Lessons on the Hill

Friends,

I just got back from a week in Washington DC. I met with 12 US Representatives, 1 US Senator, and staff assistants for 8 other congressional members. It was a busy, exhausting week.

I am always impressed with how our government works. I appreciate the access that citizens can have to their representatives. I love the energy that you feel in the halls of the Capitol buildings and throughout the town. And I enjoy watching the churning of issues and ideas as they play out between constituent groups and those who represent them.

As ususal I had my fair share of screw-ups within this arena. Despite the fact that we have thousands of projects, I should have been better prepared in order to know the details of the one project in the hometown of one of the Members (just the Leader of one of the Houses of Congress -- ouch!). I should have known that the follow-up question to our presentation to another Member on a landmark study we had just completed would be...did you bring me a copy of that study? Ouch, again. And finally, I should have done my homework on one of our projects with a cost overrun and been prepared to account for what had caused it and how we could recover.

Yes...bruised from these sorts of setbacks but...never defeated! Most of the visits went very well. At that level of interaction, I have found the following to be keys to success:

-- Be prepared. Know the issues and be ready for questions.
-- Be ready to talk fast and, if necessary, to talk on the move.
-- Have an agenda. Know what 1 or 2 key points you must cover.
-- Have a "Leave Behind" packet of information that summarizes (very succinctly) your key points.
-- Leverage your experts. If you don't have all the answers, bring people who do.
-- Be confident. Know that you are an expert on your respective topic...and your audience is not! And know that they are regular folk -- just like the rest of us!
-- Be situationally aware. Have a feel for what are the hot issues of the day and the context in which you are making your pitch.
-- Do a quick huddle before you go into the office and review your approach. Then huddle afterwards and make sure you all heard the same thing and captured any key take-aways.

As with everything else, I learned a number of lessons that will make me a better leader and my organization a more effective one. And despite my foul-ups, the good far outweighed the bad! Our meetings went well and I believe we remained in the good graces of those we serve (in government). Just as importantly, I finished the week with confidence that those who serve us (as government) are good, well intentioned people doing their best to represent us and make a difference in this critical period in our nation's history.

It's good to be home. But last week...it was good to be learning lessons up on the hill. That's Leader Business.

Know your enemy

Sun Tzu, a Chinese general whose words of wisdom still serve as guiding lights for military leaders, challenged us to "know our enemy:"

So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will fight without danger in battles.

If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.

If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.

I was reminded of this when I came across a blog post from author/blogger Thom Singer. He has some interesting thoughts in, Warning: Your Competition is Calling Your Clients:

"But with the focus on new relationships it is imperative that your company not forget your existing customers. While your sales team is hitting the street chasing new business, you must remember that those prospects are you competitions current clients. While you pounce on their customers and referral sources, do not forget that they are doing the same thing. The difference is that their prospects are YOUR customers. All customers are going to be interested in listening to any vendor who can save them money in this environment, so be clear that they are inviting your competitors into their offices to hear their proposals right this very moment."

Know your enemy. Know their strengths and weaknesses. Understand their strategic plans and how it will affect you and your business. Know what products they have now and those they are pursuing in the future. And as Thom has pointed out above, know your competition's customers while recognizing that they are coming after yours.

When we don't do this, we run the risk of irrelevancy. We can find our products don't matter, our services are not valued, and our customers have moved somewhere else.

So who does this sort of analysis in your outfit? Army units have an intelligence officer whose mission in life is to think like the enemy. They are tasked with providing updates to the commander on emerging capabilities and vulnerabilities. They role play as the enemy in wargames and try to point out how they might take advantage of our perceived weaknesses. They are constantly studying enemy tactics and trends to help the commander understand current and future threats and how they might be defeated.

Maybe it is time to dedicate some time and resources to the study of your opposition. You better believe...he is studying you! That...is Leader Business!

Fix Bayonets!

