The Leader's Guide to Overcoming Obstacles

What is this a picture of?

“Well that’s easy. It’s a brick wall.”

Nope.

It’s a paper wall.

Brick walls are unmovable obstacles, roadblocks that prevent progress, hindrances to achieving an endstate. They represent phrases like “It’s too hard,” “We can’t do that,” and “That’s never been done before.” Brick walls halt effort.

Paper walls, however, are flimsy, easy to break through.

Too often, people mistake paper walls for brick. They stop at the first point of friction or failure. They fail to imagine alternate solutions. They don’t bring in additional resources by asking for help. These failures partly stem from a lack of resolve – they don’t have the confidence to believe they can solve the problem. They also result from a lack of vision – they don’t believe that a solution is even possible.

A leader’s job is to turn brick walls into paper walls, then teach followers to do the same.

If you’re a leader, you have perspective that none of your followers have. You have solved more problems than they have. You see more possible than they do. You have to inspire them to believe they can achieve more than their lesser experience has taught them. You must teach them to see paper and not brick.

If you are a subordinate, particularly a military staff officer, you must have the mindset that anything is possible, that no problem is unsolvable. Why? Because that’s what your commander believes and he’s counting on you to make it happen. The solution you’re pursuing will either let him do his job better or enable a subordinate echelon to accomplish its mission. Both are non-negotiable.

Honing Your Fortitude

As you develop your talent for turning brick walls into paper, consider these tips:

Believe that you can accomplish anything. It sounds corny, but if you start with the mindset that your ability has no limits, then you’ll be more resilient when obstacles arise.
Plan for obstacles. Nothing worthwhile happens without hard work and setbacks. You will encounter friction on your problem-solving journey. Friction is good; it makes you stronger. Embrace obstacles as opportunities to challenge and improve your method. As Thomas Edison said of his lengthy quest to invent the light bulb, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Adopt the phrase, “The answer is within my reach.” With today’s labyrinth of accessible digital information, few answers remain hidden. Don’t throw in the towel at the first bump in the road. Google your problem, brainstorm, call the manufacturer. Take the Message to Garcia approach and do not give up. I can’t think of a single problem I’ve faced in my career that I didn’t already have or was able to build the tools to solve. I bet the same is true for you.
Push beyond the first No. In fact, try to get to five No’s before you rethink your strategy. Be particularly suspicious of people who possess authority in some specialty but don’t have the experience to back it up – think supply clerk or communications tech who says that whatever capability just isn’t possible. When someone tells you it won’t work, ask them to show you the regulation, policy, or hard evidence as to why. Even then, there is probably a way to achieve your goal. Don’t give up!
Open your mind. When obstacles persist, ask, “What am I missing? Who is the no-kidding expert in this field who can inform and help me? What other resources can we bring to bear?” Nothing in the military is meant to be done alone (except for the APFT and urinalysis). Be humble and ask help from anyone who might have knowledge in the subject.
Frame the dilemma. If you absolutely cannot break through that wall, put the problem in context for your boss. Clearly state what the limitations are, backed up by references and research. Then explain what he (or the unit) would have to give up to achieve the goal. He might not be willing to sacrifice what it would take and it’s you who must accurately communicate that dilemma.

Remember the liberating advice of Leonard Bernstein, who said:

“I’m no longer quite sure what the question is,
but I do know that the answer is Yes.”

Warning

I knew a buddy who was in charge of contracting the upgrades to the battalion headquarters office spaces. The XO told him, “I want it to look professional and I want it done in three months.” So, my friend decided to charge it to the Government Purchase Card to meet the timeline and split the $7,000 cost over three payments, a violation of purchasing regulations. Did he get the mission done? Yes. Was it an inappropriate course of action that put his bosses at risk? Absolutely.

The military rewards aggressive problem solving by Soldiers, commanders, and staff who are hungry to get the mission done at all costs. That doesn’t mean you can execute every feasible solution you discover. Confirm your commander’s intent, then check regulations and policies to ensure you can accomplish the task within moral and ethical restrictions. Finally, get a legal review whenever you’re unsure and for every nonstandard problem you face.

Common Brick Walls

To close out this post, I offer a list of problems I’ve heard over the years. These problems started out as brick walls but ended up being paper. If you’re a commander, you probably already know not to accept any of these. If you’re a subordinate or staff member, don’t bring these to your boss. Turn brick into paper!

“My last unit tried that and it didn’t work.”
“That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
“It’s only an hour until the brief and we submitted slides yesterday. There’s no way to update them.”
“Battalion has already done their data pull and we can’t change those numbers.”
“I know we’re leaving for NTC in three days, but that widget won’t be here for a week. There’s just no way we can get it before we go.”
“That piece of communications equipment hasn’t worked since I’ve been here and my people tell me it’s never worked. I think you need to manage your expectations.”
“This system doesn’t talk to that system.”
“SSG Jones is on orders to change duty stations. We just have to accept that we’re going to lose him right before our training exercise.”
“The application deadline for that school has already passed. I’m sure they won’t consider me anymore.”
“The venue says they need a down payment for the dining-in, but we’ve only raised 10% of the funds. I think we’ll have to cancel.”
“Range Control says no unit has ever asked them to do this scenario and they’re not comfortable with it.”
“I know it’s only been six weeks, but SGT Johnson just doesn’t have what it takes to be a team leader. He’s not getting better. I think he needs to go.”
“No, those M9 pistols aren’t on the property book. We account for them on the arms room hand receipt instead. I’m not sure why. That’s what the previous armorer handed over to me.” (true story)
“Well, I stopped ordering Class II items because the S4 NCOIC said we can’t spend any more Class II funds. He didn’t give a reason.”
“The maintenance tech says we can’t make any modifications to that piece of equipment… No, I haven’t asked the Program Manager.”
“There’s no way to process a chapter packet in less than six weeks.”