Challenges Archives - Page 3 of 3 - All the Way Leadership Blog

Get a good glimpse of the shark before fighting it

Last week I wrote about one particular type of challenge – the most daunting ones. The challenges that scare leaders. I called this type of challenge “the shark”. This metaphor is taken from the famous movie Jaws. In Jaws, a giant man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers in a fictional summer resort town.

Jaws made us all wonder if it was safe to go into the water.

Someone must hunt down the shark

The local police chief played by Roy Scheider is chosen as the leader to keep the town safe. Roy Scheider’s character recruits two team members to help with the hunt. They are going to be in the battle of their lives. A battle that will test their abilities and require great sacrifice. As a leader, you may find yourself in a similar situation.

Bruce the mechanical shark from Jaws (1975). — Bruce the mechanical shark – problems prompted Spielberg to not use Bruce much in the movie.

How big is the shark you face?

Jaws is a thrilling movie full of suspense. The theme music is haunting. The director, Steven Spielberg, builds the drama scene by scene. One brilliant decision Spielberg made was to not show the shark until later in the movie. In a well-known scene, the three-man team of shark hunters finally gets a glimpse of the shark. They learn that the shark is a lot larger than expected, and is going to be much more difficult to kill than any of them anticipated. If you have not seen the movie before a clip of this scene is below. Caution – the scene includes foul language. Pretty sure I would cuss if I was ever that close to a large shark.

Make sure you get a glimpse of “the shark”

What about you. Are you dealing with a shark? If so, have you actually seen “the shark”? Do you know the magnitude of what you are dealing with? Not sure, then I suggest that you ask questions until you gain an adequate understanding of the challenge. I am not saying that you need to know everything before moving forward. Rather I am recommending that you spend enough time assessing the situation before shifting into problem-solving mode. Get a good glimpse of “the shark” before deciding how you are going to deal with it. Otherwise, your fight with “the shark” may take a long time, and be a more painful experience than necessary.

The marine biologist played by Richard Dreyfuss gets a glimpse of the shark in Jaws.

Tell others to describe “the shark” accurately

I have dealt with a fair amount of sharks in my career. On several occasions, I did not get a glimpse of “the shark” until late in the problem-solving process. I have learned that it is critically important to ask your team questions until you know enough to address the challenge and solve the problem. The bigger “the shark” the more important it is that you get a good glimpse of it. If you get false reports, then you are likely to come up with a solution that will not work.

The art of communication is the language of leadership.
James Humes

Clear and frank communication is critical

I let the leaders on my team know that I want to hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly. As leaders, we are paid to deal with all three scenarios, especially the ugly. Don’t fall into the trap of letting your team members only bring you good news. Let’s admit it, the larger your responsibility as a leader, the more sharks you have to deal with. Some of them may be big, really big, like the great white in Jaws.

In Jaws the shark is so big that it eats the boat. — In Jaws, the shark is so big that it eats the boat – one tasty bite at a time.

Are you ready to face “the shark”?

Are you prepared to deal with “the shark” and keep your town safe? Yes – go get after “the shark”! If not, and you need a bigger boat then we are here to help. If you are the kind of leader who is looking to increase your effectiveness, then you are in the right place. We will help you increase your leadership abilities so that you have a bigger boat and are ready for “the shark”.

The shark ends up eating the professional shark hunter in Jaws.

We are here to help you hunt “the shark”

All the Way Leadership! is here to help. This year we will continue releasing relevant content for leaders who are looking to increase their effectiveness, to get better at hunting “the shark”. We will start publishing a weekly leadership journal later this year. It will contain curated content from a diverse set of leading experts. This summer we plan to launch our first online leadership course. We will do all that we can to help leaders everywhere get better at hunting sharks. The good news for all of us leaders is that the more times you hunt sharks, the better you get. Your confidence will grow along with your leadership abilities.

In the final scene the hero kills the shark - note the boat is gone. — In the final scene of Jaws, the hero kills the shark – note the boat is gone.

The more sharks you hunt, the better you become

Remember – as your career grows you will be asked to handle larger sharks. If you cannot handle the one in front of you now, you are in trouble. You don’t want to end up like the hero in the movie Jaws. Does he deal with the shark? Yes. But, he loses a lot in the process. Don’t be like that. Become an effective leader who is good at hunting sharks. The leader who others turn to when they are dealing with their own sharks.

We should be afraid of sharks half as much as sharks should be afraid of us.
Peter Benchley, author of Jaws

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

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What happens when leaders press the easy button?

Today’s leaders are under a lot of pressure to get results and get them quickly. Strong performance is expected. Let’s face it – winning in the modern highly competitive world is difficult. If you do not achieve success, then you may not last long in your position. That sounds harsh, but it is the reality. New leaders will be brought in to get the job done that is left unfinished by their predecessors. Hitting the easy button is tempting. I am a senior leader and work for one of the best companies in the country. I know first hand the type of pressure that leaders feel. We are expected to succeed. Everyone receives an annual growth target. No one gets a pass, no matter what the market conditions look like. No excuses – get the job done!

