Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1520492
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2024 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 37 the reasoning behind many of the decisions that were made along the way. After sharing his moonshot project, he dis- cussed key factors to consider when leading moonshots, emphasizing the importance of the people driving the project. He broke this idea down into three questions: 1. Is the organization ready? Does the organization understand the risks associated with the project? Can they define both success and abject failure? 2. Are you ready? Are you personally prepared, physically and emotionally, to take on and lead a moon- shot? Are you prepared for the sacrifice as a leader? 3. Is the team ready? Is the leader able to create a good environ- ment for the team to grow? Can you, as a leader, guide your team? For each question, he emphasized the unique role of the leader and the importance of leading with empathy. A team's culture is also a strong predictor of the success of a moonshot. Teams that support one another emotionally and mentally can realize their goals when the leader guides them as a coach. S&T "As a FIRST Robotics student, I know what it's like to work on a project that drains you men- tally and physically. We would spend long hours in the lab after classes, and our leaders would even give up weekends and holidays. I saw how we all started to struggle under the pressure of balancing school, life, and work. But we also learned how important it is to take care of ourselves, thanks to the kind of lead- ership Paul talked about. Because we were so close, we could see when someone was struggling and help them out. We'd encourage people to take time off, open communication between leaders and students, and make sure we spent time outside of work to relax. After Bailey's keynote address, I interviewed him in the I-Connect007 booth. During our interview, he mentioned that Gen Z seems to understand this need for balance more than others, although they still struggle with it. It would be interesting to see if this holds true elsewhere and if focusing more on individual health could help." Dylan Nguyen is an engineering student at Oregon State University.