The Suez Canal is one of the most traveled and critical waterways in the world, connecting the east to the west and reducing travel time by a week in comparison to the alternative trip south around the southern tip of Africa. 18,000 massive ships travel through the canal annually. It happens daily and no one gives it a second thought; that is, until this past week when one of those massive container ships, the Ever Given, was blown off course and ultimately became wedged sideways, cutting off all traffic in and out of the canal for what could be weeks.
$10 billion worth of goods, on more than 300 ships are caught in the gridlock. Shipping is being diverted south, adding more than a week to already late supplies; this is creating additional supply chain complexities when we are already struggling to get components such as semiconductors.
This issue is having a massive global impact, is covered by every media channel, and is as popular a topic as it was seemingly unlikely to ever happen.
What happened? The Ever Given was blown off course by desert wind gusts and a number of other failures, which resulted in a loss of control and ultimately wedged the vessel sideways in the Suez Canal. The costs are mounting, many incredibly expensive solutions are being developed and when the canal is opened up again, the costs are going to be unprecedented. The blockage is currently estimated to cost $400 million per day.
Did you know the vessel that moved through just ahead of the Ever Given made it through just fine and under the same circumstances? One situational difference is this ship employed tugboats and was prepared for various eventualities, including an errant gust of wind perfectly timed with steering issues.
How does this situation apply to us?
What stands out for me are the parallels to the various changes and challenges organizations and leaders are navigating today. The rate and speeds involved are ever increasing while margins for error are rapidly decreasing.
Consider for a moment that a change you are leading is represented by the transition of the Ever Given from the Red Sea or Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. The cargo is critical to the success of your business.
- Is your team fully aligned around the plan (navigation) and ready to respond quickly when things go sideways?
- Does the team fully appreciate the width of the Suez Canal and the length of the ship?
- Have you considered the weather, and are there storm clouds or errant winds looming (team health concerns) that you are unprepared for?
- Are you familiar with navigating through this relatively small channel of water, which is small in comparison to your comfort zone of navigating on the high seas or being supported in busy harbors?
The Tugboats used by the vessel who made it through successfully are experts in that area; they know the currents and the winds, and they are experienced in guiding people through these channels as experts or coaches. While it might seem like an inconvenience and additional cost, tugboats (coaches) increase the likelihood of success tremendously. I anticipate tugboats will be in high demand in the Suez Canal moving forward.
One reality that has become undeniable in the current business environment is that change is occurring faster than ever before, and our teams need to be highly functioning and able to adapt and respond at a different pace than what has been required in the past.
If we continue to have blockages on our teams and not address or resolve them, the impact can be far greater than we anticipate. The additional complexity of our remote and hybrid workforces has made this even more challenging. We have also learned that our business strategies now have a much shorter “shelf life” than what we have been accustomed to, and our leaders and teams need to be more agile than ever before.
Are you guiding or leading a change in your organization today where failure is not an option? Where going sideways and clogging a major channel in your organization will have massive impact on your customers, employees, or stakeholders and gain way too much negative attention?
Let’s take a few moments to reflect further on the current situation. On a scale of 1-10 (1 representing a strong area of concern and 10 representing world class performance), how would you grade your organization in the following areas?
- Is your team fully aligned and ready for what may come at them and do they have their response plans defined?
- Do you have mechanisms in place to assess the health of your team and provide insights to the weather systems in your area that could blow them off course?
- Could you use some help to guide you through unfamiliar waters, and do the worrying for you in areas where you may need some additional help?
- Do you have a known performance issue on any of your teams that has not been addressed?
- Have you made it a priority to focus on team development in recent months or have you let those efforts be put on the backburner due to juggling multiple priorities?
- How resilient are your direct reports and teams throughout all levels of the organization?
- Do your teams have a strong foundation of trust and frequently engage in healthy, productive conflict to unleash innovation and breakthroughs?
Now that you have taken a few moments for reflection, what is the potential impact and cost to the organization of not addressing these issues?
Without a doubt, a healthy and aligned team is critical when failure is not an option. While leaders are focused on the end goals, coaches (tugboats) can help guide you through unknown situations. Facilitators can help take care of the process and details while you focus on the change itself.
Is there a “wind gust” waiting to blow the organization sideways and create blockages throughout multiple levels of the organization? If so, it is time to get in front of it and take action before a true blockage occurs. Let’s have a conversation about how we can collaborate to increase speed and adaptability for your organization.
At Evolutio LLC we provide facilitation services to help you navigate changes and ensure the team is aligned. Through various tools and instruments, we help you assess team health and alert you to potential weather systems that could blow you off course. We provide coaching for individuals which ultimately strengthens and secures safe passage for the team, the change and the leader charged with responsibility for getting the vessel to the other side.
To schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation, please contact me via phone or email.
(262) 225-3268
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