliance’s Trainer’s Gold CD-ROM

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