I try to always notice when things out of the ordinary happen.  This time, I had the extraordinary occasion to visit the Small But Mighty Stennis Space Center in two consecutive weeks. 

Stennis Space Center is located in Mississippi.  The site is the location that was established to test the engines for the Nation’s first journeys to the moon.  It continues to be our largest engine testing facility and tested all of the main engines for the Space Shuttle and will test the engines for their replacement.  The path to the moon and beyond must pass through the Small But Mighty Stennis Space Center.

As one of the smallest of NASA’s Centers with barely 200 civil servants, I was amazed by the vastness of its physical site and the enormity of its mission.    It’s funny how we always overlook the importance of the contributions of the “small”.  Many laughed at the small shepherd boy who slew a mighty giant with a mere rock; we underestimate the importance of the small seed from which the mighty oak grows; or maybe some scoffed at those wild and crazy kids that had a small idea that started a mighty company called Apple. 

As I stood in one of the stands that test the mighty engines that led us to space, I was treated to lagniappe by the Small But Mighty Dinna Cottrell, CIO of the Small But Mighty Stennis Space Center.  I must admit that I’ve only pretended to understand what is meant by lagniappe, but she gives me an explanation that helped punctuate the true meaning of the word here:

“The definition of Lagniappe as my mother told me growing up and still to this day, means "a little something extra."  My mother told me when she was a little girl she would go to the store and the store owner would give her "lagniappe," which was small pieces of candy.  My mother will be 81 in early December.”

The lagniappe I was treated to was the story of Wardell Burnett.  He retired in 1999 as a furniture mover.  He was a loyal and dedicated worker whose small contributions behind a plow and a mule were critical to the success of America’s mighty space program.  His work was critical in meeting the challenge of carving up thousands of acres of pine-choked land in Hancock County to make way for the national rocket test site was one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken.  Pictured here on the left with an engine test stand in the background personifies the mighty contributions that the small and humble make. 

As leaders, we should never overlook the contributions of the small and humble.  Leadership success relies on those contributions. 

“Vision comes alive when everyone sees where his or her contribution makes a difference.” – Ken Blanchard

Mr. Burnett, who died in 2008, couldn’t imagine what was going to happen at the land and site he helped prepare.  Yet, his work personified the spirit of the Small But Mighty Stennis Space Center.

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA

A confluence of things has occurred recently.  I had the occasion to speak to a group of NASA Enterprise Architects.  I’m sure that it is no coincidence that I’ve been spending some sleepless nights thinking about NASA’s IT Infrastructure Integration Program (I3P) and its hope of a kinder, safer, and more cost effective world.  And in a final trifecta of synchronicity, I ran across a delightfully satirical book titled, How to Rule the World: Handbook for an Aspiring Dictator, by André de Guillaume.

Let me step back a bit and offer a simple definition for Enterprise Architecture that is not spoken in the dribble of IT jargon.  In simplest terms, it is a planning framework that describes how the technology assets of an organization connect and operate.  It also describes what the organization needs from the technology.  And finally, it describes the set of activities required to meet the organizational needs.  Oh, and I should also say it operates in a context of a process for setting priorities, making decisions, informing those decisions, and delivering results called – IT Governance.

The author makes four major points in the book:

·         It is possible to rule the world

·         You can create the greatest empire ever known

·         You can subdue all nations under your colors

·         You can change the course of history

The parallels to Enterprise Architecture track to these points:

·         It is possible to manage IT as an Enterprise.

·         You can use the Enterprise Architecture to plan and manage the kinder, safer, more cost effective IT world.

·         Transformational projects will successful and deliver desired results.

·         IT can be a key strategic enabler of NASA’s goals.

The more arcane Enterprise Architects will probably disagree with what is likely an oversimplification.  They should be ignored as the evil despots they are.  Others will miss the satirical point and view this as geeky babble.  The book suggests blackmail and torture to win their hearts and minds.  I won’t go there; at least not yet.

Well … deep breaths … using Enterprise Architecture to rule the world … hum.  I better cut this short; I need to go and come up with a name for my country and commission a flag.

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA

I left my safe and warm place at NASA HQ to visit three NASA Centers in three days in California – Dryden, JPL, and Ames.  It’s been three weeks since my last post.  No time for blogging – need to spend time drinking from a fire hose … or drinking from 3,000 Dixie cups. 

