Auction Name: 2026 March 21 Space Exploration Showcase Auction

Lot Number: 71188

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/33172*71188

Gene Kranz Signed Book: Tough and Competent. Leadership and Team Chemistry. (Tampa: Gatekeeper Press, 2023). First Edition, first printing. Signed in black felt tip on a bookplate: "Eugene Kranz". "Kranz captures the essence of the development of the leadership and team chemistry, the IT! Of the control teams who worked around the clock to overcome a seemingly impossible challenge to provide a great Hollywood ending to our mission." (Fred Haise). Hardbound in a dust jacket, octavo, 402 pages, lightly illustrated. Very fine.

This book distills the hard-won lessons of NASA's legendary Flight Director into a clear, uncompromising philosophy for building high-performance teams. Drawing on Apollo-era crises and triumphs, Kranz argues that disciplined preparation, personal accountability, and mutual trust form the foundation of mission success. His guidance offers a practical blueprint for leaders who must make critical decisions under pressure while cultivating a culture that never settles for "good enough."

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