Adam Steltzner: NASA Engineer
Quick Facts:
- Described as a cross between “Einstein and Elvis Costello,” Adam Steltzner is a leader heralded for making the impossible possible.
- And he wants to know “How great do YOU dare to become?”
- Travels from: Altadena, CA
- **Fee range: On Request
Keynote Topics
Into the Unknown
How Leadership, Ingenuity, and Perseverance Put a Rover on Mars
Only Adam Steltzner and his talented team at Jet Propulsion Lab could follow their “Curiosity” rover success with the stunning Mars 2020 mission to land the rover “Perseverance” on the red planet. The magnificent landing on Mars on February 18, 2021 was akin to hurling a dart from New York City to land in a 5-foot circle in Washington DC.
More than a technological achievement, the successful mission stands as an extraordinary leadership accomplishment in the midst of a global pandemic. In his exhilarating keynote, full of fascinating anecdotes and breathtaking images, Steltzner shares his own innovation challenges, leadership struggles, and flawless execution.
Most importantly, he shows how you can overcome daunting obstacles in times of uncertainty and change. The human spirit is boundless, and Steltzner leaves you unafraid to journey from your comfort zone to explore your own exciting future.
The Right Kind of Crazy
A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership and High Stakes Innovation
With a rich and varied background, Adam Steltzner had many of the needed skills to lead the landing team for the Curiosity rover. That said, his team would struggle for almost a decade with design challenges and set backs.
- How did he keep the team focused and on task?
- What makes a team gel and enables truly innovative thinking?
- How do team dynamics drive that process forward or inhibit it?
- And how can organizational culture create an environment for sustained performance?
The challenges he and the team faced and the lessons learned from those struggles can help audiences understand how to better lead their high performing teams, manage innovation and drive towards excellence.
How Curiosity Changed My Life
Curiosity has touched Adam Steltzner’s life in parallel arcs. In his personal life there is the transformation from wan-a-be rock star at 21 year of age to rocket scientist at 30, a transition started when he followed his curiosity.
In his professional life, he was responsible for landing the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars, an act that demanded he use his curiosity to help us follow ours. Curiosity and exploration, the spark and the fire that burns from it, are powerful disruptors of human existence.
Steltzner explores these topics and asserts that when we follow our own curiosity and explore what we might be, we are better for it.
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