I knew I was going to blog about the trip, but couldn’t really decide what to write about and didn’t have much time to think about it.  Perhaps I can talk about being at Dryden  and learning of the hope of aeronautics research or flying the flight simulator and safely taking off, landing, out maneuvering my Deputy CIO for IT Security without ejecting myself or hitting the ground.  Perhaps I can talk about my feelings of gratitude that JPL and its legacy of planetary exploration was spared from the unforgiving brush fires.  Perhaps I can talk about the courageous innovators of Ames, their technology contributions, their hyperwalls, or their hypervisors. 

I almost forgot why I blog in the first place -- leadership, learning, transparency.  Now I know what to blog about – the Joshua Tree. 

I need to tell you that I didn’t see too many Joshua Trees growing up in Washington, DC and I was curious about them.  Dryden CIO Rob Binkley told me that the important thing to remember if you get into a disagreement with a Joshua Tree and your car, it will win.  Its deep root system makes it strong and resilient.  Those are pretty convenient qualities of leadership.

The tree got its name from Mormon settlers thought the shape of its branches reminded them the Biblical story where Joshua reaches his arms up to heaven in prayer.  As the story goes, this was essential in his early success.  Furthermore, the tree was a valuable resource used for fencing and for fuel. 

Finally, it’s Joshua himself and how he personifies transitional leadership.  With a tough act to follow, his faith, resilience, and resourcefulness provide valuable lessons to leaders as they assume new leadership roles.

California Dreamin’ on such a winter day.  I always liked that song, but I never really understood the lyrics until now.  It’s really about transition and the inevitability of leaving your warm place and moving forward to the coldness of future leadership challenges.   

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA

This will be short and sweet…so here it is.  Today, September 26, 2009, is my last official day as the CIO of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.  I leave an organization that marked the start of my Federal career. 

I graduated from Howard University on a hot Saturday in May of 1980.  I started at NASA/Goddard the following Monday as a dreamy 21-year old Mathematician.  I left about 18 months later.  I returned a quarter of a century later and now a leave again a Center that made amazing contributions to our nation’s space program.  Tomorrow, I will be the CIO of NASA.  This is a humbling and exciting experience.

After only having a week to prepare, I find that I haven’t had time to cry, to hug, say good-bye, or even to pack.  It’s funny how change doesn’t wait for us to get ready.  Change simply happens.  I’m not sure even if I’m saying good-bye or hello.  Perhaps it is merely Aloha. 

So, this is it.  I’ll continue to blog for the same reasons as stated in earlier posts.  I was hired with a charge to participate on an executive leadership team that not only fulfills the mission of our nation’s space program, but inspires a world.  Perhaps a universe. 

The change I lead will start with me.  A quote by Anatole France says:

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.

No time to mourn.  Just enough time to resurrect.  Procurements, cloud computing, innovation, security, team building … oh, and launch vehicles, manned space flight, tight budgets … inspiration to the world.  Aloha dreamy mathematician.  Aloha NASA.

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA

p.s. Don’t paint my orange office!

I love the smell of September in Washington, DC, it smells like the future.  It always reminds me of the joyful expectation of going back to school; the anticipation of learning new things; and it’s the ever-so-slight sense of urgency caused by the recently-noticed shortening of days.    It’s the scent of cool crisp mornings with a hint of humidity in the air; and it’s the aroma of the blossoms of the crepe myrtle as they accelerate their descent to the ground.

I was in a brainstorming meeting last week with a group discussing goals of a Maryland Science, Exploration and Education Center (SEEC) at Goddard Space Flight Center.  The objectives of the SEEC include inspiring, engaging and educating the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists; providing compelling experiences to all to increase understanding of our home planet and our place in the Universe; and to create a destination of choice that effectively showcases NASA and Goddard’s current work.  To help the group see the possibilities and get our creative juices flowing, someone put up a quote from Edwin Powell Hubble:

 “Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.”

I sat aside for a moment the fact that as I enter the second half century of my life, these five senses are becoming increasingly insufficient for exploring this adventure called life. After that, I realized that this was a pretty cool quote for many reasons.  I did a little inventory of the five senses and then came to smell.  It wasn’t surprising that this whole notion of establishing SEEC smelled like September.

