How Leaders Learn from Experience in Extreme Situations: The Case of the U.S. Military in Takur Ghar, Afghanistan

Abstract

The 2002 Battle of Takur Ghar, also known as the Battle on Roberts Ridge, illustrates the challenges of learning from experience in extreme situations. The analysis follows the first hour of the battle and the events leading up to the battle. We propose a four-phase model of how leaders learn to operate effectively in extreme situations and identify the importance of judgment-based learning in extreme situations. Drawing on research from crisis and disaster, organizational resilience, and performance under stress, the events reveal the challenges faced by leaders operating in extreme situations. These challenges include unreliable information, situational novelty, unclear and shifting goals, and ill-structured situations. Three concepts—thrownness, depaysement, and collateral learning—are introduced into the lexicon of leadership in extreme situations to describe how leaders might overcome these challenges. The chapter suggests that the often-quoted statement, “trust your training,” may not be enough to help leaders working in extreme situations and might be augmented with the command “trust your judgment.”