A-ha with Chris Mailander Chris Mailander

This is a story about an admiral unlike any other. Admiral Rickover was no ordinary leader. He was the architect of the US Nuclear Navy. How did he pull off the feat of creating asymmetric power for the United States through technological leadership? He did so not as a traditional military leader, but instead by rewriting the rules for driving transformational change. 

 We now stand on the brink of a new technologically-driven era, fueled by the mysterious potential of artificial intelligence. AI promises to change everything about how we think, live, and work, and as such fills many of us with tremendous fear and uncertainty about the implications. 
These potentially dramatic shifts in our future parallel those who experienced the early days of the nuclear era unfolding after WWII. Rickover stood at the forefront of harnessing nuclear technology in that era, and his story takes on new relevance now. 
More specifically, Rickover’s acumen as a leader lie in his ability to harness the potential of tremendous technological advancements, but in doing so by actually unlocking the potential of human minds. His journey shows us a path for rethinking our own decision-making, and embracing the change, not shrinking from it. Rickover’s story offers valuable insights into fostering innovation, leading with resilience, and unlocking human potential. 
 
Key Takeaways:
Embrace Unconventional Leadership: In an era defined by rapid change and uncertainty, traditional leadership models may no longer suffice. Learn from Admiral Rickover's unconventional approach to leadership, which emphasized creativity, innovation, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. By embracing unconventional leadership strategies, you can foster a culture of agility and adaptability within your organization, enabling you to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.
Test Your Resilience: The ability to navigate adversity and bounce back from setbacks is essential for success in today's volatile business environment. Take a page from Rickover's playbook and deliberately put yourself in challenging situations that test your resilience and decision-making under pressure. By actively seeking out opportunities to test your resilience, you can build the confidence and fortitude needed to weather any storm and emerge stronger on the other side.
Foster Innovation: In an age where innovation is the lifeblood of business success, fostering a culture of creativity and experimentation is paramount. Follow Rickover's lead by encouraging passion, curiosity, and a willingness to think outside the box among your team members. By creating an environment that values innovation and rewards bold ideas, you can unleash the full potential of your organization and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
Lead with Conviction: Effective leadership requires more than just a vision—it demands unwavering conviction and a steadfast commitment to seeing that vision through. Drawing inspiration from Rickover's resolute leadership style, strive to lead with clarity, purpose, and determination. By embodying conviction in your actions and decisions, you can inspire confidence, rally your team around a shared purpose, and navigate through uncertainty with confidence and resolve.

Underdogs. We revel in them. We identify with them. Their stories become ours. They are the clever ones who find innovative ways to achieve victory over the bigger and stronger.
The methods of the underdog apply equally well to the private companies and innovators seeking to compete with their much larger brethren. For those CEOs and management teams seeking extraordinary outcomes, the methods of the underdog may be their most effective method for competing.  

Underdogs do not win by replicating the strategies of their larger competitors. They don’t have the money, market share, brand, teams, or domain expertise at their fingertips to go toe-to-toe. Instead, they must find a competitive edge. They need a unique angle. They need to hone the ‘intangibles’ within their competitive arsenal. 

In this episode, Chris shares his experience having grown up and played with athletes that reached the heights of the NFL and NBA, as well as others who now coach at the highest levels of competition in NCAA football and basketball. He also shares some of his experience growing up in rural Iowa. In each of the stories, the competitive strategies of the underdog are revealed that enable them to out-compete those that were bigger and stronger. 

Key lessons in this episode include:
Underdogs lean into and hone their ‘intangibles’, those subtle but profound factors that give them advantage, including their vision, anticipation and intuition, as well as the cadence and rhythms of their team;   The intentionally curate their decision-making processes so that they are optimized for those critical moments in which they will be under pressure, the situational context is shifting, and the confusion is greatest. It is in these moments in which they can turn adversity into opportunity; and   CEOs, like coaches or managers, must curate an environment in which they are overtly working to improve the intangibles, including the ability of their teams to work under pressure, manage through confusion, effectively anticipate how their competition will behave under similar conditions and come to trust one another’s decision-making and actions under new and challenging circumstances.  

Volatility. It is often feared by leaders and decision-makers. In reality, it is a powerful gift. 

As we gear up for 2024, learn the art of perceiving and embracing change -- a skill essential for leaders, CEOs, and decision-makers navigating today's dynamic business landscape.
Key Insights:

Strategic Perception: Master the ability to perceive and respond to changing conditions, shifting your focus from anticipating the nature of surprises to adeptly navigating evolving landscapes.

Team Conditioning: Equip your team with the skills to not only weather uncertainty but to thrive in it. Overcome the natural inclination to perceive change as a threat, fostering a culture where volatility is viewed as an opportunity.

Unlocking Opportunities: Explore why embracing volatility can position your organization not just to survive but to emerge stronger. A comprehensive analysis demonstrates the long-term benefits for companies adept at navigating uncertainty.

Dual Clock Management: Gain insights into managing the dual clocks of long-term strategy and short-term challenges. Learn how simultaneous navigation of both timelines empowers informed decision-making.

