Leadership in Times of Uncertainty
As a Navy SEAL instructor, one of our responsibilities was to teach our SEAL candidates how to lead and follow in times of uncertainty. One event practiced in training was called IBS (Inflatable Boat Small) Surf Passage. The boat crew leader is charged with getting race instructions which on the surface appear simple enough; “your boat crew (a team of 6–7 people) will paddle through the surf (making it through the surf zone on big wave days was never a certainty), once outside the surf zone perform a “dump boat drill” to clear any excess water from your boat, paddle back into shore and prepare your boat for inspection .”
In the minute or two that it took the leaders to receive their instructions and ask clarifying questions, the remaining crewmembers of a well-led crew understood the need to take stock of the environment. Waves roll through in sets; it’s important to identify the large sets vs the small and how many lines of surf make up each set. Knowing the time between sets is also important, as well as the direction and speed of the ocean current to determine the best launch spot. By having the crew focus on the factors that can help provide a strategic and tactical advantage for punching through the waves, the effective boat crew leader is minimizing the anxiety, stress, and feeling of uncertainty that can well up when left to stare at the powerful incoming surf.
The effective boat crew leader returns to his crew with confidence and communicates the instructions he received back to his team. He exudes strength and provides the assurance that he believes in his men by asking for a wave report from their observations. From the input, he determines the ideal place and timing for the launch. In a perfect world, they will paddle into the surf zone between sets, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Great crews are made of focused teammates determined to be part of the solution. While trusting in each other they apply maximum effort while making adjustments as the environment requires. Even in the face of being capsized, they will dig in to punch through the surf zone and stay in the game.
In January 2020, the spread of the Coronavirus was brought to the public’s awareness. In the two months since the spread of the virus has hit our shores like a wave that is still building. Our lives are being challenged daily in the way we socially interact, conduct our business, and maintain awareness of our surroundings. As leaders, your staff and team need you to stay calm, exude confidence a while considering how your organization will punch through this wave. Demonstrate strength by challenging the people in your crews to be part of the solution and think of innovative ways to navigate the new normal together. The operational waves you come up against may try to capsize your plan, but trust in your people and their preparation, apply maximum effort and stay in the game.
