Welcome to the Leadership Launchpad where we help technical managers improve themselves, their teams, and their organizations. Host Matt Gjertsen — former Air Force instructor pilot and head of training and development at SpaceX — brings hard-won lessons from the world's most demanding organizations to help new managers lead with clarity and confidence. Each episode cuts through the noise with practical frameworks, real stories, and straight talk on what it actually takes to build high-performing teams in aerospace, defense, and beyond. Whether you're managing engineers, navigating organizational chaos, or just trying not to let your team down, Leadership Launchpad gives you the tools to get better every day.
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August 18, 202622 min
Top Leadership Lessons for Technical Managers w/ Matt Gjertsen
This episode of Leadership Launchpad celebrates a milestone: surpassing the 200th episode mark. The conversation features a recap of top insights and leadership lessons from previous standout guests, including Steph Bertmer (Pinterest), Megan Galloway (EverLeader), Matt Kuda (Voyager Technologies), Holly Betke (StockX), General John Teichert (Edwards Air Force Base), Jesse Kleekamp (K2 Space), Brian Manning (ZonaSpace), Ian Marrone (Apex), Paul Cotillion (Applied Atomics), and Casey Hanrahan (Terraform Industries). Key topics include leading through change, the importance of transparency, building influence, the challenges of management, hiring rigor, coaching conversations, and embracing autonomy as a leader. Important Timestamps 00:00: Introduction and episode milestone 02:02: Lessons from Steph Bertmer on leading through change and communicating with teams 04:02: Megan Galloway on centers of influence in organizational change 05:50: Matt Kuda's analogy on pushing limits and accepting mistakes in leadership 08:45: Holly Betke on getting buy-in and identifying team misalignment 10:45: General John Teichert on fostering innovation and closing the feedback loop 12:29: Jesse Kleekamp’s approach to rigorous hiring at K2 Space 14:17: Brian Manning’s advice on the transition from engineer to people manager 15:36: Ian Marrone’s introduction to the GROW model for coaching conversations 17:49: Paul Cotillion on transparency and financial reality in startups 19:11: Casey Hanrahan on the core challenge of management and prioritizing team success 21:57: Closing remarks and final thoughts on the new book
August 11, 202633 min
Leading Without Authority in Tech Teams w/ Lindy Elkins-Tanton
In this episode of Leadership Launchpad, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Director of the Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory and Principal Investigator of NASA’s Psyche mission, shares insights on leading high-stakes, technical teams. She explains the objectives and significance of the Psyche mission—humanity’s first deep exploration of a metal-rich asteroid—and offers a detailed look at her role as principal investigator. The discussion covers leadership challenges, including leading with responsibility but limited authority, fostering open communication, and the value of surfacing problems early. Elkins-Tanton also addresses the unique pressures placed on teams during COVID-19 and strategies for maintaining effective collaboration across dispersed workforces. The episode concludes with reflections on the scientific mysteries of asteroid 16 Psyche and the excitement of pioneering new frontiers in space science. Timestamps for Key Moments: 02:34: Explanation of the Psyche mission’s goals and significance 04:36: The principal investigator role defined 07:00: Leading without formal authority 10:24: Transition from technical work to leading teams 14:42: The importance of surfacing bad news early 17:45: Creating a culture where junior team members can speak up 25:20: Leadership challenges during COVID-19 31:16: Scientific questions guiding the Psyche mission 32:33: Upcoming mission milestones
August 4, 202631 min
Why Ownership Is the Foundation of Great Engineering w/ Seth Kovnat
Everyone talks about ownership. Very few people can actually explain what it looks like. Seth Kovnat spent six years at SpaceX helping scale Falcon launches from 24 to 148 missions a year before joining Impulse Space as Director of Vehicle Engineering. Along the way, he developed a way of thinking about engineering that goes far beyond technical ability. At the center of that mindset is the Responsible Engineer. Not someone who owns a part. Someone who owns the outcome. We get into why ownership isn't about protecting your work. It's about bringing in the right people, inviting criticism early, and doing whatever gives the mission the best chance of succeeding. That sounds simple, but it's a very different way of leading technical teams than most organizations practice. We also talk about what changes when engineers become leaders, why letting go of technical control is one of the hardest transitions to make, and how great engineering organizations create cultures where responsibility grows with every level of the organization instead of getting bottlenecked at the top. If you lead engineers, build products, or care about creating teams that move fast without sacrificing quality, this conversation is packed with practical lessons from someone who's helped build at the highest level. