Unambiguous Goals

Most of us in this area should be dog-tired. After all, for the last week people in our region and at Sundog – along with our family, friends, neighbors and strangers – have been battling the mental and physical challenges of a historic flood. However, instead of fatigue, most people in this community seem downright buoyant. There is a joy and exhilaration that results from what we hope is an apparent victory. That success lifts spirits and soothes tired muscles.

Fighting a flood is not an ambiguous goal. Whether the objective is reached – or not – becomes readily apparent to all. There is no hiding behind inaction, bromides or statistics. There is no time for procrastination or bickering. The rising water is there. The town is here. Put up a barrier or be inundated. For over a hundred years, communities all along the Red have been well schooled in the “joy of victory and the agony of defeat” when fighting historic floods.

Most of the year the north-flowing Red, which forms only 50 miles south of Fargo, is a sleepy, meandering river. However, this year record moisture over the last six months and a fast snowmelt swelled it to a record level and volume. At its crest this past Saturday at 23 feet above flood stage, it was flowing at over 29,000 cubic feet per second. That’s more than the mighty Nile dumps into the Mediterranean Sea at this time of year, and that 4000-mile-long river drains 1/10 the landmass of Africa! It’s a considerable challenge to keep that much water in check in a small channel surrounded by billiard-table-flat topography.

In spite of the challenge illustrated above, our recent flood fight illustrates seven things that help achieve success when you are trying to mobilize people in the face of difficult odds:

1. Give people a clear goal. Officials told us a record crest was heading our way. City leaders made the goal crystal clear: we needed to produce and place 3,000,000 sandbags in the city if we were going to have a chance. Perhaps that is why in Fargo, a town of roughly 100,000 people, over 80,000 volunteers turned out to fight the flood and help ensure victory. What is even more amazing is that these men, women and children came not only from our own community, but also from many surrounding communities, and even other states, to join us on the front line of the battle.

2. Engage people emotionally in the goal. Our local media and city officials did a wonderful job of this. There were numerous press conferences and reports from Fargo city leaders throughout the day. There was continuous reporting of the progress. There were many interviews with volunteers that were helping, and homeowners that were threatened. All this made the goal extremely personal. Local radio was a constant companion to everyone throughout the day. Television and newspaper stories helped put a face on the problem. Twitter and social media banter gave updated reports constantly from the battlefront.

3. Provide decisive leadership. In the press conferences and meetings with Fargo officials during the past couple of weeks, leaders from all important city services were usually in attendance. People were getting information from sources they trusted. It wasn’t being translated through a “spokesperson.” When somebody is telling us why a dike is being built a certain way, people take much more comfort and assurance getting that information from a seasoned engineer than from a designated media contact person.

There was also a healthy mixture of seriousness and humor in the meetings and press conferences that helped ease the tension associated with this challenge. Our leadership was telling us what was going to be done, and why it was being done. We were hearing information from people in the know. It, of course, didn’t hurt that Dennis Walaker, Fargo’s mayor today, was the former Director of Operations for the city of Fargo, and was one of the leaders that helped save Fargo from another flood crisis back in 1997. In addition to the mayor, many of the other city officials had been involved in past flood fights. People in Fargo were confident in the leadership team that was managing our efforts.

4. No matter how daunting the task, people need to see that victory can be won. Media and city leaders played a key role in providing this. There were daily reports on how many volunteers showed up, how many bags were produced, and what progress was made on the dikes. What were the problems? How were we overcoming these problems?

5. Show people specifically what they can do to reach the goal. In the case of the Fargo flood fight, people were given clear instruction about what was needed from them, and where and when they could report to help. The logistics for organizing and conveying this information, including the Volunteer Hot Line, were incredibly efficient. In most cases, necessary volunteers and services were quickly routed to where they were needed.

6. Give people a timeline (in this case, the timeline was provided by Mother Nature). Every day flood fighters had additional data that spurred them to action. In the case of the 2009 Fargo flood, that data came in the form of river levels and sandbags produced. People had a clear understanding of where they were, and where they needed to go. People from the city and the county provided homeowners along the river with survey stakes that showed exactly how high rising flood waters could go, and when to possibly expect those levels. That’s motivation and a deadline that stares you squarely in the eyes.

7. Give people a pat on the back and thank them for their efforts every step of the way. Repeatedly, city officials thanked the volunteers that were turning out to save the town. Credit for winning the battle was given to those volunteers. In addition, the mayor stressed over and over this was a team effort and we would win – or lose – as a team.

We still have some challenges ahead, but indeed, it does look as though the battle has been won. This story is a great deal more than a textbook example about how best to fight a flood. It’s a story about leadership, people and determination that shows the true grit of a community and a region. The story that will live on in most people’s hearts isn’t the river’s record crest. It is the story about how in seven days a community faced down a formidable challenge, and the eyes of the nation had an opportunity to see why so many people here are proud to call this place home.