How to lead when failure isn’t an option
How to lead when failure isn’t an option
In the rugged wilderness of Montana's Bitterroot Range, leadership lessons come to life.
In this third part of a three-part series, we take to dogsleds to learn how to lead courageously when there’s little room for error.
The Montana leadership trilogy: Lessons in leadership Part 3
In Montana’s Bitterroot Range, adventure takes many forms. From trekking through snow-covered trails to herding cattle over rolling pastures, the landscape of this section of the Rockies demands respect and resilience.
For those who come here, it’s nearly impossible not to spend time reflecting on all types of things — like leadership.
Just as navigating in the outdoors requires adaptability so too does leading in different situations. Here are three leadership musings inspired from the Montana landscape.
- Experience and equipment don’t substitute for strategic leadership.
- People with a common goal will self-organize to achieve it.
- Leading when failure is not an option – every detail matters.
Over a series of three Insights articles, we’ll take a deeper look at each of these reflections. In Part 1, we learned that top talent and the best training and techniques can’t replace strategic leadership. In Part 2, we tagged along on a cattle drive to learn how your team will come together to adapt and achieve a clearly communicated objective.
Now, let’s take a closer look at Part 3.
Leading when failure is not an option — every detail matters
What kind of leadership is required when failure is not an option?
Occasionally, you’ll come up against a project or undertaking so complex that you just can’t afford to make a mistake. In those kinds of situations, what does leadership look like?
The wild winters of Montana are no stranger to dogsledding — a method of winter travel developed by Indigenous peoples where a single dog or team of dogs pull people and/or supplies across the snow. These days, perhaps the most renowned dogsled journey is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a roughly 1,000-mile (1,609 km) long trek in Alaska that crosses mountain ranges and frozen waterways.
As you may imagine, the Iditarod can teach us a lot about leadership.
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Start with the goal
In the case of the Iditarod, the goal is clear — get yourself and your dog team to the finish line alive.
The route is well-travelled, though it can be hard to navigate in snowstorms and at night, and there are up to 50 mushers and 1,000 dogs running the race at the same time. You might compare this to an SAP installation, taking a company public, or launching a new product.
The race goals aren’t mysteries. These are actions that are undertaken all the time; however, there are plenty of opportunities for things to go awry.
Select your team based on skills and abilities
Unlike in Part 2 of this trilogy, dogsledding is not a situation where self-organizing teamwork will work — after all, we’re talking about dogs, not people.
However, these dogs are much like a high-performing team. They are smart, strong, and love to run. The dog team is comprised of a group of specialists who have been trained to play certain roles. And they respect each other and each other’s roles.
The sled team needs two very strong lead dogs who set the pace, keep the other dogs in line, and respond to directions. The other twelve dogs have key roles as well. The next two dogs, swing dogs, help steer the sled in a manner that avoids having the sled fall off the track. The wheel dogs are the brawniest, because they bear the weight of the sled — they also must be calm because the sled is rattling around behind them all the time. The rest of the dogs are great team players — they get along with each other, put their heads down, and run hard.
As a business leader setting out to accomplish a task with little room for error, you’ll need to select a high-performing team where everyone understands their role, works together, and supports each other to achieve the goal at hand.
Ensure the team has the resources they need
Not only does the musher have to get the right dog team in place, but there is also an enormous logistics challenge. The average dog burns about 12,000 calories a day on the trail, and mushers typically have their own special concoctions for nourishment.
All this food — literally tons of it — must be purchased, packaged, shipped, and distributed to the roadhouses where the musher anticipates stopping along the race route. Additionally, about 8,000 booties to protect the dogs’ feet must get to the race. Other gear must be at hand across 1,000 miles of rough terrain, including harnesses and towlines, replacement gear, warm clothes, mittens, goggles, human food — the list of required resources goes on and on.
Much like managing the logistics of the Iditarod, business leaders need to make sure all resources are in place and coordinated to support their team’s effectiveness during tough tasks.
Anticipate the unexpected
A leader — in this case, the musher — must anticipate every possible contingency, be confident that every detail has been considered, and follow up continuously to make sure things have been done correctly. And this preparation is not limited to pre-race. Despite growing exhaustion during the race, the leader must constantly take stock and revise plans based on weather, the condition of the dogs, and their own physical and mental states.
Just like a musher, business leaders must think ahead, cover all the details, and keep adjusting plans based on what’s happening around them and with their team.
Commit fully to the task
The Iditarod is a slog. It’s cold and dark much of the time. It’s lonely. To keep warm and help the dogs, the musher is poling (pushing against the snow with the tip of a ski pole) all the time.
The leaders who successfully complete the Iditarod are incredibly serious about accomplishing the task. And everyone around them sees this commitment and is dedicated to the task themselves. And while this undertaking may not be for everyone, when it works, it’s magic.
Just like these mushers, effective business leaders in complex undertakings must show unwavering commitment and inspire their teams to stay dedicated, turning challenges into successes.
The takeaway: Lead with resolve
The Iditarod is high stakes, and every choice a musher makes can mark the difference between success and failure. Business leaders face a similar reality. The stakes may not be life or death but are important for an organization’s health and future.
When failure isn’t an option, a clear vision, a well-chosen team, and a detailed strategy are non-negotiables. It must also be clear to everyone involved that there is one person in charge — and that the individual has expertise and experience. There are likely to be best practices and guidelines involved in the undertaking, but judgement and willingness to adjust to new technologies or innovations are equally important. And the leader must listen to the team and be highly attuned to their welfare and capabilities.
Are the stakes high? Yes, but these principles remind us that true leadership is about tackling the unknown with resolve, vision, and a steady commitment to the journey.
Contact us
To learn more, please reach out to Mary Larson, National Lead, Strategy Consulting Practice.
Mary Larson , MBA, ICD.D, GCD.D
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