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Introduction [00:03:13] Why Seth wrote an engineering children's book [00:08:00] Building vehicles at Impulse Space [00:10:10] The responsible engineer mindset [00:12:18] What SpaceX got right about ownership [00:18:16] Building a culture of ownership [00:21:19] Why planning beats reacting [00:23:00] Failing smart instead of failing busy [00:26:20] The hardest transition from engineer to leader [00:27:28] Scaling ownership across an organization KEY TAKEAWAYS Ownership means owning outcomes, not just completing tasks Great engineering requires collaboration, not individual heroics The best engineers actively seek feedback early Strong engineering cultures remove ego from decision-making Responsible engineers orchestrate people as much as technical work Building without clear intent creates the illusion of progress Attack the biggest risks first, not the easiest problems Leadership requires letting go of technical control Accountability should grow as organizations scale High-performing engineering teams succeed because ownership exists at every level If this episode resonates with you, subscribe to the show, share it with someone building engineering teams, and leave a review so more technical leaders can discover the conversation. Links & Resources Seth Kovnat LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethkovnat/ Website: https://pragmatist.tech/ Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios
July 28, 202629 min
The Leadership Shift Every Engineer Has to Make w/ Ashley Chang
Most engineers become leaders because they're great at solving problems. Then they get promoted... and suddenly the thing that made them successful starts getting in the way. If you've ever struggled to delegate, found yourself jumping in to fix everything, or wondered why your team keeps bringing every problem back to you, this conversation will probably hit close to home. Ashley Chang started her career as an engineer and now leads training and development at Anduril. She talks about what really changes when you move from individual contributor to leader, and why leading isn't about having all the answers anymore. It's about asking better questions, setting clear expectations, and creating an environment where your team can solve problems without depending on you. We also get into why so many companies confuse "don't micromanage" with "don't lead," why coaching is a skill that has to be developed, and why technical experts don't automatically become great teachers just because they're the best at the job. If you're leading engineers, manufacturing teams, or any technical organization, this episode is a practical conversation about what actually changes when your job shifts from doing the work to helping other people do it well. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Introduction [00:02:38] Why engineers struggle when they become managers [00:05:48] Finding the right balance between delegation and micromanagement [00:09:16] What makes technical training different [00:11:32] Breaking old habits and creating new standards [00:14:00] Why great performers don't always make great trainers [00:17:12] Asking better questions instead of giving answers [00:22:28] Why training should be treated like a product [00:25:57] Overcommunication beats undercommunication [00:26:56] Knowing what should and shouldn't be trained KEY TAKEAWAYS Great engineers don't automatically become great leaders Leadership starts when you stop trying to solve every problem yourself Delegation changes based on each person's experience and maturity Clear expectations are different from micromanagement The best coaches ask questions before offering solutions Technical experts need coaching skills to become effective trainers Good onboarding teaches both the work and the culture Training only works when leaders reinforce it every day Overcommunication is usually better than undercommunication Teach principles that stay the same, even when processes change If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the show, share it with someone leading a technical team, and leave a review so more engineering leaders can find these conversations. Links & Resources Ashley Chang LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleylchang/ Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios
June 23, 202644 min
Why Most Leadership Training Doesn’t Translate to the Floor w/ Craig Coyle
Most companies say they’re developing leaders. But when you look at what actually happens on the floor, or inside a new manager’s first real team, it doesn’t line up. Craig Coyle spent years as an Army aviator and now works with frontline leaders in manufacturing and defense environments. What he saw in both worlds is the same gap, people are promoted into leadership, then left to figure it out in real time, without the structure they were used to as operators. In aviation, that doesn’t happen. You don’t just become a pilot in command and get told to figure it out. There’s progression, there’s repetition, there’s instructor pilots inside the mission, not outside of it. That contrast is what drives this conversation. We talk through what changes when leadership is treated like a skill that needs structured training instead of something people just “grow into.” And why most development