From a British Army Research Laboratory Report:

In May 2004, approximately 20 British troops in Basra were ambushed and forced out of their vehicles by about 100 Shiite militia fighters. When ammunition ran low, the British troops fixed bayonets and charged the enemy. About 20 militiamen were killed in the assault without any British deaths.

The bayonet charge appeared to succeed for three main reasons. First, the attack was the first of its kind in that region and captured the element of surprise. Second, enemy fighters probably believed jihadist propaganda stating that coalition troops were cowards unwilling to fight in close combat, further enhancing the element of surprise. Third, the strict discipline of the British troops overwhelmed the ability of the militia fighters to organize a cohesive counteraction. *****

For those of you who are trying to decide how to succeed in this seemingly impossible economic environment -- fix bayonets. For those who need to break out of the rut of business as usual -- charge! Do something different. Surprise your team, your customers, or your competitors with an approach that they never saw coming. Take the fight to the enemy, be aggressive, and attack.

Here's to those who are not afraid of close combat, who are capable of finding the sort of creative, risk-taking solutions to impossible problems. Here's to those who FIX BAYONETS! That's Leader Business. Hooah!

*****From Bayonets in Basra - A Case Study on the Effects of Irregular Warfare by Edwin Halpain and Justin Walker

Mission Planning V

A recent study by the US Army War College investigated critical behaviors of senior military leaders. Few skills ranked higher on the required attributes list than the ability to plan missions, solve problems and make decisions.

In the last several posts, we have examined the key elements of mission planning and decision making. It can be used for any number of possibilities:

-- Putting together a strategic plan that will deliver your company (or your school, city, or bank) out of its current financial challenges.
-- Analyzing courses of action for your next job, your choice of colleges to attend, or your next home.
-- Managing crises that occur at home, at school, at work, or in our government.

This 4-step process is quite simple: analyze the mission; develop alternatives; analyze alternatives; make a decision and communicate the results. We just need to get more leaders to follow this process. Doing so would help us avoid some of these common leadership shortcomings:

-- Failing to understand the overall mission requirements leads to solutions that don't work, solve the wrong problem, or do not address customer needs or concerns. How often do we make decisions without a full understanding of our own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, or threats (SWOT)? How many products have we produced without actually addressing a consumer preference or considered what our competition is already doing. Good decisionmaking comes from this sort of detailed examination of the mission. This is step 1: Mission Analysis.

-- Failing to develop multiple alternatives causes leaders to be blind to the shortcomings of their plans or to consider more appropriate solutions. How many times do we fall into the trap of traditional thinking, following the "we always do it this way" approach? If you find yourself "inside the box" -- it is probably because you are not taking the time to develop or consider multiple, viable solutions. This is step 2: Develop alternatives.

-- Failing to evaluate potential alternatives produces too many surprises during execution. Evaluating various courses of action can help leaders see second and third order effects of their decision: "If I go make this decision, then this is what will happen; if that happens, then here is what might happen after that." This sort of foresight comes from a detailed evaluation of alternatives. When we don't, we learn of problems too late. We stumble upon complications we should have understood before implementation. This is step 3: Evaluate alternatives.

-- Failing to make a decision and communicate the results can play out in several ways. First, too many leaders hesitate after working through this deliberate process. MAKE A DECISION! That is what they pay us to do! Then, make sure people fully understand the details of your decision. If it is a major change or controversial decision, teammates had better understand the background and key components of how it will make the organization, or its products, better. This comes from communicating the results of our decisions, in a deliberate, comprehensive methodology. This is step 4: Make a decision and communicate the results.

My friends, this works. Most of us cannot say that good decision making is easy or something we are born with. Rather, it is a learned skill. Keep practicing. Tell me if I can help you. If you have used this approach successfully, share your story here. If you are struggling to implement this mission planning framework, let's talk! I have taken hundreds of leaders from amateurs to seasoned pros by following this time-tested approach. I can help you or your team as well. It's not rocket science. It is Leader Business.

