Case: Motivating for High Performance
Leader: Britt Slabinski
Topic: Motivating Teams
Reference: Medal of Honor Leadership Series
NOTE OF WARNING: Content in this case may trigger extreme emotions or adverse reactions. Discussion content includes dynamics relating to war and combat.
Case Challenge
After a team member falls from their helicopter during a war time mission, Slabinski must motivate his team for peak performance in a high-risk search and rescue operation.
Summary
Slabinski is leading a SEAL Team in battle when their helicopter is attacked and a team member falls out into enemy hands. After deciding to return immediately to the battlefield, Slabinski must motivate the remaining members of his team to perform their best for a high stakes rescue, in spite of extreme weather, fatigue, and lack of battle support.
Context
Slabinksi was the SEAL team ground force commander in the Battle of Robert’s Ridge during the war in Afghanistan. At the time of the battle, he had been in the Navy for 13 years and had suggested an alternative approach for the mission. Although he did not agree with the plan from his leadership, he dutifully followed their orders and led his team to the top of the mountain to accomplish the mission. Unfortunately, when the team arrived, they were immediately assaulted and his teammate was ejected from the helicopter. In response, the helicopter did a crash landing. Balancing risk and reward for the rescue attempt, Slabinski made the command decision to return immediately to try to recover his teammate. To be successful, he knew he had to prepare and motivate his team to perform their best, assuming he may not survive to lead them through the entire operation. Britt Slabinski retired as Navy SEAL Command Master Chief with 25 years of service. Britt Slabinski is a Medal of Honor recipient, having received this prestigious award for his acts of valor in Afghanistan. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor.
Case Design
These leadership cases are designed to be discussed in a group so that divergent viewpoints can be debated. This enables participants to broaden their perspectives and gain insights into the values and instincts that drive decision-making and critical leadership challenges. It is especially effective to use timely pauses for discussion at key points in the leader’s presentation.
Keep in Mind
The cases do not always provide the correct or ideal solution. Rather, they present one person’s experiences and judgment based on the circumstances faced at the time. Some critical details may have been unintentionally omitted.
Facilitation Tips
To help create a trusting, open atmosphere:
- Establish ground rules for the discussion, such as setting up a safe space.
- Feedback should not be personal but directed at behavior.
- Encourage participants to state and defend his or her opinion.
- Refocus participants by raising broad questions and themes.
- Reassure your group that leadership is an art that can be learned through practice, feedback, and experience.
- In closing, provide a theoretical context for the discussion and takeaway lessons.
Teaching Insight - Leadership Background Content
Developing and managing a high-performing team takes commitment to building expertise and attention to timely focus, trust, and communication. When the team must perform under pressure, in extreme situations with imperfect information, the team can easily be impacted by emotion, faulty assumptions, group dynamics, and other dynamics that could highly impact results. This case explores behaviors and factors under a leader’s control that may influence peoples’ ability to perform their best, which impacts the team’s likelihood for success. This video case is about a leader who must optimize his team's potential to perform in a high risk situation with considerable uncertainty and extenuating circumstances of fear, fatigue, and limited resources.
In this case, navigating through the fog and friction of war, Slabinksi must focus his attention on motivating and inspiring his team to perform their best in the face of a battle filled with uncertainty and danger.
Background and Challenge: After a team member falls from their helicopter during a war time mission, Slabinski must motivate his team for peak performance in a high-risk search and rescue operation.
Discussion Questions:
Ask these questions to the group at large or to particular students. Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.
- When you or members of your team disagree with the direction from your senior leadership, what actions or leadership behaviors do you focus on most to assure you are as successful as possible? If your boss is open to discussion, how would you manage a conversation with your leadership to consider alternative options?
- What values, mantras, or principles help you structure your own decision making in times of uncertainty or when you feel “most alone” as a leader? (i.e. Slabinski was inspired by both his commitment to a fellow military service member and the Boy Scout Oath when deciding how to manage a difficult decision.)
- How do you build trust with your team so that when you need them to perform most, they are committed to doing their best for you and your organization?
- What would you say or do in the critical moments before you or your team is about to embark on a difficult mission? What would you NOT say?
Decision: Slabinski creates a powerful moment just before they go to battle to speak to his team about the importance of the mission, an overview of the plan, and his trust in their ability to perform well.
Discussion Questions:
Ask these questions to the group at large or to particular students. Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.
- What do Slabinski’s actions and words signal for his team before they embark on the mission?
- How does Slabinski help his team establish focus in a situation filled with emotion, ambiguity, and danger?
- How is having a “simple plan” and “points of performance” effective (or not) in this type of environment?
- What does he mean when Slabinski “asks for trust” and why is this especially important the moment before they embark on their mission?
- When it is “game time” just before a significant event, how is your message and method of communication different from other times? (i.e. why is it important to not have people thinking about anything negative?)
Results: Slabinski motivated his team to embark and perform their best on an extremely challenging mission in spite of imperfect information that resulted in a 24-hour battle.
Results Discussion Questions:
Ask these questions to the group at large or to individual students. Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.
- How might the added “weight” and “responsibility” of leadership impact your own performance in a high pressure situation? (i.e. Slabinski talks about how the responsibility as a ground force commander is “fully yours”.)
- Do you agree that it is important that “trust goes both ways”? Why or why not? (i.e. they trust you as a leader and you as a leader trust them).
- What is the impact and importance of making a “human connection” as a leader in a high risk operation? (i.e. Slabinski says he “takes this huge weight that is on everybody’s shoulders “ and “reaffirms a covenant” by shaking everybody’s hand, looking them in the eye, and asking them if they are ready to go before every risky operation)
- What would you do more of (or less than) as a leader before a high risk operation?
Lessons Learned:
- Although you may not agree with your leadership, it is important to fully commit to the mission for the benefit of both you and your team’s success.
- In situations where you may have imperfect information, as a leader it is important to have values to help ground your decision-making and guide your vision; have something you “believe in” and can “project” to the team.
- As a leader it is especially important to build trust, help your team to focus, and think positively before a challenging operation.
- As a leader, it is important to have compassion for yourself; realize you are going to make mistakes; recognize when you make mistakes - do not make them again; just learn from mistakes and move on.
- Bad things are going to happen both in your control and out of your control. Just stay in the fight. Whatever your fight. Just keep going.
Lessons Learned Discussion Questions:
- Do you agree with the lessons learned here? (Note: An instructor will need to mention the above lessons learned.)
- Are you aware of values that guide your own decision making, especially when you are under pressure?
- What are ways you can inspire a team to perform its best in high risk situations?
- In a world of hybrid or remote work, how can a leader inspire the best performance from team members when it may not be possible to “look people in the eye”?
Considerations
The lessons shared by this leader are based on his own experiences. These lessons are not necessarily substantiated by academic research but are shared to spark consideration and insight.