Leadership Launchpad

Matt Gjertsen - Better Every Day Studios
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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.

  1. 11 HR AGO

    The Real Job of Leadership in Technical Teams with Nancy Cable

    Most people think leadership in technical companies is about being the most knowledgeable person in the room. Knowing the answers, setting the direction, and solving the hardest problems yourself. But the longer you spend actually doing the job, the more obvious it becomes that this is almost never what matters. The real challenge is much simpler to describe and much harder to execute. Getting people aligned on what actually matters, making sure they’re working on the right problems, and then building the environment where they can keep improving how they do it. Most teams don’t fail because they lack talent, they fail because they slowly drift away from focus without realizing it. In this episode, I sit down with Nancy Cable, Senior Director of Manufacturing at Ursa Major, to talk about what leadership actually looks like inside a fast-scaling aerospace company. We get into how she thinks about building and scaling manufacturing systems, why hiring for attitude and initiative matters more than pure technical skill in her world, and how she thinks about managing teams that are growing quickly in both size and complexity. A big theme in this conversation is the tension between chaos and structure. In an environment where teams are building real hardware fast, it’s easy to get pulled into constant tactical firefighting. The real leadership challenge is knowing when to step into that chaos, and when to step back and make sure the system is actually scaling in the right direction. Episode Highlights00:00 Setting the stage for leadership in aerospace 01:00 From Propulsion to Scalable Aerospace Manufacturing 04:24 Inside Manufacturing at Ursa Major 07:10 How Leaders Show Up, Not What They Represent 09:54 Building teams with emotional and technical diversity 13:14 The mistake of treating everyone the same 18:05 Hiring for initiative over pure technical ability 20:59 Why Hiring Isn’t About Finding Perfect People 24:06 Culture screening and the ‘airport test 28:57 Balancing chaos vs structure in fast-moving teams 30:57 Staying grounded when everything feels tactical Key Takeaways Leadership is not about having all the answers, it is about making sure the team is working on the right things.Most teams do not fail from lack of talent, they fail from lack of focus and alignment.Hiring for initiative and attitude matters more than purely technical skill in fast moving environments.Scaling is not just doing more work, it is building systems that can handle growth without losing speed or clarity.Great leaders do not create answers, they create environments where better answers surface and get used.Culture is not a one time screen, it is reinforced through every hire, decision, and interaction.The real challenge of leadership is balancing chaos and structure without losing direction. Links & ResourcesNancy Cable LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nancy-cable-583929b Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios

    34 min

  2. 5 MAY

    The Real Job of a CEO with Matt Gialich

    Most leaders think their job is complicated. It’s not. I tend to break it down into three things: get people working together, get them working on the right things, and improve the work over time. The problem is that second one. Getting people focused on the right things sounds simple, but in practice, it’s where most teams fall apart. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Gialich, CEO of AstroForge, to talk about what that actually looks like inside a company trying to do something insanely hard, mining asteroids in deep space. We get into how he unexpectedly became CEO, why the job is less about vision and more about doing whatever needs to get done, and how easy it is for teams to drift even when everyone is talented and working hard. A big theme throughout this conversation is focus vs overengineering. Engineers naturally want to go beyond the requirement, make things stronger, better, more robust. But that almost always comes at the cost of speed. And in environments like space or startups, speed is not optional, it is the advantage. Learning faster, iterating faster, and actually shipping matters more than building something “perfect.” We also talk about fear, how it shows up in teams, how it leads to overthinking and unnecessary work, and why staying close to the actual mission is the only real way to fight it. No frameworks, no hacks. Just being in the room, talking to people, and constantly reinforcing what actually matters. If you are leading a team, especially in a fast moving or technical environment, this is really a conversation about what the job actually is and what it is not. Episode Highlights00:00 What it actually means to be a CEO 03:40 AstroForge Didn’t Start in Space, It Started as a Submarine Company 07:54 Building Somebody Else’s Company15:30 The “overengineering problem” in technical teams 13:42 Monthly Calendar Audit for Cutting Out Noise 18:49 Why Small Teams Overbuild Instead of Staying Focused 23:12 Speed, Fear, and Why Iteration Beats Perfection 27:28 Flight Cadence, Failure, and Why Speed Beats Perfection in Space 31:45 Execution, Auditing Reality, and the First Deep Space Missions Key Takeaways A CEO’s job is not abstract vision, it is execution on whatever increases enterprise valueSmall teams don’t fail from lack of talent, they fail from lack of focusEngineers naturally optimize beyond requirements, but that often slows down learning and iterationSpeed is not just execution, it is a way to reduce risk over timeFear inside teams often shows up as overthinking or overbuildingThe real job of leadership is constantly reinforcing what matters and removing noiseYou do not scale alignment with frameworks, you scale it with repetition and presenceMost organizational problems are actually prioritization problems in disguise Links & ResourcesMatt Gialich LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-gialich AstroForge Website: https://www.astroforge.com/about-us Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios

