Commanders Intent

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." - General George S. Patton

A Commanders Intent is a tool used by the leaders of our armed forces to define and articulate a goal for a particular mission. The Commanders Intent provides the big picture of what a successful operation and outcome will look like.  It is not a prescriptive document, rather it states the objective and  provides general parameters to guide and shape the strategy and tactics, while leaving the details to subordinates.  The Commanders Intent states the end goal, and allows the troops to do what needs to get done to accomplish it.

A Commanders Intent consists of three components:

1. details critical information (who, what, where, when, why)
2. the ideal end state
3. conditions under which operations should cease

With just this basic information our personnel should be able to make the best strategic and tactical decisions to accomplish the goal.  There is no need for, or room to, micromanage every step of the operation or decision that is made.

To confidently and reliably issue a Commanders Intent relies on trust. The leadership must trust that the employee can make the right decisions, and the employee must trust that the leadership will not punish for bad decisions made.  With the many differing backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints of personnel within the modern day fire service, and the litigious society we live in, perhaps trust has become an area we are most lacking in.  This is why we see micromanagement, and write policies and procedures that are very prescriptive based - describing every action or step to be taken for a given situation or set of circumstances. 

In his book, The Navy SEAL Art of War, Rob Roy lists 5 ways that trust can be achieved:

1. Commit to hiring the right people.
2. Make people accountable to one another.
3. Clearly and frequently articulate expectations.
4. Give employees decision-making power.
5. Give employees an ownership stake.

[ For a practical exercise for building trust within the organization see, Circle of Safety - Does Your Organization Have It? ]

 What would our operations and leadership look like if we took the Commanders Intent approach and trusted our personnel to accomplish the goal? 

"SEALs know that the unbending bedrock of these concepts is trust.  To confidently convey intent without micromanaging it, a leader must implicitly trust that his followers are properly manned, planned, and equipped to handle the mission." - Rob Roy

Additional Resources

• "Commanders Intent and Concept of Operations" - Article from Military Review (Nov/Dec 2013)
• "Manage Uncertainty With Commanders Intent" - Article from Harvard Business Review (Nov. 2010)
• Take Command: Lessons In Leadership: How to Be a First Responder in Business-  book by Jake Wood
• The Navy SEAL Art of War - book by Rob Roy
• Standard Operations Training Group (SOT-G) - leadership training and team devolopment

Circle of Safety - Does your organization have it?

Leaders are the ones who run headfirst into the unknown.

They rush toward the danger.

They put their own interests aside to protect us or to pull us into the future.

Leaders would sooner sacrifice what is theirs to save what is ours

And they would never sacrifice what is ours to save what is theirs.

This is what it means to be a leader.

It means they choose to go first into danger, headfirst toward the unknown.

And when we feel sure they will keep us safe,

we will march behind them and work tirelessly to see their visions come to life

and proudly call ourselves their followers.

-Simon Sinek, "Leaders Eat Last"

From, Leaders Eat Last:

The Spartans, a warrior society in ancient Greece, were feared and revered for their strength, courage and endurance.  The power of the Spartan army did not come from the sharpness of their spears, however; it came from the strength of their shields. Losing one's shield in battle was considered the single greatest crime a Spartan could commit. "Spartans excuse without penalty the warrior who loses his helmet or breastplate in battle," writes Steven Pressfield in his account of the Battle of Thermopylae (the battle upon which the movie 300 is based), "but punish the loss of all citizenship rights the man who discards his shield."  And the reason was simple. "A warrior carries helmet and breastplate for his own protection, but his shield for the safety of the whole line."

Likewise, the strength and endurance of a company does not come from products or services but from how well their people pull together.  Every member of the group plays a role in maintaining the Circle of Safety and it is the leader's role to ensure that they do.  This is the primary role of leadership, to look out for those inside their Circle. (pgs. 22-23)

Questions to ask yourself and apply to your people and organization:

1. Do we feel safe?
2. Do we trust our leaders?
3. Why? Why not?
4. What can we do personnally?
5. What can we do as an organization?

Learn more at SimonSinek.com.

Get the book Leaders Eat Last.

Collaborative Leadership

The most successful organizations are led by successful leaders.  The most successful organizations are led by, not one, but many leaders.  These leaders form a team.  It is through the collaboration of the members of team that success can be found.  However, working together as a team, especially a team of leadership personalities, is not always easy.  Multiple ideas, conflicting agendas, and varied perspectives can all get in the way of decisions that must be made to ensure organizational success.

Bobsleigh team, by Tyler Ingram

In the book, Teams That Thrive, Ryan Hartwig and Warren Bird describe 5 disciplines required for collaborative leadership.

1. Focus on purpose.
2. Leverage differences in team members.
3. Rely on inspiration more than control.
4. Intentionally structure the decision making process.
5. Build a culture of continuous collaboration.

Purpose is the true leader of the organization. Collaborative leadership works when everyone is focused on the organizations purpose, and not personal agenda.

Each team member brings a different skill, different life experience, and different perspective to the team.  Utilize these to make the team stronger and "rounded out".

By maintaining focus on the organizations purpose and team strengths, the team will create its own inspirational force. Rely on this, not command and control tactics.

Make sure all team members understand how decisions will be made.  Follow the same process for every decision.

Do all team members feel that they can discuss issues and decisions openly? Keep this communication line open.  For more on this subject, you must listen to Richard Ryerson's podcast, "No Egos in the Cockpit".

By instituting these five disciplines into our teams and leadership we can finally accomplish what Vanilla Ice always wanted, "...stop, collaborate, and listen".