Leaders are expected to succeed

As a leader, you probably face the same expectations. But we all know success does not come easy. No – you will be tested at some point. How leaders deal with this test varies. Some thrive on the competition while others struggle to survive. Over the past few years, I have noticed several leadership trends that are becoming more prevalent these days. Some trends are positive like more diversity in senior leadership positions. While others are troubling. For the next few weeks, I will talk about a few troubling trends that I see related to leaders dealing with high-performance expectations and the potential impact they are having on society.

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”
– Alexander Pope

Leadership challenges are complex

The challenges that many leaders face are vexing. Some leadership challenges are complex due to the size of the problem. If it is a big problem it will likely take a long time to solve. For example, in 2010 British Petroleum (BP) faced a huge leadership challenge when one of their rigs spilled an enormous amount of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Several people died. The oil washed up on the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast. It was a huge mess that dominated the news for weeks. It took BP years to recover from this tragic event and the aftermath.

This map shows the size of the BP oil spill problem.

Leadership challenges are uncertain

Other leadership challenges are complex because it is difficult to determine what caused the problem. For example, back in 2009, Toyota had to recall millions of its vehicles. The gas pedal in some Toyota models stuck to the floor preventing the driver from stopping the vehicle. It was unclear what was causing the problem. Fixing this problem took a long time. Once again, several people died and Toyota was in the news for months regarding this problem. Several have studied this problem and it still remains unclear to this day if the gas pedals stuck, or did the drivers cause the accidents. It did not really matter to Toyota – they still had to deal with the situation. It haunted them for years.

Toyota kept selling cars during the controversy. — Toyota kept selling cars during the controversy, but their sales dropped.

OPM debacle – a case study of pressing the easy button

In 2015 someone hacked into a database managed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), an organization in the US government. The hackers stole all the files containing the personal data of everyone who holds a US government security clearance. OPM leadership reacted to the situation by hitting the easy button.

The OPM hack was in the news for a long time.

They decided to handle the crisis like previous hacking incidents

OPM set up a website so that anyone could check to see if their data had been stolen. They sent letters to all affected parties. It was over twenty million people. I know about the letter because I received one of them. OPM started to investigate the details of what happened. As they would soon discover – it was a complete debacle and would only get worse. The easy button did not work.

The OPM Director at the time trying to explain what happened to congress. — The OPM Director at the time trying to explain what happened to Congress.

The situation goes from bad to worse

First, there were problems with the letters. The address data they had for some people was old. It was hard to tell if everyone affected actually received one. OPM sent out more letters. I received another one. Second, several people questioned whether the new website that OPM launched was secure, or not. Some did not use the site since it was set up by the same organization that had just been hacked. Third, there was a debate about who should pay for the credit monitoring everyone would need in the aftermath. The cost was not trivial. Lastly, the hack was worse than thought. In fact, OPM had been hacked more than once. Stealing the data was easy for hackers due to the negligence of the company responsible for managing the database. It became clear that something more needed to be done…quickly.

OPM leadership explaining to Congress what happened.

Leaders pay the price for pressing the easy button

As things worsened leaders started getting fired. It was amazing to me how long it took before the Chief Information Officer, the person responsible for securing the organization’s information technology assets, finally resigned. She should have been fired right away so that new leadership could be brought in. Someone who would not defend why things were the way they were. Someone who would solve the problem in a timely manner. The most disturbing part of the situation was that it was hard to tell if the problem had actually been solved. Was the data properly protected? Some reports indicated there were still problems months later.

Turns out there was more than one breach. Double trouble.

Complex challenges require comprehensive solutions

The magnitude of the OPM incident cannot be understated. Any enemy of the US would want this data. Many believe one of our adversaries stole the data. They took advantage of lax leadership and we all pay the price. Leaders need to address complex challenges with comprehensive solutions that actually solve the problem. Effective leaders recognize when they are dealing with a complex challenge and address it in an appropriate manner.

The sensitivity of the OPM data stolen is unsettling.

Do not hit the easy button and hope for the best

No – good leaders quickly assess the situation and set solutions into motion. They continue analyzing the problem and craft a comprehensive solution that will address the challenge in the long-term. Sure – some problems are easy to fix. You make a few decisions, implement some small changes, and the problems are solved. But many leadership challenges are complex, like the examples I have included here.

Complex challenges require leaders with comprehensive solutions to solve them.

The impact of pressing the easy button

When leaders press the easy button while dealing with complex challenges we all pay the price. Problems last longer than they should. It costs more money to solve. Sometimes, the effects continue for years. I know because I still continue to monitor my credit and will do so for the rest of my life to avoid anyone using my personal data to ruin my credit. More importantly, I do not want my children to suffer negative consequences from the OPM debacle. Yes – you guessed it. The files included family member data also.

