Failure is Not An Option… Really??

I love critical thinkers. But know so few.  Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way.  Critical thinkers are engaging. People who think critically consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically. 

Apollo 13 is the best film that I have ever seen that demonstrates vision, sacrifice, commitment, talent, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, lack of blame, and passion in a team environment. Don’t you wish the team in the Apollo 13 movie was your team? 

Get Your Shots or You’ll Miss the Fun

Just 72 hours before the scheduled launch of Apollo 13, Ken Mattingly was removed from the mission and replaced by Jack Swigert from the back-up crew as Command Module Pilot. Charlie Duke, also from the back-up crew caught the measles from one of his children, and exposed Mattingly — the only other member of either the prime or back-up crews who were not immune to the disease. If Mattingly were to come down with the measles, he might contract it while alone in the Command Module while Jim Lovell and Fred Haise were walking on the Moon.

We are all busy. But your health must come first. Take care of you so you can take care of your business, your employees, your patients. Don’t cancel those screening tests.

Plan well! Failure Could Be an Option

Any thought of loss of human life certainly deserves the famous statement verbalized by Gene Krantz – Failure is not an option.  And, of course, in Gene’s case the situation was life or death.  But, many of us do not face those life threatening situations. Many times a risk must be taken. Hey, with risk comes the potential for failure. Will every project or initiative be a success? I sure hope so – but I doubt so.  Does that mean you never take the risk? No. You need to plan and plan well. I have always maintained the best plans are worthless without execution, but that does not undermine the importance of planning. Executing without a solid plan is not executing, it is just experimenting. So, stop making it up as you go. Plan. Prepare. Execute.

Conflicts happen. Get the focus back!

Conflicts cannot always be avoided. Conflicts may not always be harmful. As a leader it is important to ensure that the conflict does not get the better of the larger vision or goal. During team conflicts, keep the focus on the goal. That goal most likely has an impact on the individuals in the conflict. 

The Team – Right Individuals

Teamwork is critical and each individual must understand and realize why he or she is a critical part of the team. A chain is as strong as its weakest link. A team is like a chain and the weak links must be corrected or removed. As important as it is to have the right members on the team, it is also equally important to ensure that each team member understands his part in the team and has a sense of accountability with respect to his or her deliverable. Ask yourself: “Am I the weakest link on my team?”

Remember, conflict, crisis and churn is most likely a result of the process and not the people. In the case of Apollo 13, it was found that the cause of the loss of the spacecraft was an explosion that occurred because of a defective wire connecting a fan used to stir liquid oxygen. The insulation on the wire burned, triggering the explosion. No astronaut was at fault. 

Vision, sacrifice, commitment, talent, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, lack of blame and passion. Does this describe you and your team?

Spidey Sense

It’s summer blockbuster season. A good super hero movie is bound to make its debut.

 

Spiderman is one of my favorite superheroes. He wasn’t born a superhero, like Superman.

 

Spiderman acquired his powers suddenly as a young adult, through a quirk of fate. Very similar to the way most people become leaders. And the core principles that make Spiderman a force for good in the world are pretty much exactly the same ones that can make leaders a force for good in an organization.

 

Number one on that list…. Trust your spidey sense. The definition of spidey sense is simple -- intuition, instinct. Leaders must trust their instincts. Your spidey sense tingles when you feel a strong sense of something being wrong, suspicious, or false. I call it quirky.  Many people will try to rationalize the quirkiness you sense by defending the situation because of a “personality” involved.   Heads up, or 8 legs up, friends –your spidey sense is not fooled.  Leadership is the ability to cling to walls, superhuman strength, perfect balance and equilibrium, as well as, superhuman speed and agility. Also, be aware that the person next to you may use the same spidey sense but get very different information from it and may choose a very different response as the one your consider.  Your own spidey sense has a directional component and can guide you to or away from hidden weapons and disguised enemies (get it?).

 

With great power comes great responsibility. This is the one everybody knows; Spidey’s credo, shared by his dying Uncle Ben.  It really should be core to every leader’s thinking. As you gain power in an organization, you have increasing opportunity to make decisions and act in ways that are selfish, short-sighted, and reactive (and that hurt others, either personally or professionally). However, you can also choose to make decisions and behave in ways that are generous, far-sighted, thoughtful…that support others’ growth and success. Great leaders know that they have a deep human obligation to use the gift of power for the greater good. Leaders must put a sticky web tape around the words “I” and “My”.  As a leader, it is “We” and “Our”.

 

Be who you are. The thing about Peter Parker that stands out the most is his desire to be honest - to do the right thing-and even when he sometimes fails in that quest, he manages to pick himself up and keep moving ahead.

 

When Peter Parker is catapulted into the world of a superhero by that bite from a radioactive spider, he struggled with his new identity. It took him a while to figure out how to be himself – geeky, smart, compassionate, shy -- and still be a superhero. Most of us who get thrown into leadership roles go through a similar struggle. Good leaders realize that there are skills and capabilities they must learn and practice in order to be effective leaders and managers. But they also know that they are who they are….and that’s a good thing. The leaders who people want to follow aren’t trying to be somebody else, some made-up version of who they think they should be as a leader. That always feels fake. Good leaders are comfortable in their own skin, confident in their own gifts – and that allows everyone around them to operate in the same high flying way.  Ahhh… my favorite word – confidence!

 

Do good things even if you don’t get the credit. Spiderman is often misunderstood and maligned. The local newspaper goes through phases of thinking he’s a villain; people question his motives; mothers tell their kids not to emulate him. But he keeps on fighting crime (even though he sometimes gets disheartened). Good leaders don’t do the right thing just because their boss is watching, and they don’t stop doing the right thing when nobody’s noticing or when someone else gets the credit. They do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do…even when it’s hard. And that demonstration of courage and integrity inspires others to behave in the same way, shifting the whole axis of the company toward trustworthiness.

“Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option.”

--Spiderman and You