programs fall short, not because the content is wrong, but because it’s removed from the environment where the work actually happens. There’s also a deeper problem underneath it all, most organizations don’t have a clear definition of what “good” looks like for a manager. So people default to whatever worked for them personally, or whatever their last boss did. That inconsistency is what creates the gap between intent and execution. Craig breaks down what he’s building now, a model that treats leadership development less like theory and more like progression inside a system, similar to how pilots are trained over time, not in isolated workshops. If you lead people, or you’re responsible for people who lead people, this episode is really about one thing, what it would take to make leadership actually show up on the floor, not just in training materials. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Introduction [00:01:00] Most people don’t know what training actually is [00:02:33] Military vs corporate leadership development gap [00:06:46] “Figure it out” leadership in the Army [00:09:35] Learning leadership the hard way after promotion [00:10:05] Why pilot training builds a different standard [00:15:28] Procedure vs technique in decision making [00:17:00] Science vs art of leadership [00:22:20] Why classroom training fails on the floor [00:29:00] The bandwidth problem in leadership roles [00:32:00] Why prioritization decides everything in leadership [00:35:03] Why most leadership training doesn’t move the needle [00:37:00] Closing the “back door” in workforce development [00:39:00] Minimum Viable Manager concept KEY TAKEAWAYS Most leadership training fails because it’s removed from the environment where work actually happens “Figure it out” is not a leadership system, it’s a gap in one Aviation builds leadership through progression, not one-off training Good management requires structure, not just experience Instruction needs to exist inside operations, not outside them Procedure creates consistency, technique creates flexibility Most organizations don’t define what “good manager” actually means Context is what makes training stick, not content alone Bandwidth is one of the biggest hidden limits in leadership You don’t fix leadership by adding content, you fix it by changing the system If this episode resonates with you, subscribe to the show, share it with someone who leads a team, and leave a review so more people building in complex environments can find it. Links & Resources Craig Coyle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-coyle/ Website: https://operationlead.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OperationLead Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios
June 16, 202649 min
Building a Training Program for a Technical Team with Roy Samson
Most technical training programs fail before the first technician ever sets foot in the room. Not because the content is wrong. Because the entire design is wrong. Traditional training asks: did they understand it? Technical training asks something harder: can they actually do it? And in aerospace, where it takes a million things to go right and one thing to go wrong. In this first ever live episode of the Leadership Launchpad, Matt sits down with Roy Samson, a technical training veteran from the aerospace industry. Together they break down what it actually takes to build a training program for a technical team. What you'll learn: Why "passing the course" isn't the same as being ready — and how to handle the gap How to decide how much theory a technician actually needs (and when to skip it entirely) What "building an OS for quality" means and why it matters more than any curriculum How to build credibility with subject matter experts when you don't have a technical background Why training will happen in your org whether you plan it or not — and why that should scare you For engineering managers, technical leads, and L&D professionals trying to build real capability in hard tech environments. New episodes weekly. Subscribe and drop a comment if you want us to go deeper on any of these topics. Learn more at BuiltLeaders.com
June 9, 202635 min
How Great Leaders Build Alignment Without Slowing Down Execution
Most leaders talk about speed. Ian Walsh doesn’t. In this conversation, he separates speed from what actually matters in leadership: velocity, meaning speed with direction. Ian has spent his career in aerospace and defense, from flying Marine Cobra attack helicopters to leading companies through scale and transformation. Now as CEO of FDH Aero , he is operating inside an industry that is growing fast and getting more complex. He starts every new role in listen and learn mode. No immediate changes, no playbook, just understanding how the business actually works. That mindset carries through how he thinks about scaling. Fixing a business is about rebuilding capability. Scaling is about making sure the core can support growth without breaking when conditions change. A big part of his approach is how decisions move through an organization. Push them closer to the work, but keep clear guardrails and one accountable owner for each outcome. He also focuses on a few simple questions: do people know where they are going and how fast, are decisions stuck at the top, and do people actually feel accountable. At the center of it all is communication. When people are guessing, alignment breaks. And when alignment breaks, everything slows down, even if it looks like progress. This episode is a grounded look at leadership inside complex environments where clarity and ownership matter more than anything else. If you are early in your career, this is a blueprint for how leaders think. If you are more experienced, it is a check on whether you are still getting the basics right. