Corporate Survival- Part 3 no win situations



 

Corporate Survival- It's your choice.

Are you stressed out at work or frustrated in your career?  If you said yes, you are not alone.  Today, more employees than ever before are experiencing unhealthy levels of stress and frustration in their jobs.

Conditions such as under performing peers, unsuccessful managers, organizational instability, and marketplace disruptions plague almost every team, project and company.  These conditions can make life almost unbearable at times for individuals that are forced to endure them, creating unhealthy levels of stress that can impact every facet of our lives. 
 
Don't think for a second that organizations always get it right when making strategic decisions, managing the day to day or promoting or hiring for key positions, they often don't.  Your individual situation at your company, regardless of the size of your organization is a multi-faceted and complex operating environment that is influenced by decisions and inputs from many stakeholders, often with competing and disparate agendas.  The larger your organization, the more complex and competitive your industry, increases the likelihood that the level of dysfunction and misalignment in your day to day is at unhealthy levels.  Understandably, almost no organizational decision is made with the individual in mind.  Many times the real reasons behind decisions that have a direct impact on you, seem confusing or even contrary to the success of the business. 

Also, don't forget that running companies, managing teams and projects is very difficult work.  Decisions by managers are often made with incomplete information, compressed schedules or other confidential factors and are forced upon teams that are understaffed or caught up in the midst of change.  Sometimes, depending on the industry, decisions made by senior managers can take months or years before the determination can be made as to whether or not the decision was correct, or successful.  Often times, the person who made the original decision is no longer there, and there is a new manager, maybe it's you, who is attempting to execute strategy that may not even be correct.  Sound familiar? 

Some people have endured circumstances described above for so long that they think it is normal, or the way it's supposed to be. 

There are many business books and support mechanisms in place to increase your leadership skills, improve your communication, motivate you towards making the entrepreneurial leap and so on.  But the truth is that most individuals are compelled to endure their current situation for longer than desired, longer than is healthy, longer than they should, out of necessity or more specifically, out of survival. 

Has this ever happened to you or someone you know?  What should you do if you find yourself in an unpleasant situation at work that is causing too much stress and anxiety and for whatever reason you cannot break away from it? 

Take immediate steps to increase your situational awareness.

 

Engage your organizational OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop.

1. Observation is your most critical skill. You may not be able to escape the situation, but you will be better able to survive it by learning as much as you can.  Consider factors that are outside of your normal altitude.  Do research on your industry, your competition, senior leaders of your organization. 

2. Orient yourself around a mission.  You will always be right to focus on accomplishing your organization or your team's mission.  I did not say you will always be recognized for doing so, but you will always be right.  Create positive goals built upon daily accomplishments, no matter how small or simple.  Encourage and teach your teammates to follow your example. 

3. Decide to survive.  Survival is a deliberate choice.  If you know you can't leave, then you have no choice.  Don't follow phonies or think you must act like them to succeed.

4. Act- Be action oriented.  Strive for results.  Expect the unexpected.  Work harder.  Support your team.  Find someone to trust at your organization.  Don't be afraid.  Take bold risks when the time is right.

Although few companies are without some measure of dysfunction, organizational tension or failing projects, there are many that consistently get "it" right, and have brand zealots as employees to show for it.  Talk with someone from USAA, Enterprise Rental Car, Chick-Fil-A and of course Google and many of the social media companies.  Check out Fortune Magazine's annual "100 Best companies to work for" survey and learn what makes these companies great places to work for.  Keep your corporate OODA loop engaged, and look for ways to improve your situation.  Of course, if you see an opportunity to make a big change, and the timing is right in your individual life, then do it.  It's not your responsibility to endure forever, environments that are persistently stressful and negative. 

Always remember, survival, especially corporate survival, is a deliberate choice. 

"Beyond Normal Limits", are you ready for it?

B-rad.

 



Adventure Operations Group offers corporate team building, discreet assessments and consulting  designed to enhance performance and create "Beyond Normal Limits" individuals and teams.  Contact us today to learn more.
 www.adventureoperationsgroup.com

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. "   Theodore Roosevelt

Long before I started AOG, I read this quote hanging on the wall in a small office, in a non-descript building on Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, GA.  It was in a simple frame and stamped with a unit crest that signified that it had been presented by those who truly understood what it meant to be in the arena. It stopped me in my tracks the first time I read it.  The context at the time was that I was in my first arena, learning the great enthusiasms, about victory and how to dare greatly.  I wasn't alone. I was surrounded by others also in the arena, like minded volunteers for the extreme.  Brothers who helped define it and share it.  They were, as we were reminded daily, "Modern Day Spartans". 

We knew that we were doing the unspoken deeds that most would never know or care about, and that quiet knowledge was the glue that bonded us.  The coolest thing was the recognition that we were all dedicated to the cause, the mission and pushing the limits.  There was no chance of finding a cold or timid soul in that company.  We were, united, of our own accord.

