Experienced leaders know that new business problems are just
around the corner. Customers, employees, equipment, and market
conditions are all in motion, and good leaders prepare ahead of
time for the problems that will develop.
The best strategy is to avoid the problem, but experience shows
that even the best leaders are often ambushed by situations
beyond their control. Good leaders prepare for these
eventualities ahead of time.
One of the best lessons I’ve ever had in dealing with business
ambushes came from my training as a US Army Ranger — one of
America’s elite soldiers.
The Ranger cadre emphasized the fact that no one can escape a
well-planned ambush because of:
++ the heavy weapons placed at the front and rear of the ambush
++ the explosives placed in any position that could be used for
cover by those in the trap, and
++ the effectiveness of the surprise.
After we learned that no one can escape if everything is set up
properly, the instructors taught us the most important thing …
how to break out of a well-planned ambush if our own unit was
ever trapped by the enemy.
Only a few seconds were required to teach what should be done,
but days of practice were required for us to perfect the action.
Essentially, the only way to escape such an ambush is to embrace
the danger and run through the fire — for every member of the
trapped unit to turn, immediately, and attack directly into the
shooters, firing every weapon while running straight at them.
The weakest part of the ambush is the shooters themselves, but
it isn’t easy to run into the gunfire.
And this is the way we survive business ambushes. We must
embrace the danger because problems only get worse if we try to
escape. Ignoring the problem will not help. Taking a
half-hearted approach won’t do any good. We have to confront the
problem as soon as we identify it.
Equipment problems — fix ’em right away. Personnel problems —
take action. Customer problems — don’t delay. You know the
basics. You know what needs to be done.
Like running into the gunfire, it won’t be easy, but the sooner
you embrace the danger, the more likely you are to survive the
ambush.
The Leadership Edge: No matter whether you face a short- term
overwhelming crisis or a long-term, nagging and persistent
problem, the only way out is to embrace the danger. You can
only beat problems by confronting them head on — the sooner the
better.
Copyright 2010 – Dale Collie