    36 min

  3. 28 APR

    Why Leadership is Limiting Our Future

    This solo episode explores the challenges and opportunities facing hard tech and leadership in today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape. The host announces the rebranding of their company from Better Everyday Studios to Built, with a renewed focus on training the next generation of hard tech leaders. The discussion covers why large-scale technology projects so often run over budget, highlights the critical role of leadership in the success of ambitious endeavors, and examines how AI is reshaping company sizes and the demand for effective technical leaders. The episode also outlines three key reasons why developing strong leaders is more essential than ever. Listeners are invited to tune in next week for a conversation with Matt Gialich from Astroforge, who will share insights on asteroid mining and building agile organizations.

    15 min

  4. 23 APR

    Where's the Line Between Pushing People and Being an A*hole?

    On this week’s episode of the Leadership Launchpad, we are bringing you a crossover episode from the VHTB podcast. If you enjoy the discussion and want more make sure to check out other episodes. YouTube: https://bit.ly/4sooBQoSpotify: https://bit.ly/3YRPxueApple: https://apple.co/4q3Zn8k Where’s the line between pushing people to do their best work… and just being an asshole? It’s a question that comes up a lot in high-performance environments especially in hard tech, where the stakes are high and the margin for error is small. Because in industries like space, defense, and advanced engineering, “good enough” isn’t good enough. The standards are high for a reason. But how you enforce those standards? That’s where things get complicated. In this episode, Matt Gjertsen from Better Every Day Studios is joined by Brian Mejeur from AdAstra Talent Advisors and Justus Kilian from Space Capital to talk through that tension. We get into what actually drives people to perform at their best and why simply pushing harder isn’t always the answer. We get into the difference between attacking the problem versus attacking the person, why self-motivation matters more than external pressure, and how culture shapes where that “line” actually sits. We talk about the reality that not everyone is motivated the same way. Some people thrive in intense, high-pressure environments. Others shut down completely. And if it’s not clear upfront, that creates real problems in hiring, retention, and performance. If you’re leading a team or working in one, this episode is a thoughtful look at how to balance high standards with respect, and how to build a culture that pushes people without breaking them. Episode Highlights [00:00] Why high standards matter more in hard tech [01:43] The fine line between pushing performance and crossing it [04:04] Why people only work hard when they’re bought into the mission [05:21] Self-motivation vs. forced motivation [08:09] Personal vs. problem-focused feedback [10:06] What happens when leaders go too far [12:00] The “asshole tax” of doing big, disruptive things [14:04] Why the line moves depending on context [15:00] The real job of a manager: driving performance, not venting Episode Takeaways High standards are necessary in hard tech, but how you enforce them matters just as much.People are more motivated by mission and belief than by pressure alone.Great leaders focus criticism on the problem not the person.Self-motivation (“batteries included”) is one of the most important traits in high performers.Culture clarity is critical people need to know what they’re signing up for.Intensity can drive performance, but only in high-trust environments.The line between pushing and going too far isn’t fixed it moves based on trust, consistency, and alignment. Subscribe to VHTB for more insights on the talent, culture, and finance sides of space startups. Resources & Links Space Capital: https://www.spacecapital.com/Better Every Day Studios: https://bettereverydaystudios.com/ Ad Astra Talent Advisors: https://adastra.us/

