TESTIMONY A Leader’s Journey: From Iran Into Space

Interview with Anousheh ANSARI, founder and chairman of Prodea Systems

Anousheh Ansari has dreamed of travelling into the stars for as long as she can remember. In September 2006, she made this dream come true and became the first woman “space explorer”. Entrepreneur and business leader, Ansari was elected to the Forum of Young Global Leaders in 2007. The credo she lives by is form Gandhi and translates a distinct mindset: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. In this interview, Ansari shares her vision of global leadership.

What do you consider the attributes of a global leader to be, and why do you define your- self as begin one of them? A global leader’s principal quality is a constant awareness that the world is far vaster than his or her local environment. People tend to restrict their viewpoint to routine activities and to information received that is primarily related to events that are close to home. As a result, people cannot help but develop biases. Any leader whose decisions will potentially have a global impact must repeatedly put him or herself in situations and positions that remind him that the world goes far beyond what is immediately perceptible to the eye. Personally, I travel very often, both for business and for pleasure, and I ensure that each trip is a learning opportunity. I was born in Iran and went to a French Catholic school. I thus became familiar with French and Canadian cultures—both of which are quite diffe- rent from my native culture—when I was quite young. Then, when I arrived in the United

© Prodea Systems States, I had to take English classes, so I met many people from a variety of still other cul- Iranian-born Anousheh ANSARI moved tures. I now feel like a pure Iranian-American; I am fully integrated in the United States to the United States in 1984 at the age yet continue to celebrate traditional festivals from my native country, like the Iranian New of 16. She studied engineering at Year. And at home, we speak Persian. Finally, by being involved in the technology sectors George Mason University and at George which attract people form many different countries, I was exposed and worked closely with Washington University, specializing in a mixture of people with highly diverse backgrounds and national roots. telecommunications. She began her professional career at MCI, and in Ed Cohen, the author of Leadership Without Borders, stresses the importance of taking 1993, she co-founded her first looking at the world through a wide-angle lens. You have had a chance to do this—lite- company, Telecom Technologies, Inc. In rally! Did your trip into space improve your leadership? 2001, she sold this company to Sonus In fact, my leadership skills were put to the test even before the actual trip. Networks, Inc. for 750 million dollars. • First, I had to test the swiftness of my intuitive reflexes. In other words, how effectively Ansari then created Prodea Systems, do I seize opportunities when they present themselves. At first, I was not at all certain that Inc., which is based in Plano, Texas. On I would actually be able to go into space. I just knew that I had a chance to train with the September 18, 2006, she climbed astronauts as an alternate for the Japanese businessman who had been selected to take aboard the Soyouz TMA-9 spacecraft this trip into space. Three weeks before the flight, he had to give up his seat for this trip along in the company of a Russian and for health reasons. The news was so powerful ad nunexpected that if I had not been psy- an American, and they set off for a ten- chologically prepared to seize my chance, I might have panicked and let my dream go by. day journey to the International Space • Second of all, this experience tested my patience and my endurance—two other fun- Station. There, she participated in two damental qualities of leadership—because training was extremely intense. I had to go to biomedical experiments for the a military base in Russia and could not see my family for six months. Although I loved European Space Agency. every minute I spent there, I also had to make other people see me differently. I was a woman; I was not an astronaut; I came from a different culture and did not speak their language… Nobody trusted me straight away; I had to earn people’s trust through my belief in and commitment to the training. But I was so motivated and excited that it was not difficult for others to detect my sincerity. •••

July-August 2007 - N°176 - Business Digest - 8 ■ DOSSIER LEADERSHIP

••• • Finally, my capacity to adapt was tested. I found that when you are driven by a “This experience tested powerful goal, you can adapt to just about any conditions. Not only a total lack of comfort, but also, and especially, silence, solitude, being alone with yourself... All leaders should my patience and my reserve time for thought and therefore include times of calm and silence in their daily rou- tine. In addition, a faculty for adaptation is crucial, because business leaders never know endurance—two other exactly what their organization will have to face, especially when it is on an unknown path. You must be aware of your limits and learn to adapt to change despite them. fundamental qualities Above all, the trip gave me something that fundamentally changed me as a person and especially as a leader: a view of the earth from outer space. This image stays with me all of leadership—because the time, and every day, I cannot help but repeat to myself that we are earthlings, not training was extremely Frenchmen, Americans, or Chinese. In addition to this distant, beneficial perspective, the experience gave me more strength and energy to express my beliefs. I used to think that intense. I had to go speaking about my concern for the environment, cultural diversity, and world peace were clichés, and that I was not truly apt to speak about these issues, so I kept quiet. Now, I to a military base in no longer hide behind such excuses simply to avoid exposing myself. Russia and could not see Ed Cohen emphasizes that leaders should take personal responsibility for their skill deve- lopment. Do you agree? my family for six I think that this point is particularly important. Business leaders that I have met have often struck me as always being in pursuit of knowledge and learning. They are constantly months.” trying to expand their mental horizon. People can take an active role in self-construction and integrate reading, travel, and personal encounters into themselves. People have to figure out exactly what will effectively contribute to their professional development. I would obviously not recommend space travel as a means to enhance leadership! But fol- lowing your dream…for how can you convince other people to follow you unless you are passionate? All leaders must fundamentally believe in something… and you cannot pre- tend. I would also recommend that leaders use their imagination on a daily basis and visualize the earth’s position in the universe and let their imagination take them on trip through the mysteries of the vast universe that surrounds us. There is nothing that enables you to step back from a stressful situation quite so well as this exercise!

In 2007, you were elected as a “Young Global Leader”. How do you think the selection committee made their choice? I was quite honoured and surprised by this nomination. But I think that the committee’s choice was motivated by a combination of factors other than my trip into space. For example, I think they considered my leadership capabilities as an entrepreneur who created a success- ful company, despite the fact that I did not even speak English when I arrived in the United States and other obstacles that I encountered while building a new life in a new country. Another factor was probably , my family and I sponsorship for the creation of the 10 million dollar Ansari X-Prize* to build the first non-governmental spacecraft capable of travelling into space twice in two weeks. Burt Rutan accomplished this feat in 2004 with his SpaceShipOne. At the time, the private space travel industry did not exist, but now, talented entrepreneurs can enter this field. Last of all, the blog that I created while I was in space may have been a factor recognized by the committee. The blog captured the attention of people from all over the world (50 million hits, including the site) who converged to this discussion forum.

What three pieces of advice would you offer global leaders? • Learn to understand environmental and cultural differences and thus accept that a solution that does not hold up in the given context is inappropriate. • Never forget that everything is connected. A mistake that is made in one place in the world never has just a local impact. • Always strive for honesty, an conviction to your principles especially in large enterprises where people sometimes forget their personal ethics. For example, do you really believe * An X PRIZE is a multi-million dollar what most companies say about their sustainable development initiatives? It is time to put award given to the first team to achieve a a stop to hypocrisy and nourish a trustworthy culture that includes recognition of errors and specific goal, set by the X PRIZE of what one does not know. People’s energy can then be used to pursue improvement. ■ Foundation

■ 9 - Business Digest - N°176 - July-August 2007