Reeshar's Principles - Nebel des Krieges

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Nebel des Krieges: the fog of war.

If you've been in combat or on the front (first responder), you know exactly what this means. In fact, you know exactly what it feels like to your core and will likely remember it for the rest of your life. If you've been associated with the military or first responders, you most likely have heard about it. And if you have not, you've probably heard the expression, read about it, or have no idea what I'm talking about.

There are many references to the fog of war but in essence, the fog of war is the "... uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations." (1). In other words, it is the uncertainty that a specific situation creates in regards to your understanding of what is going on, what you should do, how you should do it, and when you should do it. It goes as far as questioning your own abilities to a point where you simply become... paralyzed. If you've read my previous post, the fog of war is Life throwing at you the mother lode of all curve balls, the ultimate one that will ripple through your complete life, disturbing every possible aspect of it, creating a thick cloud of dust, the loudest possible noise, with the most possible discomfort. It is the one that can literally freeze you in place, eyes and mouth wide opened, watching your end coming in slow motion.

So what? I'm not a warrior. I'm not in combat. I work in an office, or renovate houses, or sell cars, or design. How can I possibly face the fog of war? I will never compare life under combat with life under non-combat stressful situations. They are drastically different. But we can use the concept of fog of war to understand how we can deal with some of those stressful situations. Let me give you some examples that are not too far off:

• You show-up to your office one Monday morning to be told that your company is closing and you're being laid-off within the week (you have 4 kids);
• You find out the soil under that new house you are renovating is chemically contaminated and you have no recourse except absorbing the costs associated with the consequences, costs that you can't afford;
• The car manufacturer you work for just announced that those new models you sold during the last 6 months are being recalled, cutting your commissions by 64%;
• Your top designer informs you on Friday that he's leaving the company by the end of the day, leaving you to lead the final review with key stakeholders the following Monday;
• Your doctor informs you that you have pancreatic cancer.   

Every single one of these scenarios is enough to freeze you in place. Every single one is enough to paralyze you, preventing you to know what to do next. Every single one is enough to bring you into the fog of war, warrior or not. Nobody is exempt from situations that can literally freeze you in place, and the list of these situations is quite long. To complicate things, each one of us has its own glass to fill:

" Over time I concluded that a man is like a bottle. On the battlefield, fear is what fills him up and fuels him to perform. But some bottles are smaller than others. When a guy becomes unglued during a firefight, it's just that his bottle has filled up and overflowed; it's time for him to get away and let the fear drain out. But even when it does, there is a catch: from that moment on, the man is like a spent cartridge, and no amount of gunpowder will ever make him a real fighter again." (2)

You see, no matter who you are, you don't get to decide if you'll ever experience the fog of war; Life will decide for you how, when, for how long, and how many times. The faster we get to realize it, the faster we can start growing as humans and prepare for it. Like any skill, it needs to be learned, rehearsed, and practiced. I am not saying you need to create crisis in your life, but there are a few things you can do to grow your bottle to face the fog of war that you'll encounter throughout your lifetime.

• Learn to relax and stay calm no matter what the situation - Panic is what triggers bad decisions. Worst, panic is what makes you freeze. And if you freeze, you can't think, you can't act, and you won't solve anything. Relaxing will permit you to assess where you are and what is going on, preconditions to what needs to happen next to get out of the fog. Relax.
• Detach yourself from the situation - When confronted to the fog of war, we tend to become very emotional instead of factual. By detaching yourself, you have a different perspective of the situation and can evaluate options in a more objective way. You will see things differently. Detach.
• Avoid insanity - When under intense pressure, you need to avoid banging your head on that wall hoping the outcome will be different. By relaxing and detaching, you will acknowledge that a) the wall is stronger than your head and b) you'll need to find a different route. Be sane.
• Know the foundation - Contrarily to the previous three above, this is preemptive to any crisis. If you fall in the water and you can't swim, well, your chances are slimmer than if you can. Foundational knowledge is what you will use once you relax, detach, and start evaluating options. This is why soldiers, firefighters, medics, nurses, ER professionals, constantly practice, rehearse, and stay up to date. If you are a manager, know what your people are working on, understand it, know where to find it. As a professional, constantly build your value proposition, make yourself valuable and stay in touch within your industry. As a human, read, meditate, be introspective, listen and open your mind to new things. Train yourself to see the good in every situation, to see different ways to achieve the same thing, to accept different outcomes. Know your foundation and expand it.
• Cover and move - You are not alone in this fog. Know where your team is, where your family is, where your friends are, where your support network is. Rely on them, communicate clearly, and listen. People who freeze often don't make it. Move smartly, without panic, with a clear mind and focus, using your foundation to make smart choices.
• Don't confuse the battle from the war - Losing a battle doesn't mean it's the end of you. Know the difference. It is okay to be defeated as long as you can come back to fight another day. There is no shame in retreating if it is to come back in a better strategic position to win the war. The fog of war will sometime push you to fight unrealistic battles until you decide to fight that battle at all cost, a cost that will cost you the war. Be strategic.
• Never, ever, give up - Finally, no one knows how long you'll be in the fog no matter how well you do the things mentioned above. This is why you need to be persistent and remind yourself to stay calm, to detach, to stay sane and have an opened mind, to rely on your strong foundation, to stay on the move and rely on your network, and to keep your eyes on the war. You may have to do it for an hour, for a day, for a month, or for the rest of your life. NEVER GIVE UP.

This brings us to the final element to face the fog of war, the mother of all good qualities: discipline. It is the quality that will give you the juice to do the few things that will get you out of the fog of war, no matter where it creeps in your life. There are no better words that describe the power of discipline than those of Jocko Willink. 

There is no easy way to tackle dramatic events in our lives. Most of the time, they will leave us changed, forever, with painful lessons. We never wish for them, and we certainly never want to face them again. There are no guarantees that we will fare well during those events. We can never predict how courageous or clear-minded we'll be during adversity. But we can change the odds, by reflecting on the above, by building a strong foundation, by detaching, by reminding ourselves that a clear and open mind has a better chance than a frozen body. Take it from a Canadian from the North.

R

(1) Joint Service Command and Staff College, Advanced Command and Staff Course Notes dated 2001.

(2) About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior, Col. David, H. Hackworth and Julie Sherman, 1989, p.76.