Some folks are examining the phenomena of synethesia and clairalience where one could acquire other sensory knowledge or psychic knowledge through smell.  This notion of the smell of success might not be too goofy.  Consider a quote from the movie Apocalypse Now that says,

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning. Smell(s) like victory.”

As leaders strive to inspire and engage, we need to fully understand the power of senses like smell or even taste.  Many have heard the expression, often said of players on winning sports teams, they wanted the win so bad, they could taste it. 

Senior Executives will establish new performance objectives for the year; I will have a leadership team retreat to establish my Directorate’s annual goals; and in the government, we will approach the start of a new fiscal year.   Frank Sinatra sings to us in September Song:

Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn’t got time for the waiting game

Hope, inspired future, sense of urgency.  I now appreciate the synchronicity of events recently and why it smells like September.   

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

I get a steady trickle of “Friend” requests on Facebook.  As a rule, I don’t accept requests from people who I don’t know or with whom I have no mutual friends.  But, then I got such a request from Otto Adams.  The name didn’t even ring a bell.  A few clicks and I discovered he was in my graduating class at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC.

It may or may not be surprising to know that out of a graduating class of 141, I barely remember anyone.  Mostly, I remember the brass section of the band and a few clarinet players.  So, I looked at Otto’s friends to see who they were to get some clues.  Then I saw, Chris Belcher.  Humm…his photograph showed a 50-ish man with gray hair and an ever-so-slight beginning of male-pattern baldness.  But, the amazing thing was that the photograph, which was so good and it captured the essence of his personality, it caused me to remember a quiet blond teenage boy who always walked around by himself with his camera on his shoulder.  Yes, good photographs do that.  I shouldn’t have been surprised to find a string of visual arts students on Facebook, but that’s what I found. 

Next, I came to Francesca Scott.  She was obviously a professional photographer.  No picture of her, but I had a vague memory of a short girl with long beautiful hair that walked around by herself with a camera on her shoulder.  A browsed her gallery.   I hadn’t seen such beautiful pictures in years.  And quite frankly, had forgotten what beauty a talented photographer could produce.

And then I thought of what is going on today with Information Technology.

Today, just about everyone has a camera on their phone.  This along with the ease of use and popularity of digital cameras makes it easy for just about everyone to be a “photographer”.  Furthermore, with the video capabilities that exist now, just about anyone is able to record “what’s on the scene” of most newsworthy events that happen. Now everyone is a videographer.

Today, just anyone can have a blog.  It’s easy and it’s free.  Information is everywhere and anyone with a blog site can now become a “journalist”. 

The same situation exists with IT.  No one can deny that there is a proliferation of IT.  At NASA, we spend somewhere around $1.5 billion per year on it.  It’s everywhere.  And here, just like everywhere, the proliferation, the ubiquitous nature of it, and the increased ease of use forces IT, as well as cameras, to be considered merely tools.  It is because of the notion that IT is merely a tool, that we have lost the notion of a discipline that is actually associated with the management of IT – the artistry that is associated with the use of the mastery of tool.

Well, what does this “art” look like? And why is it important to find it again?

Truth.  Now that anyone with a blog, can be a journalist, what is left for the journalist to do? To, coin a phrase, information, information everywhere and nothing to think about.  The journalist’s role can add value by helping readers validate information and convert information into knowledge.  With IT, the CIO must now evolve from being the deliverer of IT, because now most people can get that, to helping organizations use that information to get the knowledge they need for mission success.

Beauty.  I don’t know if I can tell you what made Francesca’s photographs beautiful, but they were.  The beauty was not in the tool she used, but it was in the results that were produced.  And perhaps beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.  Similarly, the beauty in the successful management of IT will be in the eyes of those who are served by it.  There is no beauty in IT tools, but the beauty can be observed in the outcomes that are produced as perceived by the people who are served.

Love.  Love inspires passion which breathes life into what we do.  Long hours in a dark room, dancing until your feet were sore, or practicing your horn with a tired embouchure, require passion to fuel and sustain artists.  Similarly, the CIO, or any leader for that matter, must have passion about their work and about the mission to sustain execution of activities that can ultimately breed success.