Mission Planning IV

A recent study by the US Army War College investigated critical behaviors of senior military leaders. Few skills ranked higher on the required attributes list than the ability to plan missions, solve problems and make decisions. Previous posts here looked at the first four steps of mission planning. Now we will look at some applications such as planning in a timed constrained environment and other uses of this planning process.

Mission planning in a time constrained environment.

Many scenarios require immediate decisions and do not allow for such a deliberate planning process as we have described to this point. In these instances, steps are not skipped but are compressed to fit the time available. If possible, include the input of one or two trusted agents. (In combat, leaders will grab a few key subordinates and huddle over a map, spread out on the hood of a Humvee)

It might be as simple as this:
-- What’s the problem?
-- What are the available options?
-- What is the best course of action?
-- What are the possible 2nd and 3rd order effects of this alternative?
-- What are the risks and how can they be mitigated?
-- OK...here's the decision...let's go. We'll work out the rest during execution.

Understand that this approach to planning is not a constraining, lock-step process but a framework for logical decision making that can be applied to any business and any problem. Military commanders find that once they understand the process, it can be adjusted based on the enemy and friendly situations and the time available for making the decision.

Great leaders are ultimately able to do this exercise in their head, especially in time constrained situations. They are able to “see” relative future positions and anticipate second and third order effects as a way to shape decisions and anticipate outcomes. No doubt it is an acquired skill - one that comes from the experience gained through the more deliberate exercise.

Caution: Leaders who consistently find themselves in time-constrained decision making situations would do well to examine the cause of time constraints. Deliberate planning helps leaders anticipate (and often eliminate) future problems and enables early positioning (organizationally and individually) for future opportunities. Time-constrained decision making is usually a self-inflicted wound!

Application of the Mission Planning Process

Leaders should engage in mission planning only for those problems and decisions that must be made at their level. If subordinates are empowered to solve problems and make certain decisions at their level – don’t pull this authority back from them. Similarly, don’t allow them to get lazy and push it back up to you!

Communicate your decisions and mission plans. Ask “who else needs to know?” Check higher, lower, left, and right. All mission plans must have a communication component that includes the workforce, customers, suppliers, shareholders, your boss, and anyone else impacted by your plan.

Allocate an amount of time for mission planning that reflects the needs of the situation. Take all available time…but not one second more. If decisions must be made right away - make them. If not, allow the situation to develop, gather additional information, test your plan with those whom you trust, and wait. Don’t be in a hurry to execute poor plans drawn up in haste.

Be bold in your mission planning and decision making. As you identify possible alternatives, ensure that at least one takes the “road less traveled.” The future of your organization lies not in the safety of being good but in the excitement of bold risk taking that defines greatness.

Never allow the urgency of the situation to create an excuse for taking short-cuts. Commit to plans that are morally and ethically sound, regardless of how others may justify the ethics of the moment. No personal or professional short term gain from a dishonorable decision is worth its long term cost – ever.

Conduct regular after action reviews with your subordinates and review your plans – good and bad. Your growth as a leader will be directly related to your ability to learn from your mistakes. As you apply lessons learned to your subsequent mission plans, you will constantly, consistently improve yourself and the organization that you lead.

Good leaders make informed decisions. Great leaders understand that, when they follow this methodology and provide the necessary input to guide the mission planning of the team, they create an empowered organization. They unlock creative energies by providing the stimulus for subordinates to debate issues openly and with the freedom to determine how to accomplish the mission – consistent with the leader’s overall intentions. That makes mission planning -- Leader Business.

Stay tuned for one more in this series on mission planning as we look at applications in today's business and leadership environment!

Photo courtesy of www.teamworksweb.com.