Financial Preparedness: Uncover the critical importance of a robust balance sheet, essential for seizing strategic opportunities in times of uncertainty.

Your Imperative as a Decision-Maker: Embrace the unpredictability of 2024. Instead of dwelling on the nature of surprises, focus on fortifying your organization to leverage the opportunities intrinsic to volatility. Join the discourse on strategic decision-making, financial preparedness, and transforming surprises into triumphs. Are you prepared to unlock the potential within volatility?

Imagine yourself in the Oval Office. Eighteen months before, you suffered a debacle that will come to mark the low point of your presidency. Your poor decision-making then changed the game, and not in your favor. Castro got stronger. The Soviets were emboldened to challenge you. Your reputation as a statesman on the international stage was damaged. 
Now, the young JFK was at the center of deliberations surrounding the most pressing threat. Soviet ships were shuttling nuclear weapons across the Atlantic towards Cuba. They threatened establish nuclear capabilities within lethal range of 80 million Americans. The fate of the world was on JFK’s shoulders. His track record so far was poor. 

Today's CEOs and leaders, like JFK, must similarly navigate a constant barrage of decisions which will affect the future of their organizations, their people, and their legacy. The fundamental question in these moments is how to get the decisions right when it will matter the most? 

JFK’s most profound lesson in his young presidency rooted in his ability to fundamentally re-architect his decision-making processes. He did so in the short span of 18 months. As a result, he moved from the low point of his presidency – the decision-making failures associated with the Bay of Pigs fiasco – to its high point: the blockade of Cuba. 

Building on the lessons learned in critical moments by leaders like JFK, in this episode learn how you can similarly: 
Architect Your Decision-Making Processes: Enhance your decision-making process by incorporating diverse perspectives and fostering open debate;Unleash the Power of Your Team: Unleash the potential of your team members by focusing on the quality of ideas they create rather than the allocation of power amongst them.Build a Resilient Organization: Cultivate an environment where ideas flourish, innovation thrives, and teams come to trust the process.JFK had to learn several tough lessons quickly. He rearchitected his own decision-making patterns. He challenged the ‘smart guys’ on his team to compete in new ways. He architected a process that yielded more options, superior risk analysis, and higher probabilities of success for those moments when they matter the most. These are the lessons CEOs and executive leaders can similarly learn well in advance of their own most critical decisions. 

Explore the rules and pitfalls of decision-making amidst the significant systemic shifts we will likely see in 2024. From significant economic change, to the chaos of being a presidential election year, to a shifting global security and power framework, uncover your strategies for navigating these uncertainties which lie ahead in this thought-provoking episode. Dive into the intricate world of decision-making during systemic shifts with this episode. We dissect the pivotal moments unfolding in 2024 which will reshape industries, economies, and the way we work. Learn the two fundamental rules that dictate decisions when situational contexts shift, paving the way for three crucial lessons for CEOs and decision-makers.
2024 is on the horizon, marked by high interest rates, personal debt spikes, and a tumultuous presidential election, all set to reshape the economic landscape. Corporate debt, government spending, and global events add layers to the shifting ground, presenting opportunities and challenges for businesses.

Discover the common errors CEOs make in the wake of systemic shifts—immovable narratives, a lack of understanding about the evolving battlefield, and succumbing to emotional responses. The antidote? Proper planning, options analysis, and playbook development to navigate uncertainties.

Your assignment? Identify the major systemic shifts for 2024 and plan accordingly. This episode serves as your guide, offering strategic insights to forecast winners and losers, steering your ship toward success in the face of evolving circumstances. Tune in for a thought-provoking exploration of the rules that govern decisions and the lessons that shape destinies.

Leverage these three core tenets for enabling your company to level up against the next higher level of competition.

Drawn from the experience of working with a mid-market leader that was successful, had more ceiling with their current business, but for the young CEO, could reach so much higher, this episode reveals three core tenets to competing at a higher level.  
When leveling up to enable your company to play against the big boys, the nature of the competition and how they protect their positions can be awe-striking for the emerging company. 

Three core tenets for for discovering how to level up and compete higher include:


Identify the Trophy Sought. You might be in a competition with a player or players whose end goal is quite different than your own. You might be hunting for increased sales, market share, or enterprise value appreciation. They might seek enhancements to their free cash flow or net-after-tax yield.  The different trophies being sought means they play the game in very different ways, and the decisions they will make for getting there will be quite different.  

Domain Expertise. Dominant competitors leverage better financing capabilities. They have well-seasoned executive and middle management teams. They leverage the best lawyers, accountants, tax advisors, and management consultants, all of which are privy to the subtle ways of creating more value and impenetrable positions for their clients. 

Find an Edge. Rarely can a smaller competitor take on a larger competitor in a head-on assault, meaning it is hard to beat an established player at their own game. It is imperative for the smaller player or challenger to find their unique edge – some strategy that creates asymmetric advantage, even if for but a moment – whereby it can exploit a vulnerability of the competitor.  Very often, that edge will root down into the decision-making acumen of the players.  It can be one of the most profound and cost-effective means for leveling up.