Love, beauty, truth … What does that have to do with space exploration? Getting back to the moon? Or getting to Mars? I’m not sure how to really explain what that “looks like” relative to IT Management.  But, considering how important IT is to NASA’s mission and how much we spend on it, recapturing that lost art of IT Management is needed to use these mere tools as effectively and as efficiently as we can for the masterpiece of mission success.

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

By some strange confluence in the universe, I found myself in a casino for two consecutive weekends. 

I played Texas Hold ‘Em and wagered on horse races both for the first time.  Now, I understood both from academic, technical, and statistical perspectives.  I had even played successfully in cash-free simulations.  But as that supportive Las Vegas dealer said to me, “Baby, you’ll learn better and faster if you play and risk some money.”  She was right.

I’ve always understood that I was a risk taker.  I learned early on in an exercise during a leadership development program at the Federal Executive Institute.  They presented a wine-making exercise that teaches aspiring executives how to use data that they’ve gathered and apply the results of experimentation to learn how the right amount of risk can be translated into organizational success and competitive advantage. 

Leadership competencies such as these are very important to an organization like NASA.  NASA’s heritage demonstrates the powerful effect of the Ying and Yang of risk management and innovation which continues to spawn discoveries in space, fuel the passion for exploration in human space flight, and launch breakthroughs in technology.  And as we continue on in our mission to inspire, discover, and explore, we will do so by balancing the sometimes competing forces of intellectual judgment and intuitive possibilities. 

Too much risk aversion yields little reward.  Too much innovation could be wasteful or even dangerous.  It’s amazing that we are so creative and innovative in our youth and as we mature and gain experience, life beats it out of us.  John Medina, in his book, Brain Rules, describes, in his Rule #12, how we are powerful and natural explorers and how babies model that behavior.  He goes on to explain:

“The desire to explore never leaves us despite the classrooms and cubicles we are stuffed into. Babies are the model of how we learn—not by passive reaction to the environment but by active testing through observation, hypothesis, experiment, and conclusion. Babies methodically do experiments on objects, for example, to see what they will do.”

Well now let’s see what we can learn from babies.  First, they watch and observe an object; next thing you know, they want to taste it and put it in their mouths; and then they try to see what they can do with it, even try to break it.

First, the Betting CIO shouldn’t confuse luck with sound research and risk analysis.  Just because you run across a highway and don’t get killed, doesn’t mean you’re skilled; it could mean you’re just lucky.  For example, if you haven’t applied sound risk-based security management practices and nothing bad happened, that’s luck, not good management.

Second, the Betting CIO should follow the advice of the most successful gamblers, “Scared man can’t gamble”.  It takes courage to innovate and operate.  If your tolerance for risk is zero, well then it’s a non-starter.  A system with absolutely no security risks is one that is turned off or unusable.  Without risk, there is no fear; and without fear, there is no need for courage; and without courage, there can be no innovation. 

Finally, the Betting CIO won’t learn anything without risking something.  She must pick it up; play with it; and taste it.  If there are a lot of unknowns and the stakes are high, perhaps she should make a few observations and then take the plunge in a scenario where the risk is lower.  So, the Betting CIO should be observant, try some things, and set up safe sandboxes; but should not be reckless, scared, or paralyzed.

Oh, by the way, I lost just a little bit of money in horse racing and poker.  But, I learned a whole lot more in my loss than I ever learned in reading and computer games.  Leadership lessons in a casino?  You bet!

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center got an inspiring first visit from our new Administrator Charlie Bolden.  I am always fascinated by how executives manage their transition into leadership.  Clearly, with a resume like Charlie Bolden has, he’s no stranger to transition.  We got clues about the man, his mission, and perhaps about his modus operandi.

One thing that stuck in my mind and in my heart was a charge that NASA should inspire the world.  He may have said nation, but I heard – the world.  I’m sure of it, actually.  As leaders, we are constantly honing our leadership competencies so that we can inspire a workforce.  The key issue, however, is that leaders need to do that plus create organizations that inspire.

The derivation of the word inspire comes from the Latin verb spirare meaning to breathe.  Inspiration literally means to breathe into.  How does an organization breathe into the nation or the world? Four other words come to mind that are relevant to this discussion.  Transpire, respire, perspire, or expire.

Inspiring organizations would have to transpire or emerge.  They have to come outside of themselves and find out what’s going on.  Look at the environment and develop an understanding of their external surroundings.

