Forcing Functions (#28)
In the Star Wars movies, the Force is a mysterious energy field that binds the galaxy together. Harnessing the power of the Force gave the Jedi, the Sith, and others “force-sensitive” people extraordinary abilities. Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Rey Skywalker, Yoda, and even Baby Yoda all can channel the power of the force. Here on Earth, there is a powerful force that helps you and your company take action and increase productivity.
From 2001-2002 I worked in the Stabilization Force Headquarters in Bosnia. From 2012-2014 I worked in the Pentagon on the Joint Staff and dealt with Afghanistan. In both jobs I observed and led efforts to decrease the size of the U.S. troops deployed in those countries. In Bosnia, the United States was working to reduce its footprint from several thousand to less than two thousand. In the Pentagon we were working on taking the number of troops down from its peak of over 100,000 in 2011 to half that number.
A Forcing Function is any task, activity or event that forces you or your company to take action and produce a result. By putting a Forcing Function in place, you can create motivation for taking action to meet a deadline. Now you might think that the military, which prides itself on making tough decisions, would find it easy to figure out how to drawdown the number of troops? In both instances, the only way that the military could pressure ourselves to make tough decisions about what capabilities to retain, what bases to keep, and what strategy to pursue was to use number of people in the country at a certain time as a Forcing Function. Since the projected troop numbers were publicly announced, these deadlines drove action.
In addition to drawing down the number of troops, the Forcing Function also stimulated creativity since in the accounting system contractors didn’t count in the “boots on the ground” accounting system, troops deployed for less than 30 days didn’t count, and troops deployed in a neighboring country didn’t count either. As a result, most of the aircraft supporting Afghanistan were stationed in other countries and a lot of the logistics support was turned over to contractors to help meet the troops in-country meet the “boots on the ground” number.
Many people also use forcing functions to increase their personal productivity. I know for me blocking time on the calendar, telling some of my friends that I am going to do something, or going to work at the coffee shop are helpful forcing functions that increase my productivity.
The environment is tough right now and your business may be contemplating reductions, layoffs, or closing parts of the business. Or you may be planning to pivot to take advantage of a different opportunity. Using a Forcing Function like a deadline, number of employees in the future company, or level of revenue during a month may bring clarity to your tough decision. In an earlier post, I discussed the Bump Plan, a plan that you might use to reduce or expand your company after determining your forcing function. (Post #19 — https://www.thefivecoatconsultinggroup.com/the-coronavirus-crisis/the-bump-plan )
As many companies are forced to downsize or pivot, what are your forcing functions to make the tough decisions? How has it helped your creativity? And what forcing functions do you use to increase your productivity?
And May the Force Be With You…