    19 min

  5. 14 APR

    The Real Price of Moving Fast in Aerospace with Hans Koenigsmann

    Most teams think leadership at SpaceX is about speed, pressure, and technical brilliance. Hans Koenigsmann, former VP of Build and Flight Reliability and one of the earliest employees at SpaceX, describes something more subtle: it’s about constantly operating outside your comfort zone, and learning how to make decisions when everything is changing at once. In this conversation, Hans reflects on what it was like growing with SpaceX from a handful of people to over 14,000 employees, and how that scale forced him to repeatedly shift not just his role, but his identity as a leader. He talks about moving away from being a “generalist who can duct tape things together” toward finding where he could actually be useful at system level. We also get into how he thinks about risk, not as something objective, but as something deeply personal. Hans explains why you should never evaluate risk alone, how teams normalize danger over time, and why diverse perspectives matter more than most formal risk frameworks. There’s also a strong theme around leadership humility. Hans shares how SpaceX changed his perspective on ego, company alignment, and what it actually means to put organizational goals ahead of individual ones — especially when decisions get uncomfortable. And throughout the episode, one idea keeps coming up: growth doesn’t come from staying in control, it comes from repeatedly stepping into situations where you’re not. If you’re interested in how high-performance technical organizations actually operate behind the scenes, this one is worth your time. Episode Highlights 00:00 Stepping outside your comfort zone 03:10 Scaling from early SpaceX to 14,000+ people 06:00 Finding where you’re actually useful as a leader 08:30 Leadership training and what doesn’t translate 11:30 Why risk is personal, not objective 14:05 How teams normalize risk over time 15:59 Learning from other people’s failures 17:54 Thinking about launch costs and competition Key Takeaways Leadership roles shift dramatically as organizations scale, even if titles stay the same. Generalists often need to reposition themselves as systems become more specialized. Risk perception is personal and changes based on experience and context. Teams need diverse perspectives to properly evaluate risk. You should never evaluate risk in isolation. Most of leadership growth comes from operating outside your comfort zone repeatedly. Learning from other people’s failures is one of the fastest ways to build judgment. Humility and company alignment become more important as organizations scale. Links & Resources Hans Koenigsmann LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hans-koenigsmann-2a141b5 Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios

    22 min

  6. 7 APR

    The Data Problem No One Solved with Austin Spiegel

    Most teams don’t realize they’re missing critical data until something goes wrong. In this episode, Austin Spiegel, co-founder and CTO of Sift and former SpaceX engineer, dives into why telemetry, simple in concept, a value and a timestamp, can become a massive problem in hardware. Miss even a fraction of a second, and you lose the story. Software engineers have plenty of tools to solve this. Hardware engineers haven’t, until now. We also talk leadership, what it’s like stepping into management early, why teams can actually be too flat, and how your role shifts from doing the work to connecting context. On hiring, Austin explains why pedigree doesn’t equal talent, and how Sift focuses on practical, real-world ability. And throughout, one theme emerges: speed. Not just moving fast, but learning and iterating faster than anyone else. If you’re building complex systems or leading technical teams, this one hits on a lot of things that don’t usually get said out loud. Episode Highlights 00:00 What telemetry actually is (and why it fails) 05:07 Why hardware never got its “Datadog moment” 12:05 The real challenge of high-frequency data 17:43 Becoming a manager too early at SpaceX 22:27 Interviewing for skills and values over pedigree. 26:59 The shift from doing work to providing context 31:32 Motivating engineers through customer impact Key Takeaways Telemetry is simple in theory but breaks at scale and speed.Hardware teams lack the modern data tools software teams take for granted.Flat organizations can create decision bottlenecks.Great managers connect context more than they give answers.Pedigree is a weak signal, practical ability matters more.Interviews should mirror the actual job, not abstract problems.Speed is really about learning faster than everyone else.Engineers move faster when they’re closer to the customer. Links & Resources Austin Spiegel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spiegel/ Sift Website: https://www.siftstack.com/ Matt Gjertsen Website: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios

