Should I Burn the Ships?

This is quite possibly one of THE most polarizing questions when it comes to leadership…of YOURSELF and others.  Burning the Ships is the black-and-white, you-have-no-other-options, there-is-no-plan-B, you’ve-got-to-succeed-to-eat approach.  I’ve worked with and for leaders who have had this philosophy, and I’ve also worked with very successful leaders who always have a Plan B, or have an incremental approach.  To be honest, this is something I have personally been struggling with, for many reasons.

In here we attempt to answer questions like:

• Do you quit your job?
• Do you sign up for the Ironman Triathlon?
• Do you book one-way travel across the world?

The Case for Burning the Ships

Why is this philosophy so powerful?

Retreat is easy when you have other options.

Or, here’s a slight variation:

Its easy to let yourself off the hook if you have other options.

The message is so simple and clear and our mind LOVES simple and clear.  If you Burn the Ships, you’ve reduced your options to exactly 2:  succeed or fail.  There are no “other” options to retreat to, or fall back upon.  The goal is clear, the mindset is clear, there are no other ways to think.  If you have Plan B, or you are saying to yourself, “Well, if this doesn’t work, I always have _________”, then your subconscious knows that if it gets too hard, you can quit.

From a leadership standpoint, much of what motivates a team is knowing that their leader believes 100% in the direction.  If there is unwavering belief by the leader (publicly, at least), then the team tends to focus only on making the success outcome a reality.  And as with your own subconscious, the collective mindset knows that just because it gets hard, does not mean its ok to quit.

An Alternate Approach: Building the Ladder

There are many successful people and leaders that apply the approach of  “Building the Ladder” instead of “Burning the Ships”.  What does this mean?  Building the Ladder refers to the process of taking incremental steps in order to allow you to continue to move forward in a more controlled fashion.  It also means that sometimes there is a plan B, because plan A is something you are just testing.  You build the ladder and establish your handhold on each rung as you move up it.  Each rung provides a progression in the positive direction. Sometimes you actually move back down (or sideways) a bit, but overall you are moving up.  Maybe those rungs are skills development, or validating your business ideas, or financial gain, or self belief.

This may actually be a better fit for you in many circumstances, and actually provide a better chance of success.  One reason is:

Reducing your options to just 2 actually can discourage you from getting started, and getting started is the #1 reason you will have any success at all.

Building the Ladder encourages you to get started because there may be more than one option.  For example, if your goal is to be full time owning apartments, spending all of your life savings on some apartments with zero experience may lead you to financial collapse. That’s a scary, and very real possibility.  However, if you can get started by just carving out a portion of your savings to make a purchase and learn the business, then that’s a much more manageable mindset and skill development step to take.

Here’s another reason that Building the Ladder may be a better strategy:

You afford yourself the ability to change directions, large or small, and that change of direction may turn out to be the best path.

Maybe going in to your real estate business you aren’t totally sure of the direction that you will take.  So you start on the apartment path, but you know that other opportunities in real estate may lead you down a different path which may be something that you love more and provides more success.

Some Ways to Test Burning the Ships vs Building The Ladder

Which is best for you?  It likely depends on both your circumstances and your mindset.  Here are just a couple ways to test which approach is best for you.

Your Health

Maybe you’ve been given some sobering test results, or maybe you don’t like what’s looking back at you in the mirror, or maybe you just want to get yourself back to the activity levels of your early-20’s self.  Applying the “Burn the Ships” philosophy could look like this:

• Sign up for a race or event and pay the money
• Commit to a vegan lifestyle and Purge your household of EVERYTHING else
• Post a video on social media announcing to the world your intention of completing the race (or whatever your goal is)

“Building the Ladder” could like this:

• Start training for a race without signing up
• Start with eating vegetarian for 2 weeks, or make a few important changes to your current diet
• Join a running club, or hire a personal trainer, or join a support group

Your Career

You’re job is killing you.  The corporate job is a meaningless grind, you are missing your kids’ activities, you are stressed out, or your relationship with your partner is suffering.  Applying the “Burn the Ships” approach simply means: QUIT the JOB! Now you’re in “need to eat” mode, and you have no choice but to figure out how to bring cash flow into the house.  That “need to eat” mindset is a powerful motivator.

But Building the Ladder could look like this:

• Start something on the side: join a network marketing company, or start investing in real estate, or take on some consulting work, etc
• Start looking for some other employer
• Start taking classes or coursework in another area

Should You Burn the Ships or Build the Bridge?

Burning the ships is a motivational strategy, both for yourself and for a team.  Whether or not its the right strategy can only be answered by you because it will depend upon your own situation and mindset.

Start with determining what is the limiting resource in your ability to accomplish your goals?  Is it motivation, fear, comfort, or focus?  If so, then Burning the Ships may be the perfect approach.  However, if your limiting resource is something else, such as finances, direction, or skills, then maybe Building the Ladder is a better approach.

Regardless, the key to having the SUCCESS you desire is that you have to be ALL IN.  There will be zero success unless you are committed in a very real way to your goal.  Only you can decide whether you’re mindset makeup allows you to be committed on the same level as if you had no other option.  There are definitely both kinds of people and both kinds of situations.