How to be a Good Commander

Six Principles of Mission Command
Trust, understanding, clarity and discipline sit at the heart of the six principles of mission command. Prudence plays a part as well in terms of accepting risk in a mission. One of the most important aspects of successfully accomplishing a mission, however, is the ability to engage with others in effective teamwork. Teamwork amongst officers and enlisted is essential in the military. Effective teamwork relies on a secure platform of trust to serve as its foundation. Embedded in the foundation of strong leadership is the necessity for thorough flow of communication and the consent for deliberation. Providing quality leadership allows for greater influence and effectiveness within mission command.
Teamwork
Teamwork is built on mutual trust and commitment to the team. Every member has to have a sense of his value, of what he brings to the team and why he is essential to the team’s success. A member who does not have this sense is essentially a dead member. He is a drag on the team instead of a help. To get all members of the team on the same page and animated by the same spirit, the leader must develop his emotional and social intelligence skills (Fredrickson, 2001) and engage in the art received during resiliency training: this will help the leader to provide the support that each team member needs to overcome personal issues and challenges and devote himself to the team and to its mission (Reivich, Seligman & McBride, 2011).
The key element in teamwork is to build trust; transparency through open communication contributes to an engaged resilient and effective team. Trust is built by developing a culture and environment of transparency. Openness and honesty are qualities a leader must possess. Followers on the team will recognize and appreciate a leader’s candor, honesty, and ability to be forthright. Trust cannot be established in the dark: it needs the light, which acts as a disinfectant and serves to kill all the hidden bugs that lurk about when thoughts and feelings are covered up. Trust is built by establishing a two-way flow of communication, which allows the light to get in and positive morale to increase. As Mission Command (2012) notes, “two-way communication and interaction between the commander, subordinates, and Soldiers reinforces trust. Soldiers expect to see the chain of command accomplishing the mission while taking care of their welfare and sharing hardships and danger” (p. 19). Nothing creates a better environment for teamwork than the ability of all members to recognize that their leader is sharing their burdens and struggles with them and leading by example in an open, honest and transparent manner.
Trust and cohesion are measures of climate; leaders must understand the dimensions of trust and its impact on its own Soldiers and units. Commanders are the ones who are responsible for the team building process. It is not up to the individual members of the team to organize themselves but rather the leader to organize the team. The leader is the most visible and vocal person on the team. All eyes are on him and all follow his lead. The commander must be able to demonstrate patience and interpersonal skills (emotional and social intelligence) to earn the trust of his followers.
Recognizing the unique assets that each member brings to the table, as well as working collectively to capitalize on one another’s strengths is a defining key tenet. Every person will have strengths and weaknesses. It is up to the commander to identify the strengths and see how they can best be leveraged to enable the team to be as efficient and effective as possible. Commanders have to also get their soldiers to “buy in” to the doctrines they are setting up—i.e., the need for soldiers to be adaptive and reactive leaders themselves (Koester, 2013). Everyone has to come to the team ready to act like a leader even if he is still following orders from the team leader: leadership starts from within and one must lead oneself in overcoming personal weakness.
Understanding
All leaders must actively build and maintain a shared understanding in all facets. No mission can be accomplished without understanding of how that mission will be accomplished. Knowledge, training, education—all of this plays a part in the ability of the leader to drive success. Understanding is the basis of trust (Mission Command, 2012). Shared understanding of the operational environment, the purpose of the operation, potential and practical problems that may crop up, and the various options and approaches that can be used to solve them are all aspects of the shared understanding that all must possess.
Fostering an environment of collaboration may be met with resistance but is necessary. Resistance typically occurs when stakeholders are not informed. Resistance is motivated by a number of factors, from fear to a sense of not having been given the ability to offer input to ignorance about the purpose of and approaches to mission accomplishment. To counter resistance, leaders have to be engaged enough to identify that soldiers will want to have the opportunity to provide feedback. They are on the ground, they have experiences, they want to make sure their leaders recognize their time and thoughts and use that information when formulating a plan. Simply giving soldiers the opportunity to speak can be enough to break down barriers of resistance. However, leaders still need to be able to articulate the plan, the vision, the purpose and provide motivation so that a true spirit of collaboration can be fostered.
Thorough and proper communication is vital in order to stay mission capable and functional. Communication is the process by which understanding is achieved. Vital information is passed from leaders to followers and back again as leaders await feedback from followers that can be used to assess the development of the mission. Communication has to be two-way and not one-way. If communication is only going in one direction it means one half of the equation is hearing everything while the other half is hearing nothing back. When one half of the team is deaf, comprehensive understanding will not be obtained. Communication must be constant and flowing in both directions.
The basis for unity of effort and trust amongst a team is a shared understanding and purpose. Purpose is what shines the light on the way forward and shared understanding is what enables the team to take the necessary steps to reach the destination. Purpose motivates and inspires. Shared understanding empowers and projects. The leader must know how to cultivate understanding and communicate purpose to move the mission along.
Following the Plan
Proper utilization of the commander’s intent to plan, prepare, and execute tasks with their soldiers will be performed by all leaders. The plan is the blueprint by which the team acts. It has been determined ahead of time by taking into consideration the various components of the field, the assets allocated to the task, risks, opportunities and so on. The plan is what helps the commander’s clear intent to be given.
The Commander’s intent for the mission could result in loss of legitimacy, trust, purpose, cohesion, and tendency without the buy-in of leaders and subordinates. Thus, the plan has to be communicated in an effective manner so that team members understand the necessity of the plan and adhere to the vision for the plan. The leader must provide followers with the reason for the plan so that there is no second guessing among followers who may think there is a better way to handle a certain situation or obstacle. While this may seem unnecessary to the leader, the leader must be mindful of the morale and anxieties of followers: the more they are brought into the loop the more comfortable and committed they will be about buying in (Mission Command, 2012).
Still, some of the best lessons are learned through mistakes; leaders should encourage initiative and sanction failures. Commanders want to see their followers acting like leaders even if they are not in a position to make as many decisions as the commander. There are still numerous situations and examples in which soldiers can make decisions that will impact the outcome of the mission—and the commander has to encourage that type of decision-making as it instills responsibility, accountability and mindfulness.
A well-crafted commander’s intent conveys a clear image of the operation’s purpose, key tasks, and the desired outcome. The purpose will be plain, the key tasks will be understood and achievable, and the desired outcome will be properly envisioned so that all recognize it and want it. The freedom to act while adhering to the purpose, key tasks and staying in pursuit of the desired outcome will all work to make the mission that much more powerful for followers. Leaders who can give followers the space they need to become decision-makers will adequately prepare the next generation for command.
References
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The
broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American psychologist, 56(3), 218.
Koester, J. (2013). NCOs have important roles in mission command | NCO Journal.
Retrieved from http://ncojournal.dodlive.mil/2013/09/17/1932/
Mission Command (Army Doctrine Publication 6-0 [ADP] , 2012, p. 2-4).
Reivich, K. J., Seligman, M. E., & McBride, S. (2011). Master resilience training in the
US Army. American Psychologist, 66(1), 25.

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