Name: Phan Dương Gia Bảo
Class: 21ES (21NH07)
Question 1: Video 1
Part A:
1. What/Who inspired Gwynne in choosing mechanical engineer? Then end up working in the
space industry? Then end up working for Elon Musk and SpaceX?
When Gwynne was 15 years old, she was taken to a Society of Women Engineers Event by
her mom. At there, she was very fond of a mechanical engineer that speaking at the event.
After that, she wants to become a mechanical engineer herself.
Her first job out of the mechanical engineering degree was with Chrysler Motors in the
automotive industry.
After that, in 2002, she joined SpaceX and worked for Elon Musk who was in charge. Just
one year later, she built a multi-billion-dollar relationship with NASA despite first three laucher
of SpaceX blew up. “I think it was helpful for me to be an engineer, and I think it was helpful to
my role of running sales for Elon.” – she said.
2. How a startup company like SpaceX outperformed other legacy competitors?
They got to look at the rocket industry and the development to date, and got to pick the best
ideas to leverage them. They were also able to let physics drive the design of the systems as
they didn’t have to design around legacy components that could have been expensive and not
too reliable.
3. How is working with a leader/boss (Elon Musk) like?
She loves working with Elon because he is funny and fundamentally. He drives people to do
their best works without having to say a word. He pushes them back on the right track
whenever they lost or felt too comfortable with the work.
Part B: How you apply those for yourself?
After hearing Gwynne talked, it makes me really admire Elon Musk. If I have to apply it on
myself, I want to boost my team or group spirit up and push their work to their limit so the best
result will come. Whenever they are losing track, I can find a way to help them back on it. But in
reality, I don’t think I am the best choice for a leader spot. But I can be a Gwynne Shotwell of
Elon Musk and working as hard as I can, and choosing the most fitting person for a leader role is
also a very important part for the members.
Question 2: Search and describe a favorite leadership story that you like or
personally observed:
Princess Diana who is renowned for her elegance and the prestigious title "Her Royal
Highness," displayed many leadership qualities and characteristics as she reigned over the
country Wales. I believe Princess Diana is a good leader because she possesses these five
important qualities: patience, open-mindedness, trustworthiness, confident speaker, and
intelligence. Without some of these qualities, Princess Diana would have been lackluster in
maintaining her royal status as the "Princess of Wales."
For a leader to be effective, one must have patience, which requires self-control and
perseverance. Blossoming in the eyes of the publicists and paparazzi, Princess Diana became
very patient as her notoriety took the throne. Being indulged with numerous amounts of
rumors and reports, she remained calm and maintained her composure as the rumors took a
toll. I believe that her association in helping with charities and childcare centers account for her
patience because she must remain humble and self-controlled when dealing with children and
homeless people. With patience, a leader can achieve many things, and can also withstand
many inevitable watersheds. Princess Diana whom I believe has patience, signifies exactly that.
A leader must also be open-minded to contribute ideas and to influence something or
someone. Princess Diana presumably always carried an open mind and was always attentive
and wanting to help other people. Indeed, Princess Diana always seemed to go the extra mile,
learning sign language to address a deaf association she was assisting for and penning personal
notes to the families of diagnosed patients with HIV she had met. She constantly wanted to
learn and seek to improve many charities with her diligence and open-mindedness. Princess
Diana was quite prevalent when it came to being open-minded, which contributed a lot to
society.
In the 1980s, AIDS arrived on the world stage. It was a new, frightening disease with no cure
and was rampaging through communities and countries. People believed that you could catch
AIDS from touching someone who had it, or even sitting on the same toilet seat. Sufferers were
shunned, and up to 50% of people polled in the US believed that those with AIDS should be
quarantined.
On the 19th of April 1987, Princess Diana, one of the most famous people in the world, opened
the first unit in the UK dedicated to treating people with HIV and AIDS. During her visit, she
shook the hands of a patient without wearing gloves, and changed people’s perceptions of the
disease forever.
Despite passing away due to an unfortunate accident at a very young age, Princess Diana has
captured many hearts from all over the world, and her name is still widely known nowadays.
