I had the privilege to hear Admiral Vern Clark, former Chief of Naval Operations, recently as he spoke to a group of over 100 local business people. Admiral Clark is a fascinating individual, a humble hero driven by character and vision. He had me at "a-ten-hut" with his stories such as the night, as captain of a destroyer he led his crew to prevent crashing on a reef in the midst of a Class 5 hurricane.
Commander Clark received unwelcome orders to park his destroyer off the Chesapeake Bay on a night when his instruments predicted unsavory weather. Within hours after his arrival Clark faced winds over 110 mph that did what his engines couldn't do even if he demanded it - move the ship with its 14 ton anchor buried in the seabed. Clark's ship moved closer to shore and the reef waiting beneath the waves; hungry for the hull which would mean the end of his career.
After attempting all standard escape maneuvers the calm Commander ordered a last-ditch unconventional turn engaging the engines in opposite directions. As the twin diesel behemoths raged against each other, a 20 ft rogue wave lowered its shoulder into the destroyer's broadside to assist the engines and turn the vessel into safer waters. The ship and it's skipper's career suffered no damage.
Does it take a category 5 "internal storm" in order for your team to drag the company's strategic anchor and make significant decisions?
"Business moves fast: the product’s features morph, new competitors emerge, or the economic climate shifts. When these changes occur, many people just throw their business plans out the window. For a plan to be truly valuable it needs to evolve with your company and stay relevant in the face of uncertainty."
Amy Gallow, Keeping Your Business Plan Flexible, Harvard Business Review
"Commit to making decisions. Decide and move forward!"
Jason Fried, Founder of 37 Signals, from his book Rework
Successful companies in today's economy, like Fried's 37 Signals, thrive in part because of their ability to a maintain trusted, flexible and maneuverable decision process; something like this:
The fact remains, however, that this is a decision process built for speed and flexibility. Strategy can be simple. You don't need to drag on the strategic process like a 14 ton anchor and chain buried in the ocean floor.
Besides, just as cats don't respond to verbal command - neither do rogue waves - especially when you need one..
Brent Sapp is CEO and Co-Founder of Inc. Navigator, as well as the Founder of the Economy Heroes movement (@EconomyHeroes). Inc. Navigator serves as Newport's strategic technology provider. You can contact Brent by email at brent@incnav.com or learn more about him on the Economy Heroes website.
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