Maybe It's Time For A Little Twelve O'Clock High

Twelve O’Clock High

I remember as a kid watching one of my favorite war movies named Twelve O’Clock High starring Gregory Peck. Yes, I am that old. Peck played a Brigadier General named Frank Savage who was assigned to take over a “hard luck” US bomber squadron based in England during World War II. The squadron had been running almost continuous daily bombing raids over Germany and had suffered large losses of both men and planes. The squadron now consisted of very few experienced pilots and bombardiers due to the extensive losses and influx of new recruits. Savage had been assigned to replace the existing squadron leader, a colonel who had become increasingly more vocal in defense of his men and their ever riskier missions. In effect, he strongly sympathized with them and their plight and let it be publicly known.

When General Savage arrived he found a squadron that was sloppily dressed, possessed almost no military decorum, and spent the entire time between missions engaged in endless fatalistic conversations about their dismal conditions. As the time for each mission arrived the pilots and crew went through the pre flight briefing in a sullen stupor and took off believing they would probably never return. More often than not they were right.

General Savage knew he had to act both quickly and decisively if he was to salvage this squadron. He especially needed to preserve the few experienced men he still had left and get the new ones trained as soon as possible. So what did General Savage do?

• Start Inside Their Heads – The first thing General Savage had to do was get this group of men to start believing in themselves and have respect for both themselves and their squadron. The foundation of all successful turnarounds starts in the heads of the key players, especially the leaders.

• How You Look - Immediately everyone was ordered to empty their footlocker and start cleaning and polishing all their gear. Boots were shined, brass was polished, and uniforms were pressed. When these men looked in the mirror and at each other they now saw airmen and officers, not just a bunch of guys. The fact that the squadron was based miles from the nearest town did not matter. The people that Savage was trying to impress was each other.
  
  
• How You Act – Savage then ordered all men to stand at attention while on guard duty, salute when an officer approached, and sit up straight and take notes during pre flight meetings. If two men met in the middle of the night to rotate guard duty Savage was there to make sure they saluted each other and exchanged the appropriate information. Radiomen started using the correct cadence. The operative word was discipline. You will do under stress what you are used to doing routinely.
  
  
• Keep ‘Em Busy – Every minute of every day not spent on a mission was spent on training and maintenance. Planes were repaired, sights were calibrated, and classes on technique were given by the more experienced men. Practice bombing flights were held almost continuously. Savage pushed relentlessly for better and better performance by both men and machine. No time left for sympathy and pity.
  

• They Need a Leader Not a Friend – No more small talk and group sympathy sessions chaired by the squadron leader. The men had each other for friendship if they so desired. They didn’t need another friend; they needed a leader, and a strong one. Savage drove his men hard but also made time for private conversations particularly with his more experienced men. In addition to leadership, he was wise enough to know he also needed a relationship. It just had to be appropriate for the task at hand.

• Focus on the Important Stuff – General Savage recognized that there were literally dozens of issues within this squadron that needed work. However, he was wise. He only addressed issues that would help reduce losses of men and planes. Everything else was second priority. His men quickly learned to focus on what General Savage was focused on and also dropped the remaining issues to a lesser priority. There are only so many hours in a day and only so many resources. In a turnaround, you squander nothing until stability is reached. Then you look at priority two items.

• Provide Consistency and Stability – Within a very short time the men of the squadron adjusted to their new reality. They may not have liked everything but they adjusted quickly. Why? Because General Savage’s approach was both consistent and stable. The men knew what to expect because it was always the same, just reinforced every day. They never had to wonder what to expect from General Savage. This allowed them to focus on meeting his requirements not guessing what they were.

• Give Praise, But Give it Sparingly – Everyone loves getting praise. That is unless everyone is getting praise all the time. Then it becomes meaningless. General Savage praised rarely and only for superior results. Like a diamond his praise became something men would expend large amounts of effort to receive because it was both rare and valuable.

The economy has been dismal for quite some time now. Your employees may be demoralized and you may be also. You’ve let more and more things slide as the recession has slogged on. Like the US bomber squadron stuck in the boondocks of England facing an unceasing series of challenges it is easy to feel sympathy for your company, your employees, and yourself. It is easy to resent the unfairness of it all. The unfortunate result of this will be higher losses of “men” and “planes” for your “squadron”.

It might be time for you to implement a good dose of Twelve O’Clock High. If you don’t, just like the colonel, someone might just arrive and do it for you. That is, if there is anything left.