Inspiring organizations would need to respire or breathe.  Breath sustains life.  It is the process of bringing into an organization, the things that are needed to sustain it.  It is also the process of shedding the things that are noxious. 

Finally, inspiring organizations would need to perspire or sweat.   Some of that sweat will come from hard work and some of it will come from reacting and managing risk.  Regardless, you don’t get very far without doing the things that produce sweat.

And if organizations are not able to do these things, there is a strong possibility that organizations may expire.  Many doubt that a government institution can meet organizational demise.  But, organizational demise shows up in many forms: failure to meet mission, failure to satisfy stakeholders, or inability to meet their constituents’ needs are some possible outcomes.

Just like the Apostle Paul, who appreciated the proverbial thorn in his side, I appreciate the comments that I might get that say “what does inspiration have to do with getting a man to the moon?” or “what does inspiration have to do with being a CIO?”

Well, there’s this thing called the Constitution that talks about things like promoting general welfare, and pursuit of happiness.  Who knows, maybe inspiration from an organization like NASA can contribute to that. 

For a CIO, who supports the inspiring organization, it may look like providing and promoting enabling technologies that help with collaboration.  It may look like reducing costs so that we can better utilize the scarce resources that we have.  Finally, it may look like understanding the work that needs to be done and giving advice about how can be technology can be applied to the effort.

In a smaller group of Goddard’s Executive Council, Charlie Bolden gave me some good-spirited poking about why I was not smiling.  I must have known in advance what he might say and what it may mean.  I shouldn’t have been worried though.  I realize now that all I have to do is get out, take deep breaths, and get ready for hard work.

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Innovation is all the rage these days.  Ironically, we talk about innovation like it’s never been done before.  Innovation can be many things: it can mean doing new things you’ve never done before; or it can mean doing things you’ve done before in new ways.  I had the pleasure of visiting Goddard Space Flight Center’s White Sands Complex in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  I made an interesting observation about innovation – and that was -- innovation also included getting new life out of old things.

As we entered the secure facility, it seemed strange, that I had to leave all of my personal innovation behind – 2 PDAs, a cell phone,  my laptop, and two iPods (primary and backup, come on, after all, I’m a CIO and it’s a long flight to El Paso). However, I was about to see firsthand how these heroes of technology maintain and support a very mature infrastructure with scarce resources.

The White Sands Complex includes two functionally identical satellite ground terminals. These terminals are known as the White Sands Ground Terminal (WSGT) and the Second TDRSS Ground Terminal (STGT), respectively. The ground terminals provide the hardware and software necessary to ensure uninterrupted communications between the customer spacecraft and the NASA Integrated Services Network (NISN) interface to the customer control center.

Don Shinners, Station Director, gave a great overview of the amazing work that is done there.  They have been able to provide secure, well-managed services supporting human spaceflight and science research for nearly three decades.  I was fascinated about how they mixed old-school skills such as soldering with new-school skills such in software development, architecture, and security and configuration management.

They harvest spare parts, build what they need, and create software solutions for hardware requirements.  Their resourcefulness reminded me of the fictional television secret agent Angus MacGyver, who used his resourcefulness and his knowledge of chemistry, physics, technology, and outdoorsman ship to resolve what are often life-or-death crises with only a Swiss army knife and duct tape.

The evidence of the resourcefulness of these unsung heroes of the desert is seen the footprints in the sand of the folks who tirelessly provide 7x24x365 sustainment and support for critical mission essential infrastructure.  One quote from the TV series MacGyver seems fitting:

I know, I know … stay out of trouble, keep the expenses down and don't get killed.

How fitting and appropriate. 

As I left the building and gathered all my CIO gear, I thought, gee, it’s easy to innovate with all of these toys often called innovative technology.  But, it is an amazing accomplishment to innovate with the equivalent of only a Swiss army knife and duct tape.

Linda Cureton, CIO Goddard Space Flight Center

I had a rare opportunity to sit in on NASA’s Senior Management Council Meeting last week.  It was worth coming in from the flu and missing Michael Jackson’s funeral to take what was for me a glimpse into how an organization like NASA approaches problem-solving.  Acting Administrator, Chris Scolese moved methodically from issue to issue …What problem are we trying to solve? Do we have a plan? Did we solve the problem?