Mars Lander PM "Likes people"

[dclapp]

I just heard a fabulous interview with the project manager of the Mars Lander team. He has a PhD in engineering physics. in the interview… Which was about him… he said "this isn't about me. at one point we had 2000 people working on this project. And that's great; I like people."

A terrible student in elementary and high school, he was playing in rock bands, before looking up at the stars and being seduced by questions. He took a physics course at a community college, and that was the beginning of a new academic career.

The point, to me, is that he obviously does like people. And, as a former project manager, I think that is the single most important quality for a project manager. Also like me – and I promise this is completely where the similarities and – he played in rock bands. And in my memories of all the many many bands I played in, I don't remember anybody ever criticizing anybody else. Everybody was self-critical. Man oh man were we self-critical; always trying to do better for the other guys. And having a ton of fun.

I think those notions are also inherent in good software and hardware projects. And in life. :-)