UBL Enters The Ninth Circle

If you're unsure about what the ninth circle is, Google Dante Alighieri and count your blessings.

All domestic concerns and geopolitical issues aside, the recent unpleasantness in Abbottabad involving Usama bin Laden is beginning to be hailed as a triumph of logistics.  True enough, but superb logistics execution is only a part of the story.  In fact, that superb execution would not have been possible without some core enablers.

Even when US Navy SEALS are involved, this kind of thing is not as simple as a gang of really talented people meeting at the airport and plunging into Plan A, Phase I.  Collections of all-stars have been known to disappoint when the final score has been tallied.

What makes team performance greater than the sum of its parts are the same relationship atrributes that make integrated supply chains perform better than they might have as a loose collection of "A" players.  Planning and practice, practice, practice are givens.  Having a Plan B and a Plan C in reserve are merely prudent details.

It's really about five things: 1) trust, absolute confidence that all the other team members know what to do, have your back when things go pear-shaped, and are ready to turn on a dime as conditions change; 2) communications, oral and/or silent, in real time as events unfold, and as change is required; 3) intimacy, knowing strengths, styles and capabilities of all team members; 4) shared vision and values, common commitment to objectives and outcomes; and 5) respect and inclusion, valuing the roles and contributions of all members.

We talk often about high-performing teams and high-performing supply chains in our world; the factors that make groups high-performers seems to be more pervasive - maybe universal - than we might have imagined.