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Speed is dangerous, velocity requires direction [00:02:49] Aerospace as a constantly evolving global industry [00:06:36] Starting any new role in listen and learn mode [00:10:24] The difference between fixing and scaling a business [00:14:45] Speed versus velocity in decision making [00:18:22] Communication as the foundation of alignment [00:22:53] Why delegation fails without training and support [00:27:13] Values versus performance in leadership decisions [00:28:53] Lessons on risk and judgment from aviation [00:31:27] Building better risk awareness through experience [00:32:54] Sustaining a high performance culture over time KEY TAKEAWAYS Speed without direction creates risk rather than progress Every new organization requires time spent listening and understanding Leadership playbooks rarely transfer cleanly between companies Scaling requires leveraging fixed systems, not only adding resources Decentralization only works when paired with clear guardrails Accountability breaks down when ownership is unclear Most bottlenecks are caused by misalignment, not lack of effort Communication needs to match the pace of change in the organization Values can be identified, performance can be developed High performance cultures are built through consistent behavior over time If this episode resonates with you, subscribe to the show, share it with someone who leads a team, and leave a review so more people building in complex environments can find it. Links & Resources Ian Walsh LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-walsh-76864a2b/ Website: https://fdhaero.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FDHAero Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios
June 2, 202631 min
Stop Waiting for Permission to Lead w/ Keith Ferrazzi
Most people think leadership starts when someone gives them authority. I don't think that's true. One of the ideas that kept coming up in my conversation with Keith Ferrazzi is that leadership is rarely granted before it's demonstrated. The people who create outsized impact inside organizations aren't waiting for the title, the promotion, or the perfect moment. They're already acting like leaders long before anyone officially calls them one. That matters more today than ever. The pace of change is accelerating. Industries are being reshaped by AI, supply chain volatility, shifting markets, and entirely new ways of working. In that environment, technical expertise alone isn't enough. The people who continue to grow are the ones who know how to learn faster, build stronger relationships, challenge ideas constructively, and bring others with them. Keith has spent decades studying high-performing teams and advising some of the world's largest organizations. What stood out to me most wasn't a complicated leadership framework. It was how much of great leadership comes down to simple, repeatable practices that most teams never adopt. The uncomfortable reality is that most teams are mediocre. They avoid conflict. They don't challenge each other when it matters. They don't hold each other accountable. They don't create the kind of trust that allows great work to happen. The good news is that you don't need permission to change that. This conversation explores what it means to lead without authority, how high-performing teams are built through practice rather than personality, and why taking responsibility for your own growth is still one of the highest leverage decisions you can make. If you're early in your leadership journey, this episode is a blueprint. If you've been leading for years, it's a reminder that the fundamentals still matter. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Intro [04:28] Is the MBA Still Worth It in an AI-Driven World? [07:48] Why Relationships Drive Opportunity, Learning, and Execution [12:08] Why Most Teams Never Reach High Performance [15:09] The Stress Test Framework for Better Team Decisions [19:58] Building Teams That Care About Each Other's Energy [21:53] The Three Types of Trust Every Leader Must Understand [26:00] Why Most Leaders Are Still Mediocre [29:37] Building a Peer Group That Won't Let You Fail KEY TAKEAWAYS Leadership begins before you receive a title or formal authority The fastest learners build relationships with people already doing what they aspire to do Everything meaningful in your career happens with and through other people High-performing teams are built through practice, not personality Most teams avoid the difficult conversations that create trust and accountability Trust is not one thing; it includes personal, professional, and structural trust Changing behavior is often easier than changing mindset Simple collaboration practices can dramatically improve team performance The bar for exceptional leadership is lower than most people realize Taking responsibility for your own development is a competitive advantage Links & Resources Keith Ferrazzi LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keithferrazzi Website: https://ferrazzigreenlight.com/ Book: https://shop.givingtons.com/products/never-lead-alone Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios
