Daily LEADERSHIP Tip / When Fired Upon, Advance!

It is a new week. How did you do on your 3Strands last week? What BOLD MOVEShave you defined for this week's 3Strands?

One of General George Patton's ways to win could be summarized as, "When fire upon, advance!"

This week and through year-end you will be "fired upon." Technology will fail. People will let you down. Unexpected problems will arise. Yet it is your persistent focus on your Company Culture Cornerstones and core objectives that will enable you to not only overcome any short-term challenges, but also help your team avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Jim Collins, author of GREAT by Choice, recommends "shooting bullets, not cannonballs." This means when you advance as General Patton encourages, that you move ahead in stages whenever possible. You test your hypothesis. You learn from small, strategic advances... recalibrate your conclusions, focus, and approach... and then "fire" again.

Sometimes you will have to move fast and there is no time to test. This is why you build your arsenal of resources - people, cash, competitive tools, and effective processes.

Achieving your 2013 objectives with excellence will be a battle. Always seek to advance, but do so wisely. Remain in control rather than let the emotions of the moment sweep you into danger. Maintain Fanatic Discipline (Jim Collins 10X behavior) as you respond (not react) in carefully planned stages that limit risk while increasing your opportunities for more substantial success.

Bullets now, cannonballs later (apply lots of resources) once you have resolved an issue, proven your solution works, and now you need to put a process in place so that issue is never a problem again for your company. (But the issue can overwhelm your competitors.)

Let me know if you need help.

Be a Systematic Leader - because inconsistency hurts

Thank you.