Years later, I find myself in another, different arena. Full of stress, chaos and disunity of thought and action.  When I look around, I sometimes barely recognize my environment or the people in it.  There are those who know neither victory nor defeat, nor ever will.  Those who work in ways that are unfamiliar, ways that are learned from years of modest enthusiasm, selfish devotions or just simply untrue causes.  Those who seek to divide, maintain the status quo and advance themselves by a willingness to endure a soul crushing existence of middle of the road word and deed.  They promulgate a negative bandwidth of communication and endeavors aimed at anything but actual success, victory or the team life.

It is in these times when I must retreat from this arena.  To seek the solace in the familiar feel of the wilderness, of a ruck, wet feet and a time hack.  To move fast, light and far.  To rage against the normal limits that exist somewhere between victory and defeat.  To feel pain, discomfort and to remember the truth that it makes me stronger.  To seek the undiscovered parts of my soul in this world as I find new ways to test myself, lead others and exceed the standard.  To find familiar bonds of brotherhood, new missions and to keep faith with the accord of warriors that are entering their first arena.

These are the times that you must focus on keeping the fire of your soul stoked. Question the status quo.  Liberate yourself from the oppression of predefined boundaries.  Go beyond normal limits.

Are you in the arena?

B-rad
ADVENTURE OPERATIONS GROUP

AOG Q&A with Travis Rolph of Mayflower Research & Consulting

At AOG our mission is to train for “beyond normal limits” mindset and performance.  Drawing inspiration and influence from the Special Operations community, as well as other elite performers and outdoor athletes, we lead individuals and teams to accomplish more than they imagine possible by applying “SOF Focus”.  The principles of SOF focus are grounded in the truths of Special Operations Warriors and in the mindset of constant preparation and improving capabilities that all elite performers possess. 

AOG recently caught up with Travis Rolph, retired 5th SFG Green Beret, owner of Mayflower Research & Consulting and modern day adventurer, to hear about his most recent mission, competing in the Grand to Grand Ultra race.  The Grand to Grand ultra is a 7 day stage race that covers approximately 169 miles over an epic course. 

 



What was your motivation for this mission?  "To see if I could do it" and “ I needed a 7 day break with no cell phones”.  

Travis also said that the preparation process itself was a huge factor in his decision to run this race.  The discipline and focus required to get ready for such a big race was something he looked forward to.  Each day he forced himself to stop working at a set time and to put in the training miles necessary to prepare his body for running long distances day after day.  

Prior to training for the Grand to Grand Ultra, one of the most epic stage races in the United States, Travis had never run a sanctioned race longer than a 10K. 

What was the most critical component of your training plan?  

“The most important physical component was focusing on back to back high mileage days”. 
Travis, like many of us follows a balanced training plan of cardio/strength/agility.  For the G2G however, he backed off of everything except long distance conditioning and cardio. 

“The most important mental component was food planning”.  
Participants in the race had to carry all of their food for the entire 7 days.  There was a 2000 calorie per day minimum established by the race rules.  Travis made his own food for the race, and ate more than 2000 calories/day.

What was the biggest challenge of the race? 

“Dryness of the weather”- Living and training in the Southeastern US, Travis was accustomed to running in high heat, but also high humidity.  The dryness of the weather in Arizona fundamentally changed the way his clothes and gear interacted with his body, causing unanticipated challenges due to blisters and chafing. 

“Choice of shoes”- As a Green Beret Travis was no stranger to moving through sand in desert environments, but his choice of shoes for this race, (semi porous running shoes) proved to be less than optimal for the deep, fine sand. The shoes collected sand worse than he anticipated causing complications from severe blisters.  On the longest leg of the course, he stopped nine times in one day to dumb sand out. 

Mayflower gear is some of the best in the business.  As someone who knows the importance of good gear for our Special Operations Forces, do you think that gear plays a role in an individual’s mindset?  In other words, do you think that individual’s perform at a higher level knowing they have the best gear? 

 “Combat is a stressor, running 30 miles a day is a stressor and in each case there are numerous sub stressors.  When you can remove stressors, you perform better.  Good kit allows you to focus on the mission”.  

 

How would you describe the mental advantage that SOF Operators have over others when dealing with everyday challenges and obstacles? 

 

“We’re all A type’s who accept challenges and jump in with both feet.  We’re all highly confident, analytical problem solvers”.  SOF types know how to work smarter not harder and think their way through problems.  Multi-Tasking with the ability to prioritize the important from the not important is critical.  “What does the outcome need to be”?  “What are the steps to get there”?  The type of training we do, and the way we do it, contributes to the SOF Analytical mindset, (or what we at AOG call SOF Focus).   Once you know the required outcome, and identify the steps to get there, you rely on your training and mindset to push through to the end.        

 

 

Congratulations to Travis for completing one of the most epic and challenging ultra foot races in the world!  Great job on your first ultra! Travis embodies the true spirit of AOG and is an inspiration to all of us to keep pushing "Beyond Normal Limits".  De Oppresso Liber.

 

Travis's next adventure may be another ultra marathon to validate some gear changes.  He's also working on a special project.  We're unable to reveal any details at this time, but look for updates from Travis and Soldier Systems in the near future and stay tuned for a possible future joint Op between Travis and AOG.

