Best Possible Outcome

CHAPTER 13EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

In times of crisis, a formal decision-making process will always outperform an ad hoc — or non-existent — process for reacting to the unforeseen or unexpected.

It became clear that the teams that excelled when deployed to war zones were those whose leadership teams had a well-drilled process for their decision-making in crisis. But having a process is only half the answer. Regular practice ensures a team will be able to make decisions at short notice and react effectively to complex problems.

By the end of this chapter you will understand the value of training your team for uncertainty. This is not just about the resilience of your organisation or getting the most out of your team. It's about being fair to each individual you thrust into a challenging situation.

Six days into a nine-day exercise. The commander has had little sleep and his operations officer has had less. There are multiple moving parts, with soldiers operating in several areas of the province. Reports come in of the discovery of an IED in a culvert in the road; a villager has just approached the compound gate with an injured child; a general is visiting the following day and his liaison team is due any minute. The incoming rocket siren sounds, and at the same time the admin radio sparks up with a request to confirm numbers for an upcoming flight to rotate soldiers through one of the outlying patrol bases.

Then, over the top of the chatter of the command post, the young captain ...