Blue skies on the other side
Leadership views from 40,000 feet
Blue skies on the other side
Recognize
Analyze
Communicate
Decide
Execute
Evaluate
_______________________
Don't confuse your path with your destination. Just because it's stormy now doesn't mean you aren't headed for sunshine. – Mike Krzyzewski - Duke University Men's Basketball Coach
Summertime at our home in Florida is the beginning of the rainy season, with occasional, scattered thunderstorms forecasted daily. Typically, in the afternoon when the warm, humid air is lifted by the sun's heat on the earth creating "air mass" thunderstorms. These storms, or cells will build and then drop all of the water it has accumulated, often in heavy downpours that only last about half an hour.
I think that thunderstorms are fascinating through all of their development stages. The sheer power in a mature thunderstorm is impressive, considering that just a few hours earlier, it started as a pretty, white puffy cloud. Mount Everest, the highest mountain on earth is 29,029 feet. By comparison, most storms will top out above 35,000 feet while some "supercells" grow to over 50,000 feet. The individual cells are often between 5 to 10 miles in diameter.
A singular thunderstorm cell is typically carrying over a billion pounds of water. Then there's the lightning created by the up and down drafts in the cell and the difference in the charges between the clouds and the ground. Each bolt, in a fraction of a second can deliver one billion volts of power. They can also produce tornados, with potential winds over 200 mph. That's a lot of energy!
I am a Captain for a major airline and whenever we go to fly, my First Officer (Copilot) and I always do a thorough analysis of the weather along our route. Some days, there is nothing to contend with. Other days, especially in summer months, we know that our routing will take us near areas of stormy weather. And on some days, unexpected storms will "pop up", which we will have to deal with as we go. Our plan is to respect the power of the storm, give it a wide berth and avoid it whenever possible. As the storms produce sometimes significant turbulence, we also brief our cabin crew and passengers about the ride. Pilots don't like the bumps either.
Mostly, navigating around thunderstorms is pretty routine, perhaps only requiring a minimal change of routing to fly around it. We use our onboard radar to evade the weather. Other times, significant changes in course need to be made to avoid the worst areas, especially when cells get together and form a line. Severe weather, associated with a strong front can form a line over a thousand miles long. If the weather is moving over our destination airport, we may need to hold in the air, waiting for it to pass, or even divert to another airport until the storm passes.
The key is that storms, and all weather is dynamic. With some exceptions, weather is always on the move across the earth, growing, forming, dissipating, clearing the way for blue skies. Storms are not problems, per se; they are just obstacles to deal with. This too shall pass.
Similarly, our lives are dynamic, always moving. Likewise, the application works for your personal life, relationship life or even the life of your organization. Some days just go very smoothly. Many days have "storms", which we see in advance and adjust for. Other days, things seem to "pop up" which we never expected. Each day will bring it's own obstacles and unexpected events. When possible, having a plan is always critical to deal with issues and obstacles, whether they are known in advance, or just came out of nowhere.
Here are six steps to help with your game plan. Naturally, the list isn't exhaustive, but simple enough to apply to most situations. Expect the best and plan for the worst. It certainly helps us when flying 550 mph at 41,000 feet!
Recognize. The first step in dealing with any problem, obstacle or event is recognition. By recognizing the problem, I am shifting my focus, giving energy to finding a solution. I am admitting reality and setting my thinking up to deal appropriately with the issue. Perhaps beginning to ask or answer some questions about course correction, team involvement, tools needed and options. In the airline world, we always expand our team to include those who can help. In leadership, sometimes the leader will try to take care of things themselves, when there is always deeper thinking available with the right people involved.
Analysis. Now, with the team involved and more eyes on the situation, we can begin to determine the scope of the problem, changes that might be necessary, getting the right people in position and equipping and empowering them with the right tools to tackle the job. Now is the time to deal with the issue, not to figure out how we got here. That will come later. When we encounter storms, malfunctions or other issues, it is important to slow down, focus and come to agreement on the nature of the problem, so we can get to whatever procedure we need, given the issue. We will also consider the input from our other team members.
Communicate. This piece is critical. Strong leaders need to be good communicators. No one can read minds and in leadership, the need to communicate my thoughts is important. We all have blind spots and I might not be seeing something that my subordinates are seeing. When I say "here's what I'm thinking", it invites and empowers my team to speak up and give either their approval or suggestion for other elements or a different course of action. In the "old days", nobody dared to question the Captain and when the Captain was wrong, bad things happened. It is good leadership to query your team for their thoughts and ideas, and you will capture their loyalty in the process. Be sure to employ the skill of listening.
Decision. Now is the time that the rubber meets the road and the leader has to decide on the best course of action. Sometimes the leader may be standing alone; as some say "it's lonely at the top", but if the process is done correctly, your team is with you and therefore it shouldn't be lonely. That said, now you earn your pay. As management consultant Peter Drucker said, "Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision." If you are not decisive, your leadership will suffer and your team sees it. The good news is you can work on this. Find out where your thinking freezes and work from that point.
Execute. Now, following the process, you have set up a team, analyzed the problem, assembled the tools, charted the course, made the decisions, so all that is left to do is to execute the plan. Time for action. The time has come and we have to "turn the key." Sometimes, this is where things go off course. It might be indecision or over-analysis, lack of confidence or even fear of failure. If that's the case, it is a leadership issue. Stay open minded, take courage and keep the ship moving forward. There is blue sky on the other side.
Evaluate. Some say that experience is the best teacher, but leadership expert Dr. John C. Maxwell says that evaluated experience is the best teacher. At the end of the process, gather your team and evaluate how it went. Invite critical thinking. What did we do right? What did we get wrong? All team members, especially the leader will grow and the team will solidify. In aviation, we call this debriefing, and the lessons learned while away from the heat of battle are invaluable.
These steps are key, not only to problem solving, obstacle clearing, but also to team building. Everyone looks for and desires strong leadership. Building your skills takes time and effort, but the rewards are plenty. Identify where you could get better and give that your attention. Leadership, while sometimes is natural talent, more often it needs to be developed and learned. Like Coach K said above, keep your eyes to the destination. When you do, your hope will fuel your perseverance.