Thread: Manage Risk Like a Royal Marine

This is a cool strategy! Gotta prepare for anything that could happen and react to changes with calm and control.

It is March 20, 2003, a few miles off the coast of Iraq's Al Faw Peninsula. In the dark of night, Corporal Mike Stevenson leads his section of seven heavily-armed Royal Marines across the deck of HMS Ark Royal toward the waiting Sea King helicopter. On the horizon, he can see fires erupting, and overhead, the afterburners of Patriot and Tomahawk missiles.

Manage Risk Like a Royal Marine - Arnoud Franken and Andy Salmon - Harvard Business Review

Pulled this from the comment section


Zelinskas44 06/08/2012 04:22 PM

One of the key differences I have seen in my experience between the military and the business world is a
lack of information flow. In combat every member needs to know as much as
possible because there is a possibility they may be leading the mission if
things go south. In business no one is worried about leaders being killed
so only the information they deem pertinent is passed. Solutions are then
built on less than a full deck and have to be revamped several times as more
information is pulled. Not only are resources wasted but trust is eroded;
the shop floors belief that you believe given the tools they can build the best
actionable solutions. That trust is what allows good leaders and managers to
quickly transition teams and bring resources to bear on any problem because teams
do not think, they know they have everything.