May 26, 202617 min
Why High Performers Learn to Stay Uncomfortable
Most teams don’t fail because they lack talent. They fail because they lose their ability to operate under discomfort. In this solo episode of Leadership Launchpad, I look at why the ability to stay effective when things get uncomfortable has become a defining factor in how modern teams perform. I draw a distinction between pressure that sharpens performance and pressure that overwhelms it, and why the difference between the two shows up in how teams are built, led, and developed over time. This matters because most organizations are operating in environments where change is constant, expectations shift quickly, and comfort is no longer a reliable indicator of stability or success. The real question for leaders is not whether their teams can avoid pressure, but whether they can function inside it without losing clarity or speed. That is what this episode is ultimately about. Episode Highlights: [00:00] Why uncomfortable teams outperform comfortable ones [03:19] Why the Body Only Grows Under Pressure [06:48] What Discomfort Looks Like Inside Organizations [07:50] Accountability vs Committee Culture [10:50] The Leadership Challenge of Pushing People [12:12] Why AI and Rapid Change Are Increasing Organizational Stress [15:08] Building Trust Before Raising Standards [17:31] The Key Question Every Manager Should Ask Key Takeaways: High-performing teams expand their capacity for discomfort over time Not all pressure reduces performance, some of it improves it Growth comes from exposure, not avoidance Feedback and accountability shape how teams respond under stress Fast-changing environments reward adaptability over stability Leadership is often about deciding what level of pressure a team can sustain The future belongs to teams that can stay clear and effective under uncertainty If this resonates with how you think about leadership and performance, subscribe for more conversations on building teams that operate well in complex environments. Links & Resources Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios
May 19, 202635 min
How to Scale Chaos Without Losing Control w/AstroForge COO Chapman Snowden
Most companies don’t fail because they lack process. They fail because they keep the wrong ones alive for too long. Process starts as a survival tool. It reduces chaos, aligns people, and turns scattered effort into repeatable execution. But at scale, the same systems that create clarity slowly become the thing that blocks it. The real challenge isn’t building structure, it’s knowing when it stops serving the work. Chap Snowden , COO of AstroForge , has had to live inside that tension in one of the most extreme environments possible: building a company trying to mine asteroids. When your timeline is measured in mission cycles and your risks are existential, there’s no room for process that exists “just because it used to work.” What emerges instead is a different operating principle: processes are temporary hypotheses. They exist to solve problems inside a specific window of time, sometimes 60 days, sometimes 180. After that, they either prove their value or they get removed without hesitation. This episode explores what it actually takes to build that kind of operating system in practice. Not in theory, not in frameworks, but in real organizational decision-making where speed, alignment, and clarity constantly collide. It’s a conversation about how companies scale without calcifying, how leaders stay aligned when they don’t always agree, and why the most dangerous thing in any growing organization is an unexamined process that no one remembers the origin of. Episode Highlights: [00:00] When processes quietly become the problem (and why most teams miss it) [03:53] From Banking to Building: The Search for Meaningful Systems [08:35] Choosing High-Binary Bets and Aligning Under Uncertainty [14:57] Disagree Fast, Design Light: The Minimum Viable Process Mindset [20:56] Minimum Viable Process: Killing Tribal Knowledge and Friction [24:16] Instructional Design and Respecting User Attention [27:06] Communication Speed Over Perfection [31:27] Bad Process Starts With Unclear Problem Key Takeaways Process is temporary and should expire when the problem changes The real failure in scaling is keeping outdated process too long Misalignment in mental models is a bigger problem than lack of effort Minimum viable process means only what is necessary for repeatability Speed forces clarity and exposes weak assumptions early Tribal knowledge does not scale and eventually breaks systems Operations should be designed like product experiences The hardest skill in leadership is removing process not adding it If this resonates with how you are thinking about leadership and scaling teams, subscribe for more conversations like this. Links & Resources Chapman Snowden LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmansnowden Website: https://www.astroforge.com/ Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios
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