Motivating a team and aligning them against the same goal is a critical task for every manager.

 As a former Green Beret, I always think of the Commander’s Intent we used when planning missions as a great way to provide motivation and alignment.

 Green Beret and Army Commanders use the Commander’s Intent to sum up all the essentials of a mission with no extra fluff. The Commander’s Intent has three sections: the purpose, key tasks, and end state:

 Always provide a purpose when giving a task, establishing a project, or conducting a high-risk mission overseas.

 A purpose provides the larger picture. Look at these two examples:

Bob, I need the monthly reporting numbers two days early.  I know they’re usually due on Friday but if you could get them to me Wednesday that would be great.

Bob, I need the monthly reporting numbers two days early. I’ve been asked to review our financial position to see if we can participate in a new pilot program. I know you’ll have to hustle to get the report ready, but if we’re approved to participate in the pilot it will give the whole team a chance to learn more about precision marketing.

A purpose is often something senior leaders and managers neglect to explain. It is the broader “why” something has to be done. A purpose also provides an opportunity to ensure the whole team is aligned and has the right level of urgency. The above example is simple, but imagine a more complex example like an IT rollout. There will be many different projects occurring, but everyone should be reminded they all work towards improving the company’s IT capabilities to make the organization more efficient and protect vital business secrets.

Explain what has to be accomplished, not how to do it – the Key Tasks.

The key tasks are what is critical for success and nothing more. This is a great tool to empower employees to be creative while ensuring the necessary details are communicated. Not giving enough instruction leads to a back and forth between employees and managers that leave both parties frustrated. Too much instruction leads to the exact product the manager wants, but leaves the employee feeling constrained and undervalued. Additionally, this method stifles organizational creativity because it limits new ideas. Providing the key tasks of the project and then allowing the executing parties to fill in the details is empowering. In Special Forces these were what had to happen for the mission to be successful. We had to infiltrate a village, make contact with the local village elders, establish a local police force, and reduce enemy influence. How we did everything else was up to us to research, plan, and execute!

The End State – How will success be measured.

The end state is the definition of success. It provides a goal for the team to work towards. In the above example where a team was infiltrating a village, meeting with local elders, establishing a police force, and reducing influence, the end state ads KPIs. Reducing influence would be expanded to include a reduction in IED attacks by 20%, increased attendance at local schools by 10%, improved economic activity, and increased attendance at local government functions by 25%. Of course, it is necessary to be agile and allow the mission to adapt based on battlefield conditions, but it is equally important to make sure the fog of war, or business, doesn’t distract from what the mission was originally designed for. Having a clear, measurable end state is an excellent way to make sure the mission or project stays focused and people are aligned toward the same goal.

The Commander’s Intent is a great framework for managers to use when providing direction. The Green Berets use it during every mission planning event. Try it in your organization and see how people respond.

Authored By: Orin Brown, Former Green Beret

Click Here to View Orin’s Bio.

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