The Ships Are Burning
A Letter From Chris Suarez
Good Morning Team,
In the early morning hours off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in the year 1519, 11 ships, 500 soldiers, and 100 sailors committed to teaching us all a lesson. Of course at that moment, what ensued was not for us. Rather, Hernan Cortes needed a commitment level from his people, and from himself, unlike had ever been delivered by the Spaniards.
You see, Cortes had no choice. Without turning this into a history lesson, the Spanish explorer and commander had nowhere to go but forward. A year earlier he was assigned to lead an expedition to Mexico in search of treasure. The expedition was called off by the governor at the time - Velazquez. But Cortes rebelled (there is a lesson there too) and took these 600 men and 11 ships and struck out with the goal of conquering the Aztecs – an empire that had been around for over 600 years.
When his men saw how outnumbered they were, and also learned that the journey to conquer the empire would be a 3 month trek over “impossible” terrain, there was talk of a mutiny. Some soldiers and sailors presented the idea of returning to Cuba in the ships that sat just off shore.
That is when Cortes ordered the ships burned. Cortes had no other option. If he went back to Cuba, he was sure to be killed or imprisoned for his rebellion against the governor’s orders. He only had one option…move forward. So he made the immediate call to burn the ships and make sure his entire army (or organization) was as committed as himself to only one goal – victory over death.
Now, although this expression “burn the ships committed” is attributed to Cortes, he was not the first leader said to have done this.
Over 1700 years earlier Xiang Yu of China after crossing a river at the Battle of Julu in 207 BC ordered all of his boats destroyed so there was only one option – victory over death. The ancient Chinese proverb “break the kettles and sink the boats” (破釜沉舟) originated from that moment.
Then, in 711 AD, Muslim forces invaded the Iberian Peninsula and the commander Tariq bin Ziyad also ordered his ships burned, leaving only one option for his army – victory over death.
It’s 500 years after those ships were burned off the coast of Mexico. And it’s time to strike a match and burn some more. Here is why.
Over the past 2 months I have heard more business owners use expressions like “this was going to be my best year ever”…or “this was my break out year” than I can ever remember. I have two immediate thoughts when I hear that. First, it wasn’t going to be EVERYONE’S ‘best year ever’. Second, nothing has changed, while everything has changed.
Stop using the unexpected change in our immediate environment as an excuse for not showing up, yet again.
If it wasn’t a pandemic, it would be the market.
If it wasn’t the market, it would be a personal problem.
If it wasn’t a personal problem, it would be a problem with a person.
How many years will we go not hitting our goal or living up to the expectations we had for ourselves while disguising our lack of commitment as an external fault. The main reason for that? We have a boat sitting in the harbor. We have a back-up plan.
That is because most of us are in a place where we “will be ok” no matter what. We set goals, we have dream boards, we made promises to ourselves and even those around us, and then we set out unknowingly looking for reasons or excuses why it’s not possible or necessary to hit that goal, achieve that dream, or deliver on that promise. Well this year showed up and gave us all a reason real quick. We didn’t have to look too far. And many have simply decided to take it. I am calling on all of you burn that idea.
My challenge to everyone in our organization right now is to decide to burn the ship behind you. Maybe that ship is a savings account, maybe that ship has just showed up in the form of PPP, maybe that ship is a spouse or partner that has a job, maybe that ship is a safe and small life, maybe that ship is that sense of “good enough”.
Just burn it.
Stop using that ship behind you to allow yourself to come up with all the reasons why this year was “going to be” your best year. We lose the right to say that today in our organization. We either show up committed or we don’t right now. Commitment is our competitive advantage. It was the “secret weapon” of Cortes, Yu, Tariq bin Ziyad, and countless leaders before us. It will be our secret weapon. In fact, we have shared this secret with the world as we want them to join us in this commitment.
Its victory or death. Stop convincing yourself the reason it isn’t “your best year ever” is based on the external. It’s not. It wasn’t last year, or the year before, or the year before that. It’s never external. It’s always internal. The lack of victory is based on the ship sitting in your harbor.
I’ve learned to not be afraid of failure. I’ve learned that just like Cortes, the 3 months ahead might look “impossible” or “insurmountable”. I know that there are expected battles just ahead…and I am certain that there will be ambushes that are completely unexpected along the way. And the alternative? Sit still and wait for death? Not us. So we choose victory.
Everything may be changing around us. So what? We have been preparing ourselves for change since birth. Nothing has changed there. Those that respond and react the swiftest will win. Our goal remains unchanged. The purpose of the goal is to inform our strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to inform the activity. The purpose of the activity is to inform the calendar. Build a calendar based on assured victory.
If we are unwilling to follow a calendar filled with the activities to execute the strategies of our goal, then just be upfront and honest today. The ship is waiting for you in the harbor. Get on now and set sail.
As I reflected this weekend on each of the people in our organization, here is one thing I know. No one is running back to the boat. The smoke is rising from the harbor. The ships are burning. We choose victory.
Yours in victory,
Chris
