I recently toured an aircraft carrier and saw a quote from Petty Officer Paul Lawrence that stopped me in my tracks. It echoed what I learned in the Submarine Force and what I teach in every keynote: “Every sailor is a trainer firefighter. We drill every day. ‘Cause there’s no calling 911. No one is …
The bottleneck isn’t bandwidth. It’s control. In high-performing organizations, speed isn’t just a competitive advantage. It’s a survival skill. But if decisions still need to be reviewed, escalated, and re-approved by the top before action is taken, then you’re not operating fast—you’re stalling progress. The world has transformed. Complexity is local. Change is constant. The …
Read more “Leaders at the Edge: Why Decision-Making Can’t Live at the Top Anymore”