September 3, 2024
by Stephen T. Messenger
We recently moved into a new house and haven’t built a backyard fence yet for our dog. Luckily, we’re in a part of the neighborhood with no other homes, and we can let him out front in the morning with relative solitude.
The other day I opened the door, and he decided to make a break for it. We walked together for about a minute, and then my four-legged friend was off and running.
I watched him go, helpless to stop him from getting lost, hurting himself, or running into a local critter near the woods. I ran after him but was no match for his energy and enthusiasm. He had a goal in mind and not much could deter him from his plan; not that he shared that plan with me.
After a few minutes, our dog stopped and looked around. He was tired, panting yet undeterred. I caught up to him and received a look as if to say, “What took you so long?” or “Why couldn’t you keep up?” But the thing is, I had no idea where he was going, what he wanted to accomplish, or what help he needed from me. He just ran!
Some overly energetic bosses are like this (I’m guilty, to say the least). They have a “great idea” and run ahead of the organization. In their minds, just like my dog, they envision a desired future without providing any direction or purpose, and don’t allow us a chance to properly resource their plan. When we finally catch up, they look at us like we’re the crazy ones.
It’s important to be ahead of our team, but if we get too far out there, we lose support and the psychological connection to the main body. Be far enough ahead to motivate, but not so far as to discourage them from reaching achievable goals.
The Lost Platoon
The 1965 Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle in Vietnam between the U.S. Army and the People’s Army of Vietnam. Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore was ordered to conduct an airmobile assault into the valley to search and destroy reported enemy in the area.
As directed, Moore air landed around 450 soldiers into a landing zone the size of a football field, right in the middle of approximately 2,500 enemy troops. The battalion touched down into a seemingly quiet area, spreading out their perimeter, but after 90 minutes of silence, shots rang out against the American force.
Lieutenant Henry Herrick, 2nd Platoon Leader for Bravo Company, was at one of the perimeter sides which was attacked. He was ordered to advance against the nearest enemy and boldly led his platoon forward. Quickly advancing, he pushed out 100 meters, inflicting casualties upon the enemy, but finally realized he went too far.
The enemy closed around his flanks and cut him off from the main body. The platoon quickly formed a defensive perimeter, and for the next 24 hours, they fought through withering enemy assaults, engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and had to call down mortars and air fire right on their position.
After running ahead of the main body, the 29-man platoon had no support, resourcing, or supply lines to the battalion. They had to fight on their own that night and into the next afternoon. Ever to be known as “The Lost Platoon,” Moore eventually rescued them the next day on the third attempt after nine men were killed and 13 wounded.
The heroics during that period were beyond measure both by the Lost Platoon and their rescuers. But when they got too far in front of their unit, they simply didn’t have the support needed to be successful. It’s imperative that military units maintain a support line. Getting too far ahead is can be deadly.
Just as it’s dangerous to run ahead in an infantry unit, so is it dangerous to run too far ahead as a leader.
Staying in Contact
Jim Collins in his book Good to Great references his “Big, Hairy Audacious Goals” or BHAGs. He describes them as, “clear and compelling, needing little explanation; people get it right away. Think of the NASA moon mission of the 1960s.”
What an amazing goal to land somewhere outside of Earth! At the same time, what a daunting, frustrating process that could discourage many in the organization as designs fail, rockets explode, funding dries up, and bureaucracies threaten. There is a delicate balance of inspiring others without destroying their motivation.
Our job as leaders is to walk this line to have others achieve the seemingly impossible. We lay out BHAGs and inspire others to raise their game and accomplish more than they could ever think or imagine. Ideas are easy. Success is hard. We need leaders who will establish those big ideas, goals, and objectives, and then get things done. To do so, we must:
1. Break It into Pieces. How do we eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do we colonize Mars? Elon Musk started SpaceX in 2002. His plan was incremental and sequential to develop reusable rockets, gain government contracts, send unmanned spacecraft to Mars, build manned prototypes, and on and on. Musk didn’t state that we’re going to Mars and drop the mic. He broke it down into mentally consumable bites. These small chunks allow people to see possibility without being frustrated by the impossible.
2. Engage People. If we lay out a big goal and disappear, our team will struggle to link the vision to the organization. It’s important we get out and talk to others, tell them about our big goals and steps to get there, let them ask questions, get them committed to the project, and have them own it. By talking to others, these big ideas are no longer way out there, but within conversational distance. Musk does an excellent job of communicating this vision in so many different formats to include fiction and non-fiction television shows on Mars colonization. We all have to relentlessly communicate bold visions.
3. Celebrate the Small Wins. No matter the size of a victory, we should be celebrating. In 2012, Space-X launched its Falcon 9 and Dragon, the first commercial spacecraft to link-up with the International Space Station. Lined up outside the control room in Hawthorne, CA were hundreds of Space-X employees, watching the launch and wildly cheering. It wasn’t going to Mars. But it was one step closer. By celebrating those wins with our people, we grow interest, increase passion, and get people used to and hungry for more victory.
Drive Ahead… Bring People Along
It’s great to espouse bold ideas, create passion, and drive an organization forward. But if you do it too fast, your people are like me, running after my dog wondering where he’s going. Our job is to inspire others to accomplish great things, within the realm of what they’re motivated to do and what they think is possible.
Drive far and fast ahead. And look behind you often to make sure others have caught the vision and are keeping up.
This series is part of our BRAG+1 Leadership Philosophy. If you’re just joining us, start from the beginning on 16 January: A Team to BRAG about and continue from there:
Boots: Put Boots on the Ground
Regimentals: Place Service over Self
Armor: Be Resilient to Life’s Attacks
Gun: Close with and Destroy the Enemy
+1 (Belt): Not a Hint, Sniff, nor Whiff of Impropriety
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