A Record-Breaking Leader
You may or may not be familiar with Oleg Kononenko but you should be. He is a record-breaking leader.
Kononenko is a Russian cosmonaut who just broke the world record for the most time spent in space over a lifetime. This past weekend, the country’s space agency Roscosmos reported the 59-year-old has spent 878 days and 12 hours in space and counting. This breaks the record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and 48 seconds set in 2015 set by fellow countryman Gennady Padalka.
It takes a lot to be a record-breaking leader, to say the least, but we can learn some unique lessons from Cosmonaut Kononenko.
He said in this article, “I fly into space to do what I love, not to set records. I’ve dreamt of and aspired to become a cosmonaut since I was a child. That interest – the opportunity to fly into space, to live and work in orbit – motivates me to continue flying.”
2 Surprising Things You Must Have to be a Record-Breaking Leader
From his comments, we learn two surprising things you must have to be a record-breaking leader.
You Need Love to be a Record-Breaking Leader
Kononenko said, “I fly into space to do what I love, not to set records.” Some would call this passion but I like what Phil Cooke wrote in his book Ideas on a Deadline: How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking. In the chapter “Why Passion Isn’t Enough,” Cooke notes, “When it comes to your career or calling, my advice is this: Your ‘passion’ is what you want. Your ‘hunger’ is what you can’t live without.”
He goes on, “That’s why you need to spend less time finding your passion and more time discovering what you are actually wired to do.”
I’m sure Kononenko would agree. He is wired for space travel. Kononenko has dreamed of being a cosmonaunt since being a young child and has made five journeys to the International Space Station since 2008. This current trip began on September 15, 2023.
As Cooke concludes, “The bottom line is that in today’s demanding, hyper-competitive world, hunger is fierce and unrelenting, and will eat passion for lunch.”
You Need Opportunity to be a Record-Breaking Leader
Kononenko adds, “That interest – the opportunity to fly into space, to live and work in orbit – motivates me to continue flying.”
There is a difference between recognizing opportunity and seizing it. You must do both.
Kononenko sees living and working in space as an opportunity, not a job. And this opportunity motivates him to continue in his efforts.
Conclusion
As I read Kononenko’s comments, I couldn’t help but reflect on how many leaders do not love their responsibilities or see them as a great opportunity. Maybe that is why their results are average or sub-standard.
Perhaps if they loved the opportunities they have been given, they too would be a record-setting leader.
Now let’s personalize these lessons with two questions – Do you love your leadership responsibilities? And do you see them as an opportunity to do something significant with your life?
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