The Enemy Gets a Vote: Why Winging It Is a Terrible Leadership Strategy

Let’s talk about a military saying that’s way more useful than those cheesy motivational posters in your break room: “The enemy gets a vote.” Yeah, it sounds intense, but stick with me here – this little gem is about to change how you think about leadership.

What the Heck Does That Even Mean?

You know how everyone has that perfect plan until life comes along and drop-kicks it into next week? That’s basically what we’re talking about here. Whether you’re running a Fortune 500 company or managing the local coffee shop, something or someone’s going to try to mess up your day. Spoiler alert: that’s totally normal, and you can deal with it.

 Your “Enemy” Isn’t Wearing Camo

In the business world, your “enemy” isn’t some shadowy figure plotting your downfall (usually). It’s more like:

– Markets doing their best rollercoaster impression

– That competitor who just won’t quit

– Technology making your current process look like a flip phone

– Customers changing their minds faster than a teenager on TikTok

– The economy doing… whatever the economy feels like doing

– Bob from accounting resisting change because “we’ve always done it this way”

The 80/20 Rule (Or Why Preparation Isn’t Just for Boy Scouts)

Here’s the deal: about 80% of your success comes from what you do before stuff hits the fan. Only 20% is how you dance when it does. Think about that next time you’re tempted to “improvise” your way through a major project.

How to Actually Prepare (Without Losing Your Mind)

Strategic Planning (But Make It Fun)

• Don’t just plan for the sunny days. Plan for when it rains cats, dogs, and maybe a few elephants:
• Actually read those market reports (they’re boring but useful)
• Play “What’s the worst that could happen?” (professionally, of course)
• Create backup plans for your backup plans
• Keep some resources in your back pocket (no, not literal resources in your literal pocket)

Making Your Team Awesome

• Your team is like your smartphone – constantly needs updating but totally worth the investment:
• Figure out what they’re good at (and not so good at)
• Teach them to do each other’s jobs (trust me on this one)
• Throw different challenges at them (not literally)
• Teach them to solve problems without running to you every five minutes

Training: Because “Learning on the Job” Is Code for “Pray Nothing Goes Wrong”

Let’s be real: training is usually about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

How to Make Training Not Suck

**Make It Feel Real (But Not Too Real)**

• Nobody learns when they’re completely stressed out or bored to tears:
• Add time pressure (but maybe don’t actually set things on fire)
• Throw in some surprises (not the “surprise, you’re fired” kind)
• Limit resources (like in real life, but with less panic)
• Keep them on their toes (metaphorically speaking)

**Measure Stuff That Actually Matters**

• If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it:
• Set clear goals (not “be better at things”)
• Watch for real behavior changes
• Track improvements that actually matter
• Keep score (but don’t be a jerk about it)

**Challenge Without Breaking Spirits**

• There’s a fine line between “challenging” and “soul-crushing”:
• Push limits without causing therapy bills
• Set tough goals that don’t require miracle workers
• Create wins that actually mean something
• Make it harder gradually (like a video game, not a brick wall)

Making This Stuff Actually Work

Hey leaders (and aspiring leaders) – let’s get practical about this whole “enemy gets a vote” thing. Instead of just nodding along thinking “yeah, preparation matters,” let’s dig into the actual stuff you can do tomorrow to make your team bulletproof.

First Things First: Reality Check Your Training

Before we dive into the how-to goodness, grab a coffee and do this quick assessment. Rate your current training program on these points (1-5 scale, be honest with yourself):

• How close does it match real-world pressure?
• Do people actually remember what they learned after a week?
• Can your team handle surprises without having a meltdown?
• Does anyone actually look forward to training sessions?

If you scored below 15 total, stick around – you’re about to get some game-changing ideas.

Practical Training Scenarios You Can Start Tomorrow

Scenario #1: The Time Crunch Challenge

Here’s how to run it:

1. Take a normal task your team does regularly
2. Cut the usual time allowance in half
3. Add a surprise element halfway through (like changing customer requirements)
4. Have teams compete against each other

Real Example: If your team normally handles customer complaints in 24 hours, run a training where they have to resolve 5 complex complaints in 2 hours. Throw in a power outage simulation halfway through.

Scenario #2: The Resource Shuffle

This one’s fun (and slightly evil):

1. Start a normal project planning session
2. Randomly remove key resources they were counting on
3. Give them 15 minutes to revise their plan
4. Take away another resource
5. Repeat until they want to throw things at you

Real Example: “Great project plan, team! Oh, by the way, Sarah’s on vacation that week, the budget’s been cut by 30%, and the client needs it two weeks earlier. Go!”

Scenario #3: The Domino Effect

This teaches systems thinking:

1. Create a simple process flow with 5-7 steps
2. Have different team members responsible for each step
3. Introduce a problem at step 2
4. Watch how it affects everything downstream
5. Give them 30 minutes to fix it without stopping production

Real Example: Run a mock production line where each person handles one part of a customer order. Then have the “inventory system” crash. Watch chaos ensue, then guide them through fixing it.

