#521 hijacked

Over the weekend, I saw the Captain Phillips movie about the true story involving the hijacking of a U.S. cargo ship.  Four armed Somalian pirates in nothing but a small motor boat are able to hook their ladder on the side of the multi-ton vessel, board it, and take the captain hostage.  What ensues is a Naval rescue operation involving SEALS, helicopters, surveillance aircraft, war ships and more.

Before the plot developed, I really couldn't conceive of how these four teenagers in skiffs could disable the entire container ship full of 17,000 metric tons of cargo and its crew of twenty.  But as it unfolded, I could see how this really did happen.

It was a very engrossing movie, but my point is not to do a cinematic review.  I use the analogy to think about a time in your organization where a very small group of individuals, seemingly without power or stature, "hijacked" your plans or ideas.  Oftentimes in organizations, we dismiss those on the periphery and do not proactively strategize on how to prevent them from propelling their ideas onto the center stage.  A stand off may ensue where time and energy is lost trying to "negotiate" with those who have a different route in mind.  If they do take over, all the attention is diverted to them, instead of to the original idea, and often times a large scale "rescue" effort is needed to get the plan back on track.

Do not discount the power -- either positive or negative -- that a small group of people can have.  As the pirates proved with the Maersk Alabama, might does not always mean you are in control.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source:  Wikipedia, Maersk Alabama hijacking