Back in 2001, I moved from India to the United States. I left my job, my parents, friends, and my comfort zone. I closed my bank accounts and looked forward to creating a new life in the land of opportunities. I didn't know it then, but I was burning the ships. Once the move had taken place, there was no going back. I had no other options but to start a new chapter in the US.
This act of moving into a new country, job, or business venture, without having a plan B really forces you to put all your energy into one thing and really commit to its success.
The success or failure of the future becomes more important than the comfort and often times, the baggage of the past.
Covid-19 has accelerated the pace of change in business. Any trends that the pundits were forecasting for the future are a reality already. 10 years of growth in e-commerce happened in a few months in 2020 as the pandemic forced us all to change our habits, try new things, and discover that we can change faster than we think we can. This consumer trend acceleration has, in turn, forced companies to react faster to the rapidly evolving market needs. Responding to this acceleration means a lot of change is about to happen in organizations.
A lot has been written about change and how to effectively manage an organization through change. In a recent conversation about change management at work, the idea of burning the ships came out. Intrigued by this concept, I researched it a bit and was pleasantly surprised to see that the concept appeared again and again in history.
The Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes landed on the Yucatan peninsula in 1519 and asked his sailors to burn the ships they had arrived on.
It was a clear signal that there was no way back, and survival and success can only come from their new land and winning the battles there.
Similar stories exist about everyone from Alexander the Great when he landed in Asia Minor to the Vikings who would regularly burn their ships when they landed in new lands, to Julius Caesar, who ordered his army to burn their ships when they arrived to conquer the Celts.
Whether these stories are historically accurate or not, the ubiquity of this theme throughout history suggests that the lesson here about closing all paths of return, and the only options being success or perishment, are still relevant to this day.
If there is no fallback plan, the motivation to succeed is sharpened.
This is true when companies are trying to bring change in people, process, or technology. Cutting the cord completely leaves no space for doubt or hesitation, and really commits employees to the success of the future.
This is true for anything in life. Remove any plan Bs, the 'just in case', and see your motivation soar and your chances of success rise.
I found this song by 'for King & Country' that captures this essence very well. It was written by one of the band leads after his wife, who was battling addiction, one day decided to flush the pills and never looked back.
Burn the ships, cut the ties
Send a flare into the night
Say a prayer, turn the tide
Dry your tears and wave goodbye
Step into a new day
We can rise up from the dust and walk away
We can dance upon our heartache, yeah
So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships
And don't you look back.
WRITTEN BY
Tanu Grewal