| Every leader of organizational change has a | | | | flight out after the wounded. It was pretty grim |
| timeline. The Big Kahuna wants it done by such | | | | duty. |
| and such a date and that date becomes the | | | | We gathered up nearly three dozen dead Marines |
| gospel. There is just no changing it. Let me take | | | | and zipped them in body bags, and half of the |
| you on a trip and show you why that is often | | | | dead had their M-16 rifles apart in their hands. |
| fatal, for the project, the organization and mostly | | | | They had jammed in the sand. This scene was |
| the people involved. | | | | relived across Vietnam for the next couple years |
| Go back with me to the summer of 1967. It was | | | | at least. Why? Because some tin soldier leader |
| in the northern provinces of South Vietnam and I | | | | way back in headquarters made a macho decision |
| was a sniper team leader with the U.S. Marines. It | | | | to rollout an unproven and untested weapon that |
| was my second consecutive year in country and | | | | cost the lives of many great young Marines. Our |
| we were assigned to go with a Marine infantry | | | | leaders dutifully followed orders and their troops |
| unit to a nasty place called the Street Without | | | | died with weapons that didn't work. That is a |
| Joy located in Quang Tri Province. It was an area | | | | scene I relive time and again. It's happening today |
| in the sand dunes with tree lines and hedge rows | | | | in organizations across America and the World. |
| and villages. | | | | In the past eight years while consulting on change |
| You have to know that at that time the Marines | | | | projects I have seen this same thing happen in |
| carried the M-14 rifle. Twice each year we had to | | | | organizations large and small. It is a leadership |
| do what they called 'field strip' the rifle. This | | | | issue. In business and other peacetime |
| meant taking it apart and putting it back together, | | | | organizations these actions don't kill people, they |
| blindfolded in sixty seconds. The reason for the | | | | just kill careers. When leaders blindly think they |
| test was in case the rifle jammed at night, you | | | | can 'drive' the timelines they don't find success, it |
| could fix it quickly. In the case of the M-14, it was | | | | is an illusion they support by failing to ask the right |
| a little heavy but incredibly reliable so jamming | | | | questions. |
| was rare at best. | | | | I was involved in a Peoplesoft implementation for |
| Enter our illustrious Defense Secretary, Mr. | | | | a $1.3 billion company. The consulting house told |
| McNamara who was pushing all kinds of new stuff | | | | them they could design and implement in two |
| to publicly show his strong support for the U.S. | | | | years. We came in at the site of the train wreck |
| troops fighting there. This is all well written about | | | | two and a half years later when all they had |
| today, at the time it was much like what you | | | | implemented was the system in headquarters |
| hear in today's media regarding Iraq. Long story | | | | finance. Or how about an Oracle implementation, it |
| short, the M-16 rifle was forced down the | | | | was in a technology company doing around $500 |
| military's throat with a roll out timeline that was | | | | million in sales and a year behind on their timeline |
| nearly immediate. | | | | with nothing on the street. We were called to get |
| The justification was that it was much lighter | | | | it on track. When we discuss the timeline all heads |
| (think plastic), the ammunition was lighter (and | | | | bow and silence enters the room. |
| smaller) and it would shoot much faster. If all that | | | | Another fun time was with a company formed |
| was true, and that was a stretch, it would have | | | | by several mergers and the new CEO, a fine GE |
| been okay except for the fact that it was barely | | | | Capital man, decided to implement the infamous |
| tested. The thing was surely in what they call | | | | SAP as his first project. He demanded it be done |
| today 'beta' and not ready for prime time. | | | | in under a year. Keep in mind that the company |
| The Marines my snipers and I were with had | | | | was formed with 11 other companies they |
| M-14's until three or four hours before the | | | | purchased and were bringing together. They |
| operation we were going on when Marine | | | | would have done $600 million had they survived. |
| leadership, under the direction of those fine | | | | But the lights dimmed when they turned on SAP, |
| leaders we had in Washington, came by to rollout | | | | they couldn't ship for a week or bill for three |
| the new M-16. The Marines gave up their trusted | | | | weeks and they died. It is split up and sold off |
| M-14 and were handed the new toy M-16 with an | | | | and many careers went down the drain. |
| hours training and wished well - we headed out at | | | | People on high, dictating timelines disguised as |
| the sign of darkness and headed for the Street | | | | leadership, are killing companies and careers today |
| Without Joy. | | | | at an alarming rate. It is the same as my |
| We arrived at near midnight and the plan was to | | | | experience in Vietnam forty years ago. McNamara |
| 'sit in' until first light and sweep the local villages. | | | | demanded certain things like Rumsfeld today. You |
| We were ambushed and fought all night, at one | | | | can demand all you want but the reality is that |
| point being overrun by the bad guys. It was an | | | | based on the resources you commit and the |
| awful night. At first light the North Vietnamese | | | | scope of the change, times the quality of the |
| broke off the fight and we were left to gather up | | | | work, will equal the time it takes to complete. You |
| the carnage. As the choppers came in for the | | | | can edict all you want and it will bring you fatal |
| severely wounded first, the Lieutenant asked me | | | | results if you aren't connected to the people doing |
| to get my snipers and gather the dead for their | | | | the work. |