Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Leadership, Innovation, and Chaos


HENRY:   Surely chaotic conditions are the best place for mistakes.  What do you see as the single biggest mistake to be made, either as an organization or as an individual?
BOB:  When you don’t know what to do, sometimes the best thing to do, at least initially, is nothing . . . as I say:  ”Stop and smoke a cigarette.”   We tend to forget that and look for “something” to do, anything at all, to respond, when in fact the best response to chaos – at least initially — is often watch and think. You can be overwhelmed with fear, anxiety, and anger, but as a leader you need to step back and understand the situation and try to find the patterns in the chaos; remember, it is only chaos because we haven’t yet seen or found the patterns.

Read the rest of the Forbes interview with Navy SEAL Bob Schoulz.

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