The CEO Challenge

Leadership is tough ... very tough some days ... from the outside looking in it appears easy. It's easy to tear apart and nit pick a decision or action after the fact for the next 6 months from afar.

It's easy for the "armchair quarterbacks" to criticize the decisions, actions, and the outcomes when they weren't involved.

Making critical decisions in the "heat of battle" with "bullets" flying over your head when tough decisions need to be made very quickly is never easy ... it can be brutally tough some days. It's called the "Fog Of War" for a reason.

Making tough decisions with limited information under harsh circumstances with the "enemy closing in" low on ammo ... you have to act.

It's easy after the fact to say all the things that went wrong and that should've been done different ... it's a whole other story when you are "pinned down" and getting shot at by a sniper under heavy machine gun fire and being attacked by mortars.

In those situations leadership is tough ... really tough

Complaining and criticizing about something from a distance without offering solutions doesn't really help and usually just angers and outrages those in charge.

When the troops on the front line offer up solutions and those in charge dismiss the suggestion it frustrates the hell out of the troops and demotivates them.

The truth is you don't always have perfect or complete information about a situation ... and you never will ... The fog of war can grow thick and very quickly in some situations. Chaos, bad information, frustration miscommunication reign supreme.

In some cases you don't have the luxury of time and to come up with a plan and have to take action.

There is significant value in performing after action debriefs, or as Jim Collins calls them "autopsies without blame"

Now, here is the challenge.

You have just been made CEO ... think of all the waste, inefficiency and stupid things that your company does on a regular basis.

What is your plan to fix and improve things?

The plan must include: A 100 word problem statement.

Each of the 4 aspects of the plan should be written on one 5x8 inch index card.

1. strategy
2. tactics
3. logistics
4. contingency plans

The complete plan will be no more than 5 index cards total ... 4 Cards covering strategy, tactics, logistics & contingency plans ... one problem statement card

1. Strategy 

- Where are we going?

- Why are we going there?

- What's in it for me if I get there with you?

- Commanders Intent

   * What does winning look like?

   * What is the end state?

   * Where is the finish line?

   *How do we know when we're done?

   * What's the score?

   * Why is this important?

   * What's the objective / goal?

   * What's the purpose

2. Tactics

- How are we going to accomplish the mission?

- What are the rules of engagement?

   * What we can & can't do?

   * What we should and shouldn't do?

- What resources do we have?

- What resources do we need?

- How do we close the gap between the two?

- What is the standard of performance?

   * Behavior

   * Actions

   * Results

3. Logistics

- Who does what by when?

- Where are we now?

- Where are we going?

- When do we need to be there?

- From X to Y by when?

4. Contingency Planning

- Threats

- Waste

- Obstacles

- Problems

- Challenges

What do we do when Captain Murphy shows up & everything goes wrong?

Murphy's law ... shit happens ...

How do we execute to win as team with excellence ... without falling apart?

Contingency Plans when things go wrong ... to address the biggest threats and obstacles preventing you from achieving the mission successfully. 

Here are the constraints:

The problem identified or the "mission" must be completed in 2 weeks ... or less

The team can consist of no more than 6 people.

www.ja-simulations.com