The Mission
When Special Forces commandos attempted to rescue U.S prisoners from the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison during the Vietnam War, the operation was conducted almost without a flaw. The commandos trained in great secrecy for weeks in advance. During the raid itself, the commando team quickly assaulted and took control of the prison. U.S. forces were extracted before enemy forces could respond, and were safely returned to a U.S. base. Smart on-scene commanders quickly directed the team around the few inevitable missteps that arose.
The only major flaw related to the mission was in intelligence, and even this was almost unavoidable. Shortly before the raid, a remote-controlled drone turned while collecting intelligence. During the turn, the drone banked slightly, causing the drone’s cameras to briefly point toward the sky. As a result, although the rescue operation was conducted flawlessly, there were no prisoners to free from the Hanoi Hilton on that particular day. By banking during these brief seconds, the drone had failed to capture imagery indicating that the Hanoi Hilton’s prisoners had been moved.
Was the mission successful? It depends on how success was defined. If the mission was to successfully assault and break into the Hanoi Hilton, then the mission was successful. If the mission was to boost morale among U.S. troops, including those being held in other prisons, then the mission was successful. And if the mission was to provide proof that the United States was willing to conduct such operations in order to win the war and was capable of doing so, the mission was successful. But if the mission was to free the prisoners who had been in the Hanoi Hilton, then the mission failed.
What is the definition of success for your mission? Is it defined by the immediate outcome, as in the removal of an enemy scout by a successful sniper shot? Or is it defined by the outcome of the larger battle, which succeeded because the SEAL sniper didn’t shoot the enemy scout prematurely?
Is mission success defined solely by operational success? Or is it also defined by events that are seemingly not connected to the immediate operation? Scott O’Grady was shot down over Bosnia, but the U.S. public considered the mission a success because he managed to evade capture for several days until he was rescued. SEALs protecting U.S. embassy compounds in equatorial Africa succeeded, not because many rebels were killed, but because SEALs refrained from shooting rebels during tense situations when rebels advanced toward the embassy. If they had not refrained from shooting, the situation would have deteriorated further and would have received undesired media attention.
However you define mission success, define it specifically. Instead of stating that a commando team will pass battlefield intelligence, state that it will pass real-time imagery of SAM-6 positions to F-18s from the carrier John C. Stennis before 1800 on 23 February. Instead of simply stating that U.S. casualties will be kept to a minimum, define “minimum.” Does it mean no casualties? Does it mean one non-life-threatening casualty? Does it mean no casualties that prevent the successful completion of the primary mission?
The Take-Away
When is a company successful? When the stock price is up? Or when all the employees are happy?
During a cyclical merchandising event a few years ago, the wholesale price of a brand-name household product was reduced significantly, cutting into the company’s profits on each product sold. At the same time, retailers passed much of the price cut on to consumers, which resulted in greater volumes of the product being sold.
Overall, the increase in volume did not make up for the decrease in profit margins, and the program resulted in less corporate income. At the same time, the increase in volume translated into a larger portion of all household products sold. And this resulted in the company’s major competitor selling a smaller portion of all household products sold, even though the competitor enjoyed larger profit margins on each product.
Was the program a success?
In this case, yes, because the company conducting the program had previously defined market share as the benchmark for success in this program. If the standard for success had not been defined clearly, then others would have judged the program on the basis of their own group’s perspective. The sales force might have judged the program on the basis of the increase in volume shipped to retailers. The finance department might have judged the program on the basis of profits.
You need to do two things to clarify success: (1) Establish what the objective is before the mission, and then, (2) after the mission, determine whether the operation was successful based on that objective. Everything else is window dressing. But boss, we won all those business awards. We were voted one of the best 100 places to work. That’s nice, Fred, but we’re going out of business.
Every operation can be either a success or a failure, depending on how you define success. Losing sports teams can be deemed successful if they fill the stadium every weekend. Inferior products can be considered successes if their sales teams persuade retailers to dump the competition. Establish how you will determine whether goals are being met beforehand, or else you risk being handed imaginative new definitions of success by employees who want to shine.
Jon was once in a war, operating on a foreign patrol boat. One night, the patrol boat’s crew fired an expensive missile at what was probably a floating, deserted hulk. The boat shook and there was a flash of light on the horizon followed by a distant but loud clap. The crew of the patrol boat danced with delight and patted themselves on the back. Obviously, to them, successfully firing the missile was, in itself, the definition of success.