Homeland Security Today asked its distinguished leaders to discuss leadership in chaos – what many face in emergency response, disaster, or when impacted by extreme change. This is the last column in a 3-part series to discuss the challenge of continuing to lead through turbulent seas.
Part 3: Leading the Organization in Times of Disruption
This blog is the third installment in a three-part series to address the stress associated with rapid change and disruption, and how to successfully lead through turbulent times like the ones we’re currently facing. Part One examined “Leading Oneself,” Part Two addressed “Leading Teams,” and here in Part Three, we will discuss “Leading the Organization.”
Preparation = Performance
These days, there’s a lot of stress as people navigate the changes being implemented by the new administration. Remember this from the previous two blogs: your symptoms are normal! Although change is constant, it’s particularly hard when everything familiar is being battered by stormy seas, resulting in disruption. Let’s examine ways to seek the positive and seize the opportunities that are always present amid dynamic change.
It’s enough to be dealing with the challenges of leading oneself and/or leading a team. But leading the organization adds complexity, in part because leading at the executive level requires transitioning from the tactical to the strategic perspective. And that’s not easy. Sometimes, people who have been successful in the tactical space—performing their duties, taking care of the day-to-day requirements, planning events, etc.—don’t know how to leave the details behind and look over the horizon for the bigger picture. We’ve all worked for someone like that – the dreaded micromanager. Leaders at the executive level must trust their subordinates with the details.
Admiral James Loy, one of the Coast Guard’s most accomplished commandants, had a strategic vision for the Service. He set forth a seminal tenet in his guidance to the organization during his tenure from 1998-2002: Preparation equals Performance. He later teamed up with noted author Don Phillips to memorialize the concept in their book, The Architecture of Leadership: Preparation Equals Performance.
The concept, elegant in its simplicity, stuck with me throughout my career. We all need role models—people we can look up to for inspiration during challenging, uncertain times. I greatly admired and trusted Admiral Loy and sought to emulate him. Since he placed preparation in such high esteem, I made it a component of my formula for success. Attaining a constant state of preparedness isn’t easy; in fact, it’s downright uncomfortable. It requires hard work, innovation, and the ability to embrace uncertainty. But I took inspiration from the saying, “there’s no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone.” Times of change and disruption are uncomfortable, but they can be a catalyst for growth. Good leaders, like Admiral Loy, know this and take the long view of where to position the organization to thrive during times of disruption while also preparing to embrace the next change.
The 4 A’s for Preparation
As I matured and transitioned from the entry level to the executive level, I had to learn to manage all kinds of change. I commanded a Coast Guard cutter stationed in New England following the terrorist attacks of 9-11, for instance. Later, I served as the executive assistant to another notable commandant, Admiral Thad Allen, while he was leading the Coast Guard through a substantial modernization/transformation effort. Those experiences and many more helped me develop a framework I call “The 4 A’s for Preparation.” Leaders striving to keep up with relentless changes impacting their employees and businesses must be able to anticipate changes coming over the horizon, adapt to new circumstances, adjust accordingly, and be agile to meet emerging demands. Then repeat the cycle. Here are the basic tenets:
- Anticipate: Conduct environmental scans and make strategic planning part of the executive leadership process. Consider, for instance, what customers will need in the future and strive to be ready to deliver what they need even before they know they need it.
- Adapt: Be not just willing but eager to embrace change to meet emerging needs. Projecting a positive attitude is contagious.
- Adjust: Help people understand the need for change, then set expectations and hold people accountable to support and implement the change agenda. That means having the moral courage to make the tough, trade-off decisions that can be perceived as “wins” or “losses” for different cohorts.
- Be Agile: Reach high and accept some managed risk to stay ahead of new developments. Empower people by pushing decision-making down to the lowest reasonable level to encourage participation and instill a sense of value and inclusion. Encourage innovation by making it clear that failure is part of the innovation process.
To succeed in moving the organization forward during times of change and disruption, leaders must establish a continuum of anticipating, adapting, adjusting, and acting with agility. This framework is no panacea, but it’s a helpful tool to implement a “preparation = performance” mindset in your organization.
Look in the mirror: Are you focused on the longer view for your organization, and looking over the horizon to best position it to weather turbulent seas?
Please join me again next time for more on Leading with Character.
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