Mission Planning III

In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

-- Theodore Roosevelt

A recent study by the US Army War College investigated critical behaviors of senior military leaders. Few skills ranked higher on the required attributes list than the ability to plan missions, solve problems and make decisions. In the last post on this series, we looked at the first two steps of mission planning. We continue with those steps that translate intentions into action.

Step 1. Analyze the mission.

Step 2. Develop alternatives.

Step 3. Analyze alternatives.

Once alternatives are identified, they should be deliberately analyzed and debated with respect to their relative strengths, weaknesses, and risks. Potential courses of action should be measured against critical evaluation criteria (again, those criteria that will differentiate one alternative from another – i.e. cost/speed of implementation, savings, risk, etc.). Criteria with greater relative importance should be weighted accordingly.

Military leaders conduct a deliberate war game for each course of action. These are free-play exercises conducted on a map or in a computer modeling scenario that analyze alternatives by looking at enemy actions and friendly reactions, much like a game of chess. These movements are carried all the way through the final objective with notes taken, casualties assessed, and relative positions recorded. This is an effective way to understand second and third order effects of proposed courses of action.

War game results are entered into a “synchronization matrix” with entries for the enemy and each subordinate unit in relative time and space. Should a particular course of action be selected, this matrix becomes the basis for the detailed orders issued to each unit. While deliberate and somewhat time consuming, there is no substitute for seeing anticipated actions “play out” to enable an understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, and associated risks with the proposed alternative.

Step 4. Make a decision and communicate the results.

Leaders make decisions. That is what they get paid to do. After analysis of alternatives, it is ultimately the leader’s role to select a preferred alternative. If the recommended solution is not adequate or does not meet the intent of the mission, go back to the drawing board or, more likely, modify it as necessary to make it adequate. And while clearly the leader’s prerogative, exercise caution when rejecting subordinate recommendations (i.e. learn how to say no). Leaders must not destroy the creativity and motivation of the subordinate team.

Once an alternative is selected, move out. Leave no doubt about the decision and state, “OK, here is what we are going to do.” Issue mission orders and instructions to the entire team. Communicate task and purpose with guidance that is specific when specificity is required, and intentionally vague when subordinates have the latitude to work out the details on their own. Leaders must ensure that subordinates understand the big picture as well as their own individual requirements.

Army Ranger school is a lot more than surviving for two months on no sleep and one meal per day. It was a small unit leadership laboratory that emphasized the value of clear, detailed mission orders in the following format:

-- Situation – a detailed description of the big picture (both friendly and enemy perspectives). This provides the context for the mission.

-- Mission – the restated problem (from step 1). This section of the mission order gives subordinates the “5 Ws,” the most important of which, “Why?” provides the purpose and motivation for the mission.

-- Execution – includes a description of the overall concept of the operation along with specific tasks for completion and contingency activities based on friendly or enemy actions. All units receive both a task and purpose and understand whether they are in a support or a supported role. Coordinating details (time lines, mission rehearsal schedules, issues common to multiple units) further clarify subordinate requirements.

-- Resources– organizations are provided the necessary resources to meet the demands of the mission. Leaders understand the importance of their role as chief alignment officers and ensure that supplies and mission essential resources are sufficient to accomplish the mission. Forecasted resource demands are a critical output from the war game / alternative analysis step and help leaders proactively address key logistics issues.

-- Command/Communications – addresses critical communication issues pertinent for the mission such as the location of the leader on the battlefield and radio frequencies for communications during the mission.

Mission plans that result from this process are likely to be well thought out and reasonable solutions. They will synchronize the activities and responsibilities of the entire team. Most importantly, this approach to planning should produce a consensus decision, crafted by team members who take ownership of that which they must ultimately execute. Stay tuned for one more post in this series that looks at some other techniques for mission planning and decision-making.

Leaders who fail to plan – plan to fail. They ensure that the mission is well understood and that available alternatives are identified before moving to a solution. These are skills we demand from our leaders, no matter the operational context. That makes the planning process…Leader Business.