Shoot for the Stars

“I began to challenge notions about leadership.  I’ve experienced that you can be yourself and be an effective leader. You need diversity in leadership styles.”

Brady Pyle is the Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer for NASA, responsible for supporting the Chief Human Capital Officer and leading Human Resources Services for NASA.  For this Headquarters role, he works from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Brady oversees the Executive HR Directors for NASA’s 10 field centers nationwide in the development, execution, and integration of HR services, programs, processes and policies.  In this episode, he talks about expanding their workforce with contractors, the unique experience of working for a federal agency, and what goes into picking the next NASA astronauts.

“Inclusion is a big value at NASA, because we believe inclusion then drives innovation.”

• Embrace your own leadership style.
• Offer ways to engage past, present and future employees.
• Harness contractors to allow for flexibility in manpower.

“Our attrition rate is extremely low. We run 5% attrition and on average our scientists and engineers at NASA stay about seven years after they become retirement eligible. And so, people come to NASA, stick around and want to continue to contribute. And so we offer them that opportunity even after they leave the agency.”