In honor of the 4^th of July I’ll reflect on my recent participation in a Goruck Challenge. This event was started by a former Green Beret who wanted to offer the personal challenge and team building experience of the US Special Forces to everyone.

In their own words: The GORUCK Challenge is a team event, never a race. Think of it as a slice of Special Operations training where – from start to finish – a Special Operations Cadre challenges, teaches, and inspires your small team to do more than you ever thought possible. Leadership is taught and teamwork is demanded on missions spanning the best of your city. The hardest part? Signing up.

For us this looked like: A group of 34 men and 3 women – most of whom were strangers to each other. Our cadre was a former Marine Force Recon. He took us on a 12 hour, 9pm to 9am adventure. Each man in the group carried a 40-lb pack. Each woman carried a 30-lb pack. Over the course of the night we:

• Hiked 18.5 miles
• Carried a 2000+ pound tree trunk for three of those miles
• Did over 5 hours total of intensive PT – on grass, in the sand and in water.
• Conducted various ‘missions’ which were various combinations of confusing, uncomfortable or wet.
• Learned to work as a team, support each other, and suck it up.
• Got the ‘job’ done and finished together.

Two Leaders – Two Lessons

A Leader Who Helped

One of the best examples of leadership I observed happened at 4am. We were exhausted and sent on a timed march across town. If we didn’t make our time we’d get more ‘good living’ from the perspective of a Marine. No one wanted that. Two of our group were assigned to be leaders of this mission. We formed our columns and took off, focused on setting a quick pace. But soon, several members of the group were lagging far behind.

As our column spread, our overall pace slowed. One of the leaders started running up and down our columns checking on everyone’s condition – particularly those in the back. I noticed that he started bringing the slower people up to the front of the column. This allowed our pace to be set by them – but it also encouraged them to pick up their pace. Not only that, but some of the more fit individuals were at the front and they offered to help carry the packs for those who were struggling. He also noticed that one of the slower individuals was cold, so he took his extra shirt and gave it to him.

What were the results of his leadership? Our pace picked up and we were able to stay together and complete our task.

A Leader Who Hindered

Once we completed that task, we were informed that a number of the members of our team had been ‘shot’ and would need to be carried several miles back across town. Again, we were given a tight time frame to complete this. A number of us stepped forward to carry the ‘wounded.’ Our previous assignments had taught us to do this in teams: one person resting while another carried, while others helped by carrying our packs along with their own.

Another leader was selected and another time goal was set. We formed columns and took off. Again, the columns started to spread out and become disorganized. This leader’s approach was different. He didn’t organize us while we marched. He would call frequent halts and fuss over where everyone was standing (mind you – a number of us were loaded with another person or 80lbs of gear while we stood waiting) We would march another few hundred yards or half mile and then have to halt and wait again. And again. Each halt sent ripples of frustration through the group. We eventually got to our goal; but missed our time. Morale had long since plummeted. And fatigue multiplied due to the additional time we had to spend standing with weight, as opposed to moving towards the goal.

Leadership Lessons:

• Pay attention to the condition and status of those you lead: It’s easy to become so focused on the goal, as well as the pace, we lose sight of the team itself. Who’s struggling? Who has something to contribute?

The first leader regularly reviewed the condition of the group. He addressed the root-cause of the issues surrounding the stragglers without stopping the team. His help felt like help. We moved faster as a result.
The second leader noticed and addressed the symptoms of the problems, not the cause. Every time he intervened – you could feel the burden getting heavier. He slowed us down.

• Help people but keep them challenged: Many people have a false perception that help should remove any sense of challenge. This is wrong and unhelpful. In the workplace, we build cultures of dependency and complacency when a leader’s help removes a challenge as opposed to helping people function at a higher level.

By bringing slow individuals to the front of the column, the first leader surrounded them with the ‘strength’ of the remainder of the team. This allowed them to borrow that strength; both physically, but also mentally. The faster people were able to offer help and the slower people increased their speed. They were supported – but not removed from being challenged.

• Change your approach: Match solutions to challenges: Good leaders aren’t afraid to change their approach. They aren’t married to their ‘leadership style.’

In the first situation, several things needed changing: the original ‘lead from the front’ leadership style wasn’t working. Too many people were falling behind. The position of people in the columns didn’t work when the strongest settled toward the front. They needed to be repositioned so the entire team could move faster. Not everyone was sufficiently prepared (dressed appropriately) so the leader gave sacrificially to keep them comfortable and engaged.
In the second situation, the leader never changed his approach. He wasn’t able to adapt this approach as we went.

Leadership matters. Effective leadership can make tasks, projects and plans doable. Ineffective leadership can make things even more challenging. How do you tend to lead?

• Do you focus on symptoms? Or do you address causes?
• Do you help? Or do you demand?
• Does your help bring people to a new level of performance? Or do you enable poor performance?
• Are you able to adjust your style and approach to best fit the situations you meet? Or are you set on “the way you’ve always done it”?