 

B-Rad

Adventure Operations Group

Saturday After Action

For me, Saturday is often a great time to conduct a personal after action review from the previous week.  Like many in the US, my weeks most often resemble combat operations, and I am routinely engaged in pushing aggressively forward on multiple fronts and responsible for managing disparate priorities from competing groups of stakeholders on large scale projects. 

It is near impossible to move forward in any organization, effectively and aggressively without sustaining setbacks and failures on a regular basis.  Most often our failures are not large single events, but rather a collection of smaller cumulative micro failures that can chip away at our motivation and effectiveness with such a low signature that it's almost hard to recognize.

Saturday mornings are usually a good time to grab a cup of coffee and reflect on the collection of victories and failures I racked up during M-F combat.  I always think back to the many AAR's and post op debriefs I've sat thru.  Most people would be surprised to sit thru an actual AAR conducted by an elite unit or team.  Even on major operations involving complex planning and coordination, most de-brief points highlighting failures usually fall into one of the following categories:

• perception
• discipline
• communication
• technical difficulty

Perception- It's hard to remember a mission that either myself or anyone I know has ever been on where the actual conditions on the ground did not differ in some way from what was expected during planning.  Great teams and individuals train hard and are expected to adapt.  If you are in a Corporate Combat Unit, keep in mind that perception is one of the most difficult things to manage or understand among people who are normally not cohesive and trained to a common standard.

Discipline-  This one is easy.  At some point on every mission, one of us could have done something better.  Sometimes we get lucky and no one saw our minor mistake, and we dodged Mr. Murphy, but this is one I see often among many civilian organizations.  High degrees of discipline do occur, but are often by chance or due to a few rock stars who hold the line.  Corporations can and should train staff to be disciplined and aligned around solid core principles and time tested processes.

Communication- Think about all of the communication engagements that you will be a part of M-F in any organization.  The total number is staggering.  When they don't go well, they take a toll on both parties.  Often times two people on a team or in a corporate setting will quietly harbor small doses of anger and resentment for hours or days after an unpleasant communication engagement with a co worker or boss.  Failures of communication are the main reason for many of the real set backs and near misses in modern combat operations and among Special Operations.  Communication skills have to be constantly trained on and refined, de-briefed to the smallest detail.  You have to communicate well, period.

Technical difficulties-  "Comms went down", is probably one of the most recycled phrases in military de-briefs.  It's just a fact of life, and probably won't change until SOCOM, or TRADOC buys APPLE or Samsung and puts them in charge.  Fortunately most of us in Corporate Combat units get thru our work days without experiencing technical difficulties that completely derail our operations.  But when they do occur, realize that you must fall back on solid, basic and simple techniques to communicate and keep your team moving forward. 

These are just a few easy points to consider for your Saturday morning de-brief.  To learn more check out:  ADVENTURE OPERATIONS GROUP

Also, to hear David Rutherford talk about how to turn failure into success, check out this weekends Froglogic Radio Show at:  Froglogic Failure to Success

Have a great Saturday!
B-Rad and the AOG team.
Out.

Bug Out Basics

From AOG Teammate Josh-

 

The concept of “bugging out” is not new, although there are some new twists.  The premise is whatever situation we are in, we need to be somewhere else that is better.  The reasons are many; natural disaster, disabled vehicle, terrorist attack, etc.  One constant is having a small bag that will assist you in getting from point A to point B.  The bag, sometimes called a “go bag” or “bugout bag”, should be easily accessed, easy to transport, and contain whatever items needed to augment your personal gear and be appropriate for whatever location you’re in.

A few things to consider when choosing a bag for this purpose are its overall size, how it’s going to be carried, and the general appearance of the bag.  I’ll expand on each point.  If a bag is too big it will inevitably get overloaded with things you probably want but don’t necessarily need.  This becomes contrary to being easy to access and easy to transport.  If it’s too small then obviously it might not be able to carry essential items.  Backpacks make a perfectly good platform for a go bag but it becomes very difficult to access items in the bag quickly.  A shoulder bag, fanny pack, or lumbar pack makes access much easier.  The tradeoff is more weight can be carried easier in a backpack.  The overall appearance of the bag should be complimentary to you as well as the environment you are in.  A soldier working in Baghdad will probably need a bag that appears different than a bag for a soccer mom in St. Louis.  The point is it might be best if the bag doesn’t draw undue attention while moving within your environment.

I’m not going to delve into the exact contents of the bag but where you are will generally determine what you need.  If you are in the desert the procurement and carriage of water might be high on the list.  If you find yourself in a non permissive environment maybe a few extra mags, night vision, and a satellite phone might be needed.  I would concentrate on communications, signaling, self defense, and basic needs like staying warm and hydrated.  Most importantly we are trying to get from point A to point B.  I would suggest items that help accomplish that specific goal.

Tactical Adventure Course



What is a Tactical Adventure Course?  Adventure Travel + Action Skills + Special Operations + you and your team being trained by expert instructors to accomplish tough missions based around real life scenarios.  AOG's Tactical Adventure Courses will improve the performance and mission focus of your team.  We are the experts at small group tactical adventures and specialized training.