Business author Jim Collins recently gave a talk in which he discussed the contrasting leadership styles--and fates--of pioneering polar explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott:
The work that Morten [Hansen] and I did in Great by Choice was really, ultimately, about thriving in chaos.
Number one, we observed that you learn how to exert self-control and self-discipline in a world that is out of control. We found this marvelous matched pair, Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott, the first two to try to go to the South Pole in 1911. It was like an entrepreneurial startup heading off into the most uncertain and unforgiving environment. It wasn't just, "Hey, let’s go to the South Pole, hunker down and survive." It was to try to be the first in history to reach the South Pole.
What we found is that the way Roald Amundsen led--he’s the one who got there first and got back alive and safe--was different than the way Robert Falcon Scott led. Scott got there second, and then he and his entire team died on the way back that same year.
The environment was completely out of control. It's the South Pole. It's 1911. It can easily kill you. You think it's hard building a company in California? Try going to the South Pole in 1911. It was the moon mission of 1911.
Amundsen was very, very disciplined in his march across the plateau, and Scott was very erratic. Amundsen stayed on this consistent march. He never wanted to get exposed to a terrible storm when he was depleted and exhausted. But even on really uncertain days, he would still make progress towards their goal, they were 20-mile marching across the plateau. Scott was much more erratic. He had big days and not big days, and the weather determining his pace rather than himself...
I go back to Amundsen and Scott. Both calculated the amount of supply depots they needed. It is highly inefficient to multiply your potential supply depots by three. But it's not highly inefficient if you're coming back, winter's gathering on you, and you run out of supplies and die. Tell me what efficient is. We found that great companies are kind of irrational in their "efficiency." They’re not the most efficient use of capital; they’re not the most efficient use of buffers. What they are is enormously resilient by design. [1]
My clients aren't polar explorers, but many of them are trying to be the first in history to accomplish a particular entrepreneurial venture, and at the moment all of them are trying to navigate an "uncertain and unforgiving environment." Winter isn't gathering--it's already here. If you're in similar circumstances, here are some issues to consider and questions to ask yourself:
Discipline & Consistency
Collins cites Amundsen's discipline and consistency as keys to his success and his team's survival. But this approach isn't exclusive to explorers in far-flung places. The English novelist Graham Greene was not only acclaimed (nearly winning the Nobel Prize twice) and popular (selling more than 20 million books in his lifetime), but also prolific (publishing 24 novels among countless essays and stories). [2] And discipline and consistency were hallmarks of his approach to work that continued through World War II and the London Blitz:
Over twenty years I have probably averaged five hundred words a day for five days a week. I can produce a novel in a year, and that allows time for revision and the correction of the typescript. I have always been very methodical, and when my quota of work is done I break off, even in the middle of a scene. [3]
Note the importance of stopping as a form of discipline. Amundsen stopped to ensure that he wouldn't get caught by a storm. Greene stopped in order to maintain his momentum every workday. And you'll undoubtedly need to impose similar limits on yourself. As Intel CEO Andy Grove once wrote, "My day always ends when I'm tired and ready to go home. Not when I'm done... A manager's work is never done. There is always more to be done, more that should be done, always more than can be done." [4]
You probably won't have to cover 20 miles over snow and ice for today to count as a success--although you may need to write 500 words. Whatever your field, I suspect that in a chaotic and unpredictable environment the more control you can exert over your time, your effort, and your output the better off you'll be.
- What forms of discipline would support more consistent effort?
- What data will tell you that you've reached a useful limit?
- What boundaries and routines will help you stop? [5]
Efficiency
As Collins' remarks make clear, the definition of "efficiency" is highly contextual. An "efficient" use of resources in flush times when conditions are predictable and success is more likely will not serve you well when the environment changes radically. In your current role it might not get you killed, but it could certainly cause you to run out of time, money, patience, or stamina.
The key is understanding your existing constraints and how those constraints change with the environment. A regular topic of discussion in my work with leaders is the emergence of new constraints as their organization evolves. Limited capital is almost always the first and most significant gating factor, and it must be treated as a scarce and precious resource to extend the company's runway. But over the past decade capital was often rapidly surpassed as a governing constraint by talent, public prominence, or the leader's availability. [6]
With recent shifts in the economic climate, capital is again becoming a more salient constraint--but as Collins points out, an "efficient" use of capital won't be much help if you've run out of supplies in between depots. And even if you're responsible for capital allocation in your organization, perhaps the most important resources you need to allocate efficiently are your own time and attention. [7]
- What finite resources impose constraints on your personal and organizational operations?
- How might those constraints change under conditions of uncertainty?
- What's been your definition of "efficiency" in recent years?
- How should that definition evolve to suit the emerging environment?
Resilience
Collins mentions "resilience" only at the end of the excerpt above, but it's a quality at the heart of his message. While we may rightfully admire Robert Falcon Scott's bravery in the face of the challenge that ultimately claimed his life, that's not the same thing as resilience. As I've written before,
We often misunderstand the meaning of resilience, confusing it with invulnerability or toughness. The etymological root of resilience is the Latin resilire, which means "to rebound, recoil or jump back." Resilient materials deform under pressure while retaining their internal consistency, later returning to their original form. Iron is tough, but it's not resilient--when it reaches its breaking point it shatters into pieces. [8]
The "uncertain and unforgiving environment" of the next few years will no doubt test your resilience, and it may test your bravery as well, but let's not confuse the two. Let's also not view resilience as a monolithic quality we possess or lack. Work by psychologists Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté suggests that our degree of resilience is a function of the extent to which we manifest certain characteristics and engage in specific behaviors, all of which are learnable or subject to influence: Emotion regulation, impulse control, optimism, causal analysis, empathy, self-efficacy and reaching out. [9]
And therapist and meditation teacher Linda Graham notes that we can build resilience through "priming," or enhancing our ability to experience certain emotions or physiological states that will serve us well in difficult circumstances. In addition to beginning each day with some form of loving, physical connection--like a hug!--and recalling a memory or a hope that evokes a sense of well-being, we can also train ourselves to recognize when we've lost our composure, take a moment to breathe, feel our heart beating, and calm ourselves before proceeding. [10]
- What elements of resilience in Reivich and Shatté 's model feel like strengths of yours? How might you leverage them more fully?
- What elements feel weaknesses of yours? How might you cultivate them more deliberately?
- What daily practices enhance your ability to handle stress?
Footnotes
[1] Jim Collins on 'Thriving In Chaos' (Dan Bigman, Chief Executive, 2022)
[2] Graham Greene Dies, 86, Novelist of the Soul (The New York Times, 1991)
[3] The End of the Affair, page 34 (Graham Greene, 1951)
[4] High Output Management, page 47 (Andy Grove, 1983/1995)
[5] Happy Workaholics Need Boundaries, Not Balance
[7] To Stay Focused, Manage Your Emotions
[8] The Ruling Out of Possibilities (On Failure)
[9] The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life's Hurdles, Chapter 2: How Resilient Are You?, pages 31-47 (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté, 2002). For more on resilience and further excerpts from Reivich and Shatté's work, see The Art of Self-Coaching, Class 5: RESILIENCE & VULNERABILITY.
[10] Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being, page 230 (Linda Graham, 2013)
Photo by Eugene Kaspersky.