At a basic level it was about America not letting its Cold War enemy Russia dominate space, and so putting a man on the moon and getting him home safely by the end of the 60s became President John F. Kennedy's goal.

And yes, the numerous scientific and technological advances that were made in the pursuit of that goal are mind-boggling. Like the shrinking of computer processors - from taking up whole buildings into something they could take to the moon and back. The origins of your laptop and smartphone started there.

But in getting properly acquainted with what is considered humankind's greatest achievement of the 20th century, it's striking how much we can learn from how they got it done.

Compared to the convoluted (or absent) political and corporate vision statements of today, it's striking how clear Kennedy's commitment was. "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth," he told the US Congress in 1961.

That simple statement ticks all the Communications 101 boxes by articulating the "what" and "when" of the plan. It was super easy for everyone to understand. But it was so much more nuanced than that.

That one sentence spoke reams about Kennedy's vision for America's place in the world - something his citizens wanted to know given the fraught times. Kennedy couldn't have said "game on" more clearly without launching an all out war on Russia.

It was also another proof point of Kennedy's leadership style. He didn't just tell Americans and the world he was different to those who came before him, he put it into action.

The commitment to go to the moon wasn't just words - it resulted in the biggest mobilisation of civilian resources in US history, and in the mid-60s, NASA commanded around 5 per cent of the country's federal budget.

When you think of the challenges the world faces - climate change, poverty, disease - and you look for leaders who have the guts and ability to affect change in a big way, it's easy to feel like we are staring into the abyss.

And sure, the 60s was a different time. For example, the pedestal Kennedy is on would more likely to resemble the naughty chair if he was around today. Then again, President Donald Trump keeps on keeping on, so who really knows. But the fact that we continue to look to our leaders for answers to the big questions says we're not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

The stories about how the men and women who turned Kennedy's vision into reality reads like a management textbook for any large organisation. NASA didn't get everything right by any stretch. In fact, a flash point came in 1967 - just 21/2 years before Apollo 11's triumph - when three astronauts were killed in a fire during ground testing.

The investigation into what went wrong uncovered a succession of technical and safety problems exacerbated by the seemingly impossible timeframe of getting to the moon by the end of the decade. It also found there were significant cultural issues that led to those working at the pointy end of the program being "too gung-ho".

It was then that legendary flight director Gene Kranz pulled his team together to demand they be "tough and competent", and that meant putting their hands up to tackle problems when they saw them. The ability to face problems early remains a marker of any successful outfit today.

And here's something for anyone worried about those upstart Millennials looking to do too much too soon in their careers. The average age of the flight controllers working at mission control during Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's descent to the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, was just 26. For many, it was their first job out of university, but they were charged with making the decisions that would ultimately get those men to the moon and back safely.

Kranz told his team as they prepared for the landing: "I will stand behind every decision you will make. We came into this room a team and we will leave as a team."

His backing wasn't a blank cheque - it came after a lot of hard work. No matter what your line of work, it's hard not to be inspired.