THE war in the Middle East continues to escalate. The most tragic aspect about it is that as the conflict worsens each day, the number of innocent lives brutally lost grows. If the exchange of deadly attacks continues for a few more weeks, what will remain in the end are damaged economies and collateral ruin for the international community. Much of global transactions are heavily dependent on what the Middle East produces, including oil, tourism and vital employment sources.
Even worse, the younger generation has become perpetual victims of this cycle of cruelty. Little remains of the eroding trust in the possibility of peaceful coexistence in this part of the globe. Needless to say, the world is already weary of this war.
Contrary to the initial belief that a few days’ siege could bring Iran to its knees, experts now predict a protracted and more destructive conflict. The United States and Israel assumed that, by kicking the proverbial front door open, the entire house would collapse. They were wrong; as of this moment, Iran remains resilient.
While there is nothing admirable about a nation desiring war, the defensive and offensive stance Iran has taken to defend its sovereignty offers unintentional lessons in strategic preparedness and leadership. In other words, even in modern warfare, organizational leaders can learn how to maneuver within environments defined by extreme threats and complexity.
Eventually, this saga between the US, Israel, and Iran may become an analogy for teaching organizational strategy. A relevant example is the book “Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World” by retired general Stanley McChrystal. The book offers a leadership model for modern, complex environments. Written in the context of the US military’s fight against al Qaeda in Iraq, the book emphasizes shared consciousness, decentralized decision-making, and trust across an entire organization.
How Iran survives the sophisticated armaments of its adversaries — and, perhaps, even turns the tide — is worth examining.
Strategic leaders poise themselves with a consistency of action and behavior, whether a crisis is present or not. When destruction arrives, they are already familiar with the terrain. Even before the conflict began, Iran was already psychologically prepared for battle, imposing internal discipline rather than having it forced upon them by external pressure.
Crises occur in every organization, but those who maintain consistency of action, relentless focus, and fanatic discipline are unbeatable.
This is best explained in Jim Collins’ bestseller “Great by Choice,” specifically the concept of the “20-Mile March” found in chapter three. As the story goes, “In 1911, two competing groups of European explorers raced to the South Pole, led by Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott. Amundsen’s team journeyed exactly 20 miles every day, regardless of the weather. They held back on good days to preserve energy and pushed through on bad days to maintain progress. In contrast, Scott’s team marched irregularly — pushing for 40 miles on clear days but remaining in their tents during poor weather. They arrived late and ultimately perished.”
In both good and bad times, the effort exerted toward a goal must remain constant, as this story would teach a strategy in leading. Great leadership is about having the intuition to remain in “crisis mode,” staying alert so that when a real crisis hits, you are the most prepared. It is about consistency, hyperfocus and fanatic discipline.
As Collins explains in a business leadership context: “Having a clear 20-Mile March focuses the mind; because everyone on the team knows the markers and their importance, they can stay on track. Financial markets, customers, earthquakes, global competition, and technological change are all out of your control. But if you have a 20-Mile March, you have a tangible point of focus that keeps you and your team moving forward, despite confusion, uncertainty, and even chaos.”
Success in life, in any form, is governed by this immutable formula: consistency of action, hyperfocus on purpose, and fanatic discipline. It is the act of consistently doing what is necessary to achieve a goal, regardless of external conditions. It is a formula that wins wars, personal battles, and leadership challenges within any institution.
Fr. Jesus “Jay” Miranda Jr., OP, is an organization and leadership studies resource person. He teaches at the Graduate School of the University of Santo Tomas and the Department of Educational Leadership and Management of the Bro. Andrew Gonzalez, FSC–College of Education of De La Salle University-Manila.
jaymiranda.op@ust.edu.ph
jmmiranda@letranbataan.edu.ph
