Be a Grass-Roots Leader: A Career Reflection and Invitation by Ken Hardman

“You just completed significant research for an important project. Knowing that your results could benefit the work of other peers, you feel motivated to share it in a reputable peer-reviewed journal and add to the world’s body of knowledge. In conference with your manager, you both agree that releasing this information might deprive the company of a competitive advantage. Therefore, your paper, for the time being, must remain as protected intellectual property.”

That’s the way I started my 2022 article, “The Space Between,” in the Boeing Innovation Quarterly. [1] The brief article, a must-read, goes on to tell of my leading hundreds of employees a decade earlier in the creation of the Boeing Technical Journal (BTJ), an internal proprietary and peer-reviewed publication. In a company where everyone is empowered to achieve success, this non-management grassroots quorum of employees systematically addressed obstacles and developed procedures for the BTJ. The article concludes, “With some careful thought and collaboration, you can find the space between,” referring to balancing both company constraints and career ambitions.

Infographic on the Paths to Publication at the Boeing Technical Journal | Boeing Innovation Quarterly

As the founder of the BTJ, I am proud of the thousands of authors and hundreds of papers that have been written, peer-reviewed and released across Boeing thereby advancing engineering, safety, and all other subjects important to Boeing. [2] With the BTJ in mind, this article is about demonstrating grassroots leadership throughout your career. It is about serving or leading others using character and technical ability whether you are a designated leader or not.

I started my career working on satellites, designing gimbals and gearing systems to survive the environment of space. I went on to missile systems, where I developed tests and conducted analyses. I improved components on commercial aircraft environmental control systems. I earned a master’s degree with thesis work that built upon what I had learned so far. I then became a manager in the development of industrial automation equipment.

Soon thereafter, Boeing created an alternative career path called the Technical Fellowship to which I applied. Justified by my efforts in innovation, mentoring, and creativity to that point, I became an Associate Technical Fellow (ATF). While working on a specific program, the BTJ was conceived wherein my ATF status helped rally employees across the company. Meanwhile, to further develop and use mentoring skills, I became an adjunct faculty Capstone [3] coach at BYU and have mentored engineering seniors for the past twenty years. During those same years, I improved my composition skills by writing a series of Engineering Stories [4], thereby increasing my problem solving, creative writing and mentoring skills. Some of these stories are published in STEM Magazine. [5]

With my leadership initiative in the BTJ and a growing reputation for technical writing, I was referred for technical collaboration and leadership at remote sites on space-related equipment and commercial aircraft. I developed more efficient diagnostic and troubleshooting procedures for critical equipment. Each of these in turn opened more opportunities for grass-roots leadership.

It’s clear that as my career progressed, so did the BTJ, but neither miraculously developed overnight. Many factors, and countless hours, were involved. So, what were the key principles? And how did this service-oriented mindset allow me to lead large initiatives from the bottom of the company to the top? First, character pays! I once received a substantial cash award simply for ‘having integrity.’ Best compliment I ever received. In addition to monetary compensation, being trusted opens opportunities. Second, lifelong learning opens doors. Prayerfully anticipate needed skills, obtain them, raise your hand, and get involved.

Third, learn many forms of communication. Whatever career path you choose, you will be more effective if you communicate well with people. Do you have the ability to convey what you’re thinking in various ways, and in a way that draws thoughts and ideas out of others, doesn’t put them down, doesn’t shun ideas, and that helps bring the team together? The methods of communication include verbal, written, graphical, digital, etc. Choose to learn and use all these forms of communication.

Fourth, apply effective problem-solving. In engineering, we define requirements and analyze the problem with respect to those requirements, generate and evaluate solutions, then implement and evaluate the results. This applies to the development of any product, system or service, including the BTJ. The BTJ was the result of a problem to solve, combined with effectively communicating the problem and solutions. At the time I thought, “How do I choose and integrate words and sentences into a paragraph so they truly convey what I’m trying to do and draw out what I want to get from readers?” To me, writing a paragraph, drawing a sketch, and preparing a verbal presentation have the same challenges as solving a hard-core engineering design problem. Before I put the idea of the BTJ out to Boeing employees, I defined and analyzed the problem, then generated and evaluated reasonable solutions. I was anxious yet patient. I knew that in order to draw attention from the right people, I needed to take the time to write it and rewrite it with all stakeholders in mind (just as I am now doing in writing this article). I consulted with someone close to me to validate if my writing achieved the goal. As a result, people got it. And even though there were many obstacles, the BTJ took on a life of its own and people raised their hands to get involved and solve the problems.

With the BTJ up and running, I published my original technical paper and shared that knowledge with my peers through the BTJ. As stated previously in the Innovation Quarterly article, “With some careful thought and collaboration, [I found] the space between,” balancing both company constraints and career ambitions. In addition, as the chairman of the BTJ my life-long learning and communication opportunities accelerated as each paper submitted by each employee passed through my computer for processing. The breadth and depth of impact to company products and services is significant. The impact to me was a career of significant service and satisfaction.

So, whether by assigned role or self-initiative, I charge you to be a grassroots leader in your career. Be a grassroots leader in innovation, integrity, communication, and problem solving—for the benefit of your company, vocation, and lifelong service to all mankind.

References

[1] Ken Hardman, “The Space Between”, Innovation Quarterly, 2022 Q1, Vol. 6, Issue 19, pg. 56. (www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/boeingdotcom/features/innovation-quarterly/2022/02/Innovation_Quarterly_2022_Q1_020422b.pdf)

[2] See Ken Hardman, “Selections from the Boeing Technical Journal”, Innovation Quarterly, 2016, pg. 28. (https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/boeingdotcom/features/innovation-quarterly/archive/IQ_2016_August_002.pdf)

[3] Capstone, BYU College of Engineering, (https://capstone.byu.edu/)

[4] Kenneth R Hardman, Engineering Stories – Realistic Fiction in STEM, 2013, www.amazon.com

[5] STEM Magazine, see The Orbital Mechanic, Jan. 2018, and Rescue on Angel’s Landing, Feb. 2022 (www.stemmagazine.com/authors/)

To cite this article:

Hardman, Ken. “Be a Grass-Roots Leader: A Career Reflection and Invitation by Ken Hardman.” The BYU Design Review, 10 Feb. 2025, https://www.designreview.byu.edu/collections/be-a-grass-roots-leader-a-career-reflection-and-invitation-by-ken-hardman-byu-graduate-byu-adjunct-faculty-and-retired-boeing-associate-technical-fellow.