Fire ready, aim - Using tracer rounds in decision-making

01/09/23 • 5 min

Recently, I mentioned the concept of tracer rounds in a LinkedIn post. I received a surprising handful of emails asking to flesh that out a bit, so abracadabra, here we are. I think the concept of tracer rounds fits today’s decision-making model perfectly.
Ready, aim, fire
Even though it was used in the movie Ben Hur (along with that other period gaffe, the red sports car), the phrase Ready, Aim, Fire! was probably made popular in the 18th century sometime to help infantrymen with musket practice and dueling colleagues be civil with their killing..
Think about it... “Get ready,” means just that – assume posture and preparedness; “Aim” is to align the weapon’s barrel with the target; and “Fire!” means to set fire to the musket powder, sending a musket ball downrange toward the intended target.
Of course, it was also used in those unsavory firing squads, but the original principal held true.
Get ready, take aim, and fire.
And in all fairness, this was a practical analogy for business decision-making for decades. Get ready (identify the problem); Aim (use available information to make a decision); Fire (execute the decision).
Makes perfect sense. Except we would usually screw up the order of things.
Sometimes it was “Ready, aim, aim, aim...” as we kicked the can down the road with cowardly stalling tactics, always “fixin’ to do something (Texas vernacular), irritating every competent employee within shooting distance. Too often, NO decision became THE decision.
Other times it was “Ready, fire, fire, fire...” as we made rapidly successive decisions void of any appreciable thought, knee-jerking our way to abysmal failure and more frustrated employees who had to clean up our collective messes.
Then, there was “Ready, fire, aim...” This one got an unwarranted bad rap. Too often it was considered the impulsive act of a manager not needing (or wanting) input from anyone else; s/he had all the information needed to do whatever s/he wanted. I think it was wrongly placed since likely, that manager never did take aim. At least not with any appreciable thought.
Ready, fire, aim actually works pretty well, as long as we use a feedback loop to keep it going. Something like Ready, fire, aim, fire, aim, fire... where each successive “Fire!” acts a decision-maker’s tracer rounds (tracers). Used in machine guns, tracers allowed gunners to see the ending point of the fired round, and adjust their future shooting based on that new information.
Thanks for listening. Always remember to Be Brazen, remembering that grace & accountability can coexist.
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Previous Episode

When Leadership is Damned Hard - How to make a difference when no one’s paying attention.

Ok, as Forrest Gump so adroitly quoted his mother, “Stupid is as stupid does,” and I certainly don’t mean to call anyone reading this “stupid,” per se, but leading in challenging times isn’t hugely different from day-to-day leadership.
But, it’s not the same, either. Some priorities shift.
We know for certain that burying our head in the sand and pretending that nothing is going on is positively insane. It’s like your 2 year-old child closing his or her eyes and saying, “you can’t see me.”
Though many leadership skills are timeless, and probably should be exhibited anyway, there are always times when certain skills have more value than others. Leadership is, after all, situational.
If you find yourself between two slugs arguing, it’s probably not the time to haul out your skills at articulating your leadership vision. A necessary skill, to be sure, but at that moment, conflict resolution knowledge would be really helpful.
Situational, see?
There are 5 keys to leading effectively during these times; they aren’t necessarily difficult, but to ignore them will certainly make your life more difficult.
1. See and be seen. Visibility is a big deal. Now’s not the time to hide out in your office, pining away the days or lamenting for better times. Get out, be seen, be available, and most importantly, be heard. High visibility coupled with credibility is a near-guarantee of success in uncertain times. People need to see you and see you frequently. Hopefully face-to-face, if your environment and social distancing allow. Otherwise, lots of phone calls, zoom calls, videos and texts.
2. Want cheese with that whine? No open complaining, commiserating, or whining. Not now (assuming it was ever ok, which you know, of course, that it isn’t) especially. Your folks don’t need to know that you feel as out of control as they do. It doesn’t help them, or you, to believe that things are hurtling out of everyone’s control. I can’t promise that your positivity will always result in their positivity, but I can promise that any negativity will spread like wildfire.
3. Remember, you were young once. Put yourself in employees’ shoes; this is uncomfortable, and there are plenty of unknowns. Lots of things are changing around them, and they are neither fully aware of the rationale, nor in control of, any of those things changing. They need you to chart a course, plan, devise a strategy, set courses, directions, goals and objectives. Make sure all are aware of them, and why they exist. This is a big deal.
4. Ask and ye shall receive. Now’s the time to ask for input, comment, and feedback from all, and do so frequently. Help people understand as best you can, explaining why things are happening (when you know), and why we’re taking this specific action. But in the end, they’ve got to do what’s necessary to help your organization (and themselves) weather this storm.
5. Execute. No, I don’t mean public hangings or firing squads, as tempting as they may be. I mean taking decisive action. A key component in motivation and employee trust – in helping employees see that all is not lost, that forward progress isn’t stalled, and that someone is in charge – is the act of action. Think, decide, act. A cornerstone of exemplary leadership, and a management skill that serves us all very well.
Thanks for listening. Always remember to Be Brazen, remembering that grace & accountability can coexist.

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Next Episode

Leading Change: Times... they are a'changin

Change is simple; just close your eyes, hold your breath, and wait. It happens.

Effective change management, on the other hand, takes some skill. From my view of the world, 3 things are necessary for senior executives to successfully drive positive change:

Belief and commitment. You gotta believe -- really believe -- that what you are doing is right and appropriate, using a variety of litmus tests. Mid-management, supervisors, and/or line employees will quickly detect if your commitment is anything but resolute.

Change management isn't for the weak at heart, so strap in, point the way, and hold the course (I always wanted to use that line).

Provide direction. Even if people can believe in your resolve, and even if they understand the basic need, they need real direction, from YOU, to know where to head. Don't expect overnight adjustment and buy-in to your newfound commitment for change; until that real buy-in occurs, they need a really good map--a compass is probably a better word--to help them start off in the right direction.

Point the way. With credibility.

If you don't have the credibility... well, I have some bad news. Your change efforts will not succeed.

Unqualified support for the cause. Pay attention here, this one's really, really important. Not only can you not afford to lose your focus (see "commitment" above), but you must insist others join in the quest.

You must insist.

Help them work through their issues, convince--as best as possible--for the need to change. At the end, though, the change must occur, and you must be prepared to make all those decisions necessary, some good, some tough, to make it happen.

Naysayers can be a fatal distraction. Disbelievers can poison an effective team. Misdirected managers can ruin the entire effort. Make sure you stay aware, and be prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure the focus is maintained by all.

The enemy (market, economy, industry, whatever) is upon us; we have work to do, and some unique challenges facing us.

Time to charge that hill... and like the real generals of old, organizations charge best and most successful when their leaders are out front. So be brazen.

And remember that Grace and Accountability can coexist.

Thanks for listening