Shoot. Move. Communicate.
Leadership advice from a Marine sergeant to a young Marine lieutenant: “If you want to
know how to lead your troops, there are just three things you have to remember: Shoot.
Move. Communicate.”
The sergeant was conveying critical information. Commitment to his advice could mean
the difference between success and failure on the battlefield. The sergeant knew that the
best leaders thought fast, spoke clearly and took quick decisive action. Those leaders
were often on top of the enemy before their presence was detected – or had blown past
their enemy so fast that the enemy didn’t have a chance to get them in their cross-hairs.
These three tactics are also critical in business. Here’s how they can apply.
Shoot
In a business context, “shoot” means you have to be decisive. You have to pick a target –
and go for it!
This can relate to a decision about strategy or tactics. For example:
• A decision about a geographic market or industry vertical you are going to start to
serve – or one you are going to stop serving.
• A decision related to a change in organizational structure, or building a sales
organization.
• A decision about a key executive you need to hire – or one you need to fire.
What ever it is, if you are going to be successful as a leader, you have to act.
Move
If you stand still… you present an easy target for your enemies. If your business
capabilities and tactics are exactly the same as they were 36 months ago, there’s a good
chance you’re beginning to feel A LOT of competitive heat.
Businesses MUST evolve. It’s not the strong that survive – it’s the ones that are the most
adaptable. Business must be alert and responsive to changes and opportunities in the
marketplace. They must constantly add new services, modify old ones, seek new clients
and seek out new applications for their existing services.
For those businesses that do not evolve… it’s only a matter of time before their
competitors begin to close in.
Communicate
If you’re going to build a great business, you’re going to need to attract, develop and
retain great people. And once you have them on board, the best way to look after your
people and make them effective in their roles is to keep them informed.
The best people on your team need and are always interested in information related to
the marketplace (customers & competitors), the company, their department and your
view of their individual performance.
How This Applies Today
Many executives in the local delivery industry have noticed that FedEx, UPS, Amazon
and EBay are becoming more active in the same day delivery arena. The last-mile market
is changing. And the competitive landscape in beginning to change. These changes could
become a negative competitive force, or the changes might simply enlarge the size of the
industry and bring positive attention to it.
Either way, when the marketplace begins to change, the best defense is usually a very
strong offense. This is an important time to be sure that you are ready and motivated to shoot, move and communicate.
~ ~ ~ ~
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than
the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows
it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter
whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better start
running.
About the author:
Rick McClelland is a veteran in the “mobile workforce” business having spent 40 years in the transportation and logistics industry. Rick is the former Chairman and CEO of Dynamex Inc., the leading provider of same-day transportation services in North America. Rick is currently an advisor and consultant in the delivery industry and Rick welcomes you to reach out to him if you have a question about this blog posting or any other of Rick’s postings. Rick can be reached at rickmcclelland1@gmail.com.