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Why in the world start a new company now?

Another year and no real long-term solutions for many world problems

I wrote the original version of this blog post over a year ago. I would love to say that many things have improved since then. But, that would be a lie. They have not. If anything the world has gotten worse. In fact, when you look at the list of problems below you will notice that none of them is solved. I believe that lackluster leadership is preventing us from moving forward successfully. The main reason I am officially launching All The Way Leadership! now is that the need is so great. It has become my passion project.

We live in troubled times

The world is a mess right now, or at least it feels that way. Our current situation is probably not anything new. I bet our ancestors felt the same way. Life has always been hard. Perhaps we just notice it more these days. Watch the nightly news and you will hear about a wide array of big challenges in our country and around the world.

Below are a dozen world problems that need solutions

I know there are important items missing from the list. I am merely trying to show that we have our hands full right now.

Racism – Charlotteville scared everybody. How could something like that happen in 2017? I went to school in Charlottesville, worked there, and lived there for several years. It is a sleepy small Southern town with a great university and a world-class hospital, not a breeding ground for racist bigots.

Racists gather in front of the Rotunda located at University of Virginia — Racists gather in front of the Rotunda located at the University of Virginia

Gun violence – Las Vegas was disturbing, just like all the other gun violence incidents. Too many examples to list without getting angry. Have we even started to deal with this problem, or are we going to keep kicking the can down the road, hoping it gets better?

The number of people killed with guns is disturbing.

Sexual Harassment – this problem is not new. It has been building up for decades, perhaps even centuries. The list of creepy men will continue to grow as more and more are exposed for their unacceptable behavior. Hopefully, we men will learn one day. Let’s make it today.

America is divided – recent election results clearly demonstrate that we are a nation divided. Congress remains mired in partisan politics. Hardly anything gets done. The two-party system is being questioned. Who can you trust these days and when will we see progress?

2016 Presidential Election results show the divide.

Europe is splintering – BREXIT was the first sign of trouble. Germany is struggling to put a coalition government in place. Refugee problems continue. The dream of a united Europe is starting to fade as countries decide to put their own interests first.

Brexit left many wondering about the future of the EU — Brexit left many wondering about the future of the European Union

Cybersecurity incidents – having your personal data stolen is starting to become a normal part of life. The list of companies, organizations, and government agencies that have been hacked continues to grow. It is way too many to list here. Is anyone’s data safe?

Hackers continue to steal personal data to include passwords.

Terrorist incidents – we still see terrorist incidents all over the world. Some within our own borders like the recent bizarre attack in Manhattan. Others are well-coordinated like the Paris attacks last year. Will the war on terror ever end? Hard to tell.

Flowers placed near the most recent NYC terrorist attack site.

Rogue countries – North Korea and Iran to name a few. Does anyone think it is a good idea for either one of these countries to possess nuclear weapons? Of course not. It is getting harder to stop their progress. Should we negotiate with maniacs?

North Korea continues to build and test missiles.

Russia meddling in our elections – looks like they did it, using our own technology against us. I picture a shirtless Vladimir Putin smiling somewhere in Russia as he continues to create chaos in other countries to prop up his own country’s stature.

Signs point to Russia influencing our elections.

Healthcare costs – they continue to rise with no end in sight. Compare the cost of healthcare in the US with other developed countries in the world. It is eye-opening to see the difference. Sure – we have the best healthcare. But at what cost.

Patients are making harder choices these days.

Education costs – the cost of a college education continues to rise at an alarming rate. I have to write an in-state tuition check every semester. It takes my breath away. I do it so that my children do not graduate with a mountain of debt. I can only imagine writing a check for an out-of-state school. It would probably make me tear up.

The cost of college has been rapidly rising for years.

Sports – even the sports entertainment industry is struggling. The NFL is a mess. Should the players stand for the National Anthem, or not? What about all the injuries? In addition, ticket sales are declining and hard questions are starting to be asked of the owners and players.

Some NFL players kneel during the National Anthem.

None of these world problems will be easy to solve

These problems are big, complex, and the list continues to grow. I do not pretend to have the answers. I doubt any single person does. However, I do know that effective leadership will be needed for all of them. We have a great need for strong leadership in the modern world. I am gravely concerned that we lack the leaders to address these issues. If these leaders already existed we would see more progress on a regular basis.

Not everything is doom and gloom

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am an eternally optimistic person. I want to end this blog on a positive note. Not all is doom and gloom. We have many leaders doing their best to deal with all these issues. I do not mean to discourage them. I applaud their efforts. They make a difference every day. I want to help them by growing more leaders who will stand with them to change the world. We are making progress in some areas, and we can do better. We can do it. I know that we can.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

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