Usable Insight – The Debates: Part 3 – Do Process… a Presidential Imperative
JFK to Eisenhower: What went wrong with the Bay of Pigs?
Eisenhower: You didn’t have a process.
If the above is true (and if someone has a source please provide it in the comments), then it is also probably true that JFK learned and developed a process which enabled him to deal more effectively with the Cuban Missile Crisis.
I recalled hearing about the above incident during a recent conversation with my good friend and former Deloitte Partner, Greg Seal. In our discussion Greg talked about how having a process to make decisions and accomplish a mission is essential to leadership and how it seemed that President Obama appeared to be lacking one.
In the first debate which Romney is seen as having scored a victory, it is not clear that he had a process either, but his criticism of Obama combined with his speaking in such a declarative tone appeared to engender confidence more than Obama’s tone which seemed more explanatory (which is a weaker position than being declarative).
Truth be told it is easier to be declarative if you are a challenger, as Obama was in 2008 challenging the Bush/McCain policies, than if you have a track record that didn’t live up to grand promises and for which it is difficult to re-declare and for which you instead need to be more explanatory.
Regardless who wins the election, for either to govern successfully they will need to not just have a grand mission, but also have a process for making the necessary decisions to carry it out.
What are the essentials to a successful process that must be clear to all charged with accomplishing it and to those it will affect?
- The goal(s)
- The objectives that once accomplished will result in reaching that goal
- The strategies to reach those objectives
- The tactics to execute those strategies
- The right people with the right skills performing those tactics that must be in the right place to perform them
- A formalized periodic time to review the process and its effectiveness and course correct when necessary
- A preset fire team at the ready for any unforeseen crisis
Although we seem to be finding out more about the raid on Bin Laden with various revelations, it still appears clear that one of the key secrets to the success of that mission was that the Navy Seal Team 6 who executed it had a process that contained all the above essentials.
Tags: election 2012, obama, romney
October 11th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Dr. Mark,
I submit that President is well on his way to achieving his goal of leveling the playing field…
–between the nations of the world, and the people of our nation.
V/R,
Phil Foley
October 11th, 2012 at 8:45 pm
Hello Phil,
Thank you for writing. Let’s hope that whoever wins is able to respond more to a higher purpose of doing both of those, than they are pulled to play partisan politics.
Dr. G
October 12th, 2012 at 12:51 am
Phil,
I don’t understand…
“I submit that President” who are you referring too?
What playing field are you speaking of?
I look forward to your feedback. Thank You.
Doug
October 13th, 2012 at 10:13 am
Mark, this is far and away, one of your best posts, ever! Process is everything, and it’s not just in politics. Any successful politician, businessperson, investor, athlete, you name it, has a process that enables them to achieve success on a near consistent basis. I would almost argue that the process, and its soundness, is more important than any eventual outcome because when you have a process that is based upon sound principles and good fundamentals, success will come, as long as the effort is there to implement the process put into place. I would also suggest that listening to others, as you eloquently write in Just Listen, can be just as helpful in getting a process completed successfully when outcomes are dependent upon the actions of others. Again, great post!
October 21st, 2012 at 6:33 pm
OK, Dr.Goulston, this caught my attention, “…to govern successfully, they will need to not just have a grand mission, but also to have a process for making the necessary decisions to carry it out.”
From my perspective, this statement is incomplete as it does not specify whether or not “governing successfully” yields a positive or a negative result. A “successful process” can apply equally to both an evil or an honorable mission-agenda-vision. We tend to want to presume that “success” means a positive and healthy outcome, when all it really means is that any kind of predetermined outcome was achieved. An evil agenda–whether to bankrupt, enslave, or murder a mass of human beings–still requires a “process” and cooperation of others to achieve.
According to Mathew 7:15-16, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits…”
When Obama was elected, my spirit alerted me to Obama being destructive to this country, but he actually turned out worse than I could have even believed as over the years he proved to be a false prophet. Yes, he made pretty speeches and pretty promises. He presented himself very well as a humanitarian Trojan horse, only for those of us who are aware and informed have discovered him to be hiding a completely different agenda within.
For example, Obama made a campaign promise to label GMO’s (i.e. genetically modified organisms,)when what he actually did after being elected was to appoint the vice-president of public policy for Monsanto, Michael Taylor, to the FDA as senior advisor for overseeing strategy for food safety and planning new food safety legislation. (Can you say conflict of interest?) Obama’s family eats organic foods, but GMO is good enough not only for the rest of us, but he is also instrumental in getting this into Africa. GMO’s have already been proven by independent scientists to be extremely harmful to the both people and our environment. Obama puts corporate interests ahead of human interests.
Obama is absolutely fulfilling the criteria in your article, it just happens to be in antithesis to our U.S. Constitution and way of life in America. Recall this man was not raised in this country. Whether or not he was actually born in Hawaii, he was not raised in this country. (Does not the Bible also say, “Train up a child in they way they should go and when they are grown, they will not depart from it…”?) He is not loyal to the true America, nor understands her. He has already proven by his own words and deeds to be a Marxist/Socialist and Muslim–raised by same. He has a specific agenda, a process, and a backup of loyal-to-him but not loyal-to-America staff to further the destruction of this country (although they would call it “change.”) In addition, he is the puppet to others in “high” places already known to us who have America’s destruction (or enslavement) as well.
This does not make me feel good to say any of this. This actually breaks my heart. I really want to be able to like, respect and trust the people who govern our country (and really there are many good people who do.)
We could presume the problems we have right now are a result of a lack of “process” when that could be a completely false, fruitless presumption. What we see as problems could actually be part of the process to meet an agenda with which we would not agree if we new its true outcome–the destruction of our country. I have learned from many sources over the years that sometimes things have to absolutely fall apart in order for something new to come together. Be assured, we do not want four more years of this present “process.”
There are actually several agends here ongoing for many years to many decades. One is the New World Agenda (NWO), the Islam agenda, and the BRICS agenda.
Now the NWO agenda wants to kill off several billion people to only about 500-million or so, enslave them, and set themselves up as kings & queens. The Islam agenda is to convert the entire world to Islam, and the BRICS agenda–well they just all want to get along, and see the others as just outright nuts. The BRICS have gone off and are setting up their on financial and political well-being apart for the crazy people.
But don’t take just my word for this…..
What Patriot and actor/writer, Chuck Norris, has to say:
http://www.wnd.com/2012/10/voter-fraud-the-way-to-americas-destruction
http://www.wnd.com/2012/10/obamas-class-warfare-don't-get-fooled-again/
What President Putin has to say about the U.S. and the NWO:
http://philosophers-stone.co.uk/wordpress/2012/03/vladimir-putin-exposes-the-nwo/
What a British journalist has to say about all this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentsfree/2012/oct/10/new-world-order
What does a Rockfeller (one of those NWO nuts) has to say:
“All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order.” David Rockefeller
November 30th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
Wonderful website. Lots of useful info here. I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks on your sweat!