The Mission
Right now, an Iranian submarine might be near the Strait of Hormuz, in a position to threaten a major commercial shipping lane. How might this problem be perceived?
Is the problem that the submarine can potentially sink merchant vessels? Is the problem that the submarine intends to sink merchant vessels? What if the problem is that the oil on board the merchant vessels might not make it to the United States? What if the actual problem is that Iran has decided to demonstrate that it can threaten U.S. interests?
How this problem is defined will influence whether the United States will respond, what the U.S.
response should be, and who should make up the response team.
Suppose the problem is that the submarine intends to sink merchant vessels. Then the specific problem might be that underwater guidance systems are about to deliver several tons of explosives within killing distance of several merchant vessels. The solution might be to thwart the under water guidance systems, or to render the explosives useless before they reach their targets.
Or suppose the problem is that the oil on board might be lost. Then the specific problem might be that the oil on board will not arrive in the United States, resulting in oil shortages. Then the solution might be to ensure additional or alternative petroleum delivery systems.
Or suppose the real problem is that another country-in this case, Iran-feels confident enough to threaten U.S. interests. Then the specific problem might be that the country feels that it is immune to U.S. reprisals. In that case, the solution might be to demonstrate that threatening the United States has severe consequences.
How the problem is defined determines whether SEALs will ever be involved. If the problem is that the submarine is about to sink friendly ships, than SEALs are a dependable option that senior leaders will consider. The appropriate SEAL team would place one of its platoons on alert and begin planning a direct action mission. Launch vessels or submarines would be coordinated to insert and extract the team.
On the other hand, if the problem amounts to possible oil shortages in the United States, it would be outside the scope of the SEAL organization to solve. SEALs couldn’t ensure that domestic coal production would increase to make up the difference, or that Alaskan pipeline capacity would double. The SEAL platoon’s phone wouldn’t ring. The team members’ beepers wouldn’t go off.
The Take Away
When Jeff worked with the Los Angeles Times as it was starting up its Web site, a group was assigned to develop a destination Web site. What was it trying to do?
Well, the company wanted to make money and increase its stock price. The management wanted to develop a strong position in the interactive world. Jeff wanted to create something central to Los Angeles to grow the online business. The management had defined a broad goal, but it had never gotten into the specifics. Soon, it was heading off in six different directions. There were several different perceived problems and several separate efforts.
It took quite a few late?night meetings before everyone was on track. After that, it took them a while to figure out how they were going to do it. But the important thing was, everyone knew what they were doing. And once that was achieved, the rest was easy.
How you see the problem might not be how others see the problem. When Daimler?Benz bought Chrysler, there was a distinct difference between the German and American management teams in terms of what they perceived was wrong with the American manufacturer and what was required to turn Chrysler around. Soon after their merger, these differences came to light and turned ugly.
American managers were dismissed. Accusations of German arrogance became public. What was in itially hailed as a brilliant international union became, to many, a symbol of mismanagement.
Make sure you understand the perspective of those who ultimately authorize your mission. The more precise you can be in identifying the problem, the more your team can focus on the right solution.