    36 min

  7. 31 MAR

    Why Constraints Make Teams Better with Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen

    Most technical teams think they have a technology problem. They usually don’t. In this episode, Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, former head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, talks about what actually goes wrong after overseeing dozens of missions and tens of billions in spend. We get into why canceling missions isn’t failure. It’s what makes risk possible in the first place. If you don’t kill things, one bad bet can quietly consume everything around it. He also breaks down something that feels backwards at first. Constraints are what make teams better. Not more time. Not more people. Not more budget. Constraints. There’s a moment where he talks about realizing he could actually destroy teams by giving them more funding. That shift from “provide resources” to “protect focus” shows up again and again in how he thinks about leadership. We also get into what happens as organizations scale. How they drift toward safety. How bureaucracy creeps in without anyone intending it. And why speed is usually the first thing you lose. On the team side, we talk about why adding people when you’re behind often makes things worse, not better. And how much of leadership is just making sure the right people are in the right roles, not trying to turn everyone into something they’re not. There’s also a really practical piece on creating a culture where ideas get challenged hard, without people feeling attacked. What that actually looks like in a room, and why most teams get that balance wrong. And probably the biggest takeaway: It’s not the technology. It’s the people system around it. If you’re leading engineers, running complex projects, or trying to move faster inside a system that keeps slowing you down, this one will feel very familiar. Episode Highlights00:00 Why canceling missions enables risk 06:40 How organizations drift toward safety 12:05 Constraints vs resources 18:20 Why adding people slows you down 24:10 Getting the right people in the right roles 29:30 Attacking ideas not people 34:45 The real reason projects fail Key TakeawaysConstraints drive innovation more than resources ever will.Adding people to a late project usually makes it later.Most failures are people problems, not technical ones.You can’t turn every leader into every type of leader.If ideas aren’t being challenged, you’re not moving fast enough. Dr. Thomas ZurbuchenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zurbuchen/ Website thomaszurbuchen.comfederationspeakers.com Matt GjertsenWebsite: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterEveryDayStudios

    36 min

  8. 24 MAR

    How the Best Teams Drive Innovation with Matt Gjertsen

    Most people ask what makes SpaceX different. It's a fair question. But the answer isn't what most people expect. In this solo episode, Matt breaks down the two qualities that separate organizations that thrive in chaos from the ones that get buried by it — and why most teams are unknowingly doing both of these things wrong. The trigger was Jared Isaacman's changes to the Artemis program and a framing that came out of the Off Nominal podcast: nobody said they were the constraint. So Isaacman said, fine — let's go faster and find out who is. That's not just a NASA story. That's a story about how high-performing teams actually work. The first quality is being willing to push people hard enough that they fail. Not because failure is the goal, but because failure is the only way to find the constraint. If everyone's comfortable, you don't actually know what's holding the team back. You just think you do. The second quality is what happens next. Once you find the constraint, you have to disregard hierarchy and throw whatever resources are required at that one thing. Because by definition, fixing it raises the ceiling for the entire system. Then you find the next one and do it again. This is what founder mode actually looks like in practice. Not chaos. Not ignoring process. It's knowing what the constraint is at all times, and having the authority and willingness to go solve it personally. There's also a piece here on trust that Matt keeps coming back to. You can't push a team to failure in an environment where people are afraid to admit they're failing. The job isn't to make people comfortable. It's to make them comfortable being uncomfortable. If you're trying to figure out why your team keeps hitting the same ceiling, this episode is probably going to feel very familiar. Key Takeaways You can't find the constraint if you never push the system past its limits.Trust isn't about comfort — it's about making people comfortable with discomfort.Once you find the constraint, hierarchy stops mattering. Resources go there, full stop.The difference between what's impossible for a director and easy for a VP is just authority, not complexity.Every high-performing team is doing these two things: finding constraints and eliminating them, over and over.

    18 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Gjertsen - Better Every Day Studios
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    185
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Better Every Day Studios - Matthew Gjertsen
  • Show Website
    Leadership Launchpad

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