Stick with It: Mastering the Art of Adherence

12Get Systematic

Military operations epitomize clear, paint-by-numbers systems, processes, and roles. Lee observed this firsthand when he spent a weekend aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln about 100 miles offshore as it prepared for deployment. This aircraft carrier, the proud flagship of the navy’s fleet, is a floating city. More than 5,000 sailors work and live on it. They perform the most complex flight operations under the most tumultuous conditions, day and night, with zero degree of freedom. The cost of an error is tens of millions of dollars in damaged navy assets or even loss of life. No Top Gun movie scene here. This is the real danger zone with no room for error.

This type of environment demands a systematic way of getting results and nothing ...