How Leaders Build The Resilient Organizations Of Tomorrow: A Navy SEAL's Perspective
Resilient organizations are well-prepared for change. Regardless of the type or magnitude of the transformation an organization is facing, one of the ultimate goals is to prepare the company for long-term strength and agility - a core function of leadership and management in the 21st century. The goal is not to simply navigate today’s needed changes but also to create a resilient organization poised for more change. A team that is ready for the next battle – whenever that may be.
As the Navy SEAL Ethos says, "We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend ... I am never out of the fight."
Navy SEAL training is designed to create warfighters who anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, and bounce back from change better than anyone else on the battlefield. Why? Because resilient organizations require resilient team members who thrive in adversity.
Resiliency is quickly becoming another one of the many business buzzwords, but there is a reason for that. And while resiliency may seem like an obvious trait for a company to pursue, it's seems to be easier said than done. It's more important than long-term planning, because as we all know, the best-laid business plans come into conflict -- especially when navigating the inevitable obstacles that require organizational improvements or major transformations.
Resilient organizations have sound leadership at all levels and strong cultures founded on trust, accountability, and agility. They have a foundation of meaningful core values that all members of the team believe deeply in and a sense of team unity beyond what you find in many organizations. They also have a tendency to show consistent and better-than-average profitability year after year.
Business organizations with a desire to grow, remain competitive, adapt to emerging technologies, and find new ways to manage multi-generational work forces must all discover new ways of building resiliency into the culture. Resiliency is the key to successfully leading lasting change.
My experiences as a business leader and research of other organizations has helped me identify 15 fundamental pillars that all resilient organizations are founded on.
They have a focused sense of urgency and anticipate change well. They believe a little bit of paranoia is a good thing. They are always looking to the horizon for opportunity and threats. Complacency does not exist.
They see beyond what other organizations would see as limitations and have an anything-is-possible mindset.
They actively weave accountability into the fabric of the culture. And it starts at the top.
They delegate leadership responsibility and authority down the change of command. They give decision making capability to frontline troops and provide the resources for rapid execution.
They don't waste time on activities that can't be measured. They invest in the strongest areas of the business and improve or eliminate the weak areas.
They exist in a constant state of transformation and reset goals every few years. Every time they do, they set a clear time-bound vision and communicate it regularly. Information is disseminated quickly, and they involve as many people as possible in mission planning.
Once they have the vision and mission well defined, they stay the course as long as market conditions and data support it. If not, they adjust.
They embody a people-first approach. People, then customers, then shareholders ... in that order.
Resilient teams attract, empower, and retain courageous people willing to do bold things.
They bounce back from adversity stronger than before. They tackle challenges head-on and always take the fight to the enemy.
They think and act horizontally. They actively break down vertical and horizontal silos and approach work and communication cross-functionally.
They self-correct quickly and adapt before problems become unmanageable.
Resilient organizations are made up of lifelong learners. They encourage transparent feedback and use that data to constantly improve the business. They give everyone a voice.
They never allow nor reward mediocrity. Performance expectations are clearly defined, and they always recognize and reward above-and-beyond behavior.
Resilient teams define excellence as the constant pursuit of perfection. They are never satisfied with the status quo.
Resilient organizations last long and navigate change better than anyone else. They are well-prepared, disciplined, have courageous teams who embrace change, and a culture founded on trust and accountability. They have aligned leaders who show courage in the face of unimaginable obstacles and gain participation and buy-in from all levels of the organization. They thrive in adversity and are never out of the fight.
To further reinforce the principle of resiliency, let’s more clearly define what the resilient organization of tomorrow looks like. What are the top priorities?
Priorities for the Resilient Organization of Tomorrow
As I have written about before, disruption and VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environments are now the norm. Organizations facing the need for change have the opportunity to lead change effectively to remain relevant and competitive while simultaneously building a more resilient team.
Hyper-connectivity and technology are driving transparency. Employees have almost global opportunities and talent acquisition and retention is becoming increasingly difficult. Having a compelling purpose and structures that allow for constant growth are imperative. Traditional hierarchical structures are fading away to give way to purposeful networks and communities of people working together to achieve a shared purpose – the one-team one-fight mentality. The cumulative impact of these forces demands a new mindset and competences for leaders to be able to stay relevant and make a positive difference to people and hence, their businesses.
Leaders and managers that will drive peak performance and the best financial returns will have to transform their organizations into resilient high-performance teams that embrace change.
So what are the priorities that must garner the most attention?
The first and most fundamental foundation of the resilient organization of tomorrow is having a compelling vision. Not just the vision for change but the higher purpose behind why they exist, the value and purpose behind their work and how that work connects everyone to the cause. Leaders will begin to remove slower moving hierarchical structures and develop ecosystems of empowered teams with leaders at all levels. Those networks will be given the resources and autonomy to make decisions and execute in decentralized environments.
Leaders and HR teams will develop new and more strategic talent acquisition programs that align with the vision of the organization. They will improve the ability to screen for “culture fit” while ensuring a healthy amount of diversity in the team. Even more importantly they will improve retention of their best people by investing heavily in personal and professional development. They will design learning cultures that provide developmental resources 24-7 through the use of technology and digital platforms. Development will not only focus on subject matter expertise and specific technical skills but also emotional intelligence, behavioral skills that fit the needs of the company and leadership. Leadership development will be accessible to all - regardless of title or position.
Leaders and managers will create cultural experiences and engagement mechanisms that allow for better collaboration. Cross-functional teams will have real purpose and be empowered to solve real problems and innovate within given structures. And new rewards systems will be put in place that focus on supporting these behaviors, attitudes and activities just as much as they will output and execution.
High-performance, resilient teams will not only learn to function well in VUCA environments but actually thrive in adversity. These teams will be trained how to think and act in the ever-changing business environment and will constantly look to the horizon for what lays ahead. Leaders will adopt a future-thinking mindset and eliminate a constraints-focused mindset. Opportunity and the “white space” will be their focus while maintaining situational awareness on the reality of their existing situation. This will give them the ability to create change, not react to it when external forces require it.
The resilient organization of tomorrow will develop a better customer-centric approach while still prioritizing the team. They will regularly gather feedback from inside and outside the organization and constantly develop actionable insights from that data. And then they will execute – swiftly. Violent execution will become the norm.
And most importantly, while doing all of these things they will be moving, shooting, communicating, clarifying and re-clarifying the entire way. When knocked down, they will get back up - every time. They will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to accomplish the mission and will never be out of the fight.