How to Make Training Stick (Without Being a Jerk About It)

The “Five-Minute Fix” Method

Do this daily:

1. Gather team for literally five minutes
2. Present one tiny problem
3. Get one solution
4. Implement immediately
5. Track results

Real Example: “Hey team, our customer response times are slipping by about 2 minutes per call. What’s one thing we could fix right now?” Implement the best suggestion that afternoon.

The “Break-It-To-Make-It” Workshop

Monthly exercise:

1. Pick a process that’s working “fine”
2. Have team list everything that could go wrong
3. Pick the three most likely disasters
4. Create mini-plans for each
5. Test one plan each month

Real Example: Take your customer onboarding process. Have the team list 20 ways it could fail. Pick the top three (like system crash, staff shortage, data corruption). Create and practice fixes for each.

Real-World Preparation Techniques That Don’t Suck

The “What’s Breaking Next?” Game

Play this weekly:

1. Everyone writes down one thing they think might go wrong soon
2. Share anonymously
3. Vote on most likely scenario
4. Spend 30 minutes planning for it
5. Assign actual action items

Real Example: Every Monday, team members drop potential problems in a digital hat. “The new software update might crash our inventory system.” Cool, let’s plan for that instead of being surprised.

The “Role Roulette” Exercise

Monthly challenge:

1. Everyone writes down their key responsibilities
2. Randomly assign someone else to handle them for 2 hours
3. Original person becomes the coach
4. Document what breaks
5. Fix the gaps

Real Example: Have your customer service lead switch with your operations manager for a morning. Watch what falls apart, then build better processes and cross-training programs.

Making This Stuff Actually Happen (Because Reading Isn’t Doing)

Week 1 Action Plan:

• Monday: Run your first Five-Minute Fix session
• Tuesday: Pick one process to break (gently)
• Wednesday: Do a mini time crunch challenge
• Thursday: Play What’s Breaking Next
• Friday: Review what worked and what didn’t

Month 1 Goals:

1. Run at least 15 Five-Minute Fix sessions
2. Complete one full Role Roulette exercise
3. Break and fix three processes
4. Document everything that worked
5. Create next month’s training calendar

Measuring Success (Without Spreadsheet Hell)

Keep it simple:

• Track response times to real problems
• Count how many issues get solved without your input
• Measure team confidence levels (just ask them)
• Monitor customer complaint patterns
• Watch for decreased panic levels during actual crises

The “Oh Crap” Kit: What Every Leader Needs Ready

Build this now:

1. Contact list of every expert you might need
2. Backup plans for your top 3 critical processes
3. Emergency response templates
4. List of team members’ secret superpowers
5. Coffee. Lots of coffee.

How to Know You’re Winning

Your preparation is paying off when:

• Team members say “I know how to handle this”
• Problems get smaller instead of bigger
• People start preventing issues instead of just fixing them
• Your blood pressure stays normal during crises
• Other departments start copying your methods

The Last Word (Because We’ve Got Work to Do)

Remember: Your “enemy” (whether it’s market changes, tech failures, or Bob from accounting) always gets a vote. But with these practical steps, you get to stuff the ballot box in your favor.

Your Next Step (Like, Right Now)

Pick ONE thing from this guide and do it tomorrow. Not next week, not when things calm down, tomorrow. Then come back and grab another idea. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they probably should’ve started on Tuesday instead of waiting for the perfect moment.

Reality Check Time

• Look at your current training setup and ask yourself:
• Does it actually prepare people for real work?
• Is anyone actually learning, or just checking boxes?
• Can you tell if it’s working?
• Are you measuring anything besides how many people fell asleep?

Fixing What’s Broken

Time to get real:

• Make scenarios that actually matter
• Add some pressure (without causing heart attacks)
• Get better at giving feedback
• Adjust when things aren’t working

Going from “Just a Manager” to “Actually a Leader”

The big difference between managing and leading? Leaders prepare for tomorrow while managers just try to survive today.

How to Level Up

**Stop Playing Whack-a-Mole with Problems**

• Think ahead (further than lunch)
• See problems coming before they’re problems
• Build a team that can handle stuff without you

**Invest in Your People**

• Train them like you mean it
• Build confidence through actual success
• Create opportunities that stretch but don’t snap

How to Know If You’re Getting It Right

Look for these signs:

• Your team doesn’t panic when things go wrong
• Problems get solved faster than they appear
• People actually know what they’re doing
• Nobody’s crying in the break room

The Bottom Line

Yeah, the “enemy” gets a vote, but you get to decide how many votes you get through preparation. It’s like bringing a calculator to a math test – sure, you still have to know what you’re doing, but you’re way better prepared than the guy who brought a crayon.

The real test isn’t how you handle the easy stuff – it’s how your preparation pays off when things get weird. And trust me, things always get weird.

Remember: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, and nobody’s got time for that.

Ready to stop winging it and start winning it? We promise not to make you do trust falls.* Ready to turn your team into problem-solving ninjas? Check out rdltraining.com for more practical, no-fluff training programs. We promise to keep it real and actually useful.

At Results Driven Leadership, we specialize in helping leaders build this kind of trust, communicate effectively, and set high expectations that drive results. Learn more about our coaching programs for managers and executives at our website, R D L training.com.  Empower your team to exceed expectations, lead with trust, clarity and a commitment to growth and watch your organization thrive.  Schedule a consultation today.