Bill Ballhaus
Position: The new chief executive of SRA International, an information technology services and solutions consulting company based in Fairfax.
With a grandfather and father pioneering efforts in aircraft engineering, Bill Ballhaus soon found himself with a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics, and working his way up as an executive at Hughes Space and Communications. Eventually he served as an executive at BAE Systems and most recently chief executive of DynCorp International.
You come from a line of aerospace engineers. Was there any pressure to become one?
No. That may sound odd as you look at the facts. I was always encouraged to do the things I enjoyed. Most importantly, whatever I decided to do, I was encouraged to do my very best, apply myself and leave it on the field so-to-speak.
What about the aerospace and aircraft industries drew you?
Like a lot of people, I was always intrigued by space missions because it’s something we’re just not familiar with here on Earth. But I really came to appreciate putting products in space that needed to perform a mission without any maintenance, whether to reach some planet or operate in space for 15 years. It requires near perfection. Over time, I found that to be a really fun challenge to take on.
You mentioned that a mentor taught you the difference between management and leadership. What did you learn about that?
Management, in general, looks like operating within well-defined constraints, leading a team where the playing field, players and expectations are all set and you’re going through the process of getting work done. Leadership is much broader. It includes deciding which game will be played, what the game plan is and how the rules can be changed so they’re in your favor.
What business books are you reading?
“Physics of the Future” [by Michio Kaku]. It’s about the impact of the merging technologies and a prediction of how those technologies might impact our life in the future. It intrigued me because it’s neat to get a glimpse of what might be possible through major technology breakthroughs.
— Interview with Vanessa Small
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