Pirates Aren’t The Only Ones With a Business Strategy

Cannonballs > Bullets.

In his book Great by Choice, Jim Collins develops the concept of making calculated tests and experiments into what he calls Firing Bullets, Then Cannonballs. He uses imagery reminiscent of a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. Imagine you are at sea, and a hostile ship is bearing down on you. Your ship has a limited amount of gunpowder. So, you use gunpowder to fire a cannonball at the ship. It fires out and over the hostile ship, missing the target. Turning to the stockpile of gunpowder, you realize the ship is out of gunpowder. It’s all been used to fire that one cannonball.

What If?

What would have happened if the ship’s crew had used the limited gunpowder to fire a bullet, recalibrate their aim, and fire another bullet until they hit the ship? Then they could have taken the remaining gunpowder and fired a cannonball along the same pathway for a direct hit. BOOM!

In large corporations today, it’s easy to get hung up on the BHAGs – Big Hairy Audacious Goals – a term coined in another of Jim Collin’s classics, Built to Last. Something commonly missed when focusing on the larger aspirations is where and when resources are dwindling. This could be something as literal as funding or something as present as employee burnout. Where and how we are directing our attention at Embergrove Hospitality is important for not only our constant progression but also our longevity as a company. 

Our Calibration Strategy

In this particular business concept, a bullet is a test, or experiment, that is low-cost, low-risk, and low-distraction. These are used to determine what will work. With each bullet (test) fired, you calibrate your line of sight by firing additional bullets. Once you have all the information you need and the data and experience to prove your test, you fire a calibrated cannonball. Now, we can concentrate our resources into a big, data-driven bet. This process turns small proven ideas (bullets) into those big hits (cannonballs). 

Bullets and cannonballs are used daily at Embergrove Hospitality. It is part of our shared language and behavior. We believe that the best solutions for our business come from within the company. Every job is important, and every team member has thoughts and ideas. As we work together in each department and collaborate cross-departmentally, we encourage our staff to embrace this concept in preparation for every task at hand. Is this a cannonball, or just a bullet? How should I devote my attention, and how much planning is necessary? As we work to bring new and innovative ideas to the table, we do our best to take a step back, put on our pirate thinking cap, and see each goal for what it is.