Stop making plans & thrive in the chaos

A recap of the March Sunrise Scrambler Many would be hard pressed to find a leadership model that exceeds that of the United States Marine Corps. And many of the USMC leadership principles can also be applied in business and in life. Richard Rierson, ten-year USMC vet and founder of Dose of Leadership, spoke about this concept at our March Sunrise Scrambler when he presented “Closing the Gap Between Strategic Development & Strategic Execution." We have outlined some of his main points below.            Richard Rierson

• USMC Philosophies – train everyone to act as a leader, make decisions from the bottom up, ask for forgiveness instead of permission, and learn to thrive within chaos. These are also good philosophies for business leaders to adopt.

• There is no such thing as a perfect plan. Focusing on detail and control is not the answer. Instead, we should focus on aligning our teams on working toward clear outcomes. It is not about working on a plan; it is working toward the desired outcome.

• Focusing on clarity and alignment leads to an intelligent organization with engaged and high-performing teams.

• You cannot over communicate your organization’s desired outcomes.

• Give your people the tools, time and support they need to succeed. Define boundaries then get out of the way.

• You can have a decent strategy and a great culture and succeed every time. But if you have a great strategy and a negative culture, failure is inevitable. “Culture eats strategy for lunch every single day.”

You can follow Richard on Twitter @DoseofLeader, and you view his full presentation here. See photos from the Sunrise Scrambler on our Facebook page, and see conversation from the event on Twitter using #chamberict. Special thanks to our Sunrise Scrambler sponsors: Legacy Bank, Holiday Inn Wichita East, and Davis-Moore Autogroup. Registration is now open for our next Sunrise Scrambler on April 16, when a panelist of our 2015 Small Business Awards finalists will share what has made their organizations unique and successful. Please join us to support small business!