No. 1
In the midst of chaos, your mind cannot be chaotic.
- General Jim Mattis, “Call Sign Chaos”
In chaos or crisis, emotion is unhelpful and clouds judgment. Think about a 911 operator answering a frantic call. The operator is ALWAYS cool and collected while the caller panics. The operator tries to understand the situation (facts) and deploy appropriate resources. Part of their job is to calm the caller down, and they do this by staying calm. This is central to understanding reality.
Leadership is the same. Because of their power, leaders have an outsized impact on the team's emotions. Be the 911 operator. Move with urgency but with calm professionalism designed to find the truth, make rational decisions, and deploy resources.
When you have enough clarity on what you ‘think’ needs to be done, move faster than anyone thinks possible. Speed is essential because it’s likely that your first decision is wrong—or, at least, less than ideal. Moving fast allows you to learn more facts, adjust your decision, and shift resources.
Remember: accomplishing the mission matters, not your ego or reputation. Humble leaders hold onto their ideas loosely. When the facts change, they change their minds.
No. 2
Speed kills, but slow is deadly.
- General Jim Mattis, “Call Sign Chaos”
You can’t wait to have all the facts to decide, but you need clarity before you rush off mindlessly. Clarity includes answering questions like:
What are we doing?
Why are you doing it?
What do we believe to be true?
Did what we thought would happen, happen (thesis)?
Apply these questions as a filter to your actions. When the answers change, change your actions.
Go fast, but do it with clarity.
I hope you’re good.
Take care, Kelly
Clarity In Chaos