Are you ready for battle?

I’m re-reading the book, Battleship at War, by Ivan Musicant.  It’s the story of the battleship Washington during World War Two.

One particular episode in this amazing story is the change from a peacetime footing to a wartime footing.  It happened pretty quickly and quite by accident.  But, it was a necessary change that probably saved many lives on-board the ship.

You see there’s a peacetime way of doing business and there’s a wartime way and the two are nothing alike.  The peacetime way is inefficient and cumbersome.  The wartime way is generally the most efficient.  In wartime – in battle – you’re in it to win it.  There’s no substitute for victory.  The only alternative is defeat.  And, defeat could very well mean the sinking of your ship and death.

The change from a peacetime footing to a wartime footing came while the Washington was sailing the icy seas of the Atlantic.  The captain announced the German battleship Tirpitz was at sea.  Then the call came out for the crew to go to general quarters (GQ).  The sailors scrambled to man their battle stations.

In the incredibly short time of 4 and a half minutes all stations reported manned and ready.  The fastest previous time was 8 minutes.  The crew managed to shave 3 and a half minutes off their best time.  But how, the captain wondered?

In a short time the answer became clear.  Not one member of the crew followed the peacetime regulation procedure.  The regulation called for the gunner to get the keys from the captain’s safe and bring them to the armory for distribution to the gunner’s mates.

But, this time the gunner’s mates didn’t wait.  Instead of waiting for the keys, they used dog wrenches to break open the magazine locks.

And, instead of getting upset and punishing his crew, the captain gladly adopted this new procedure.

The change was complete.  The Washington was now on a war footing; no longer hampered by an inefficient peacetime regulation.  The Washington was battle ready.

I love this story because it makes me think …  how much regulation is out there that’s utterly useless and hampers people from getting the job done efficiently and effectively?  People have an inborn sense of what makes sense and what doesn’t.  Are we listening to the people doing the work; doing the job?

I remember my days in the military and working with government.  I remember the red tape, the regulations, the frustration of having to do 101 non-value adding things before I could start the “real” work.

This wartime story from the battleship Washington is a testimony to common sense.  It says change – positive change – can happen in an instant.  It doesn’t have to take years.  It doesn’t have to take 100 meetings.  It doesn’t have to be approved by 82 managers.  It can happen quickly if someone makes a decision.

The gunner’s mates made their decision.  The captain made his.  He agreed with the gunner’s mates and the change was made.

The Washington was now ready for battle.

Am I ready for battle?  Have I looked at my way of conducting business with an eye for getting rid of unnecessary rules, regulation and red tape?

Are you ready for battle?