COMMENTARY: Leaders empowering leaders Published June 10, 2014 By Sq. Ldr. Rick Fryer RAF Commander, RAF Mildenhall RAF MILDENHALL, England -- "I'm sorry sir, but I'll have to check first with my commander." In a modern air force, whether it be my own, the Royal Air Force, or that with which I spend most of my working day, the U.S. Air Force, these are words that not only surprise me but fill me with great disappointment. Now don't get me wrong, sometimes this is the right answer but more often than not this kind of statement is a demonstration of poor leadership by the commander(s) concerned because they have clearly not empowered their Airmen to make decisions at the right level. What I'm talking about is "Mission Command or Mission Leadership." A bit of military history Mission command, or to give it a less military connotation "Mission Leadership," is a doctrinal philosophy the British army formally adopted in 1987 from the Prussian concept of Auftragstaktik. It was a revolution in Prussian military thinking and leadership, developed after their loss to Napoleon in the twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt, which first shattered and then scattered the Prussian army delivering a humiliating defeat. Auftragstaktik represented a shift from a leadership methodology based on iron discipline and control where officers sought to counter the chaos of battle by imposing order based on mathematical principles; where the military leaders sought victory by triumphing over the intrinsic chaos of the battlefield by imposing order based on pre-ordained tactical and operational choreography. The shift was away from a doctrine based on orders ('Befehl') to one focused on the task ('Auftrag'). The point being that it was the achievement of the task that was important, not how it was done. What does this mean for our leaders? Some may say the principles of mission command apply mainly to the battlefield, but I disagree. I believe we can use most of these principles every day in support of our mission, but its application must be inculcated, practiced and seamlessly applied throughout the organization. There are four enduring tenets: · Timely decision making · The importance of understanding the senior leader's intent · A clear responsibility to fulfil that intent · An ability on the part of the subordinate to meet the superior's intent These tenets require leadership styles which provide decentralised decision making (formal delegation/empowerment), freedom (and speed) of action and use of initiative. Leaders must ensure their subordinates understand and adhere to these followership principles: · There is a fundamental requirement on everyone's part to act (or decide not to act, if that is the right thing to do) within the framework of the senior leader's intent. · Waiting to be told is not an option! · Followers are designed to facilitate effective action under chaotic and confusing conditions. · Relationships and decisions must be based on trust. · Decisions are intended to unify autonomy and alignment - provide unity of effort. This means the commander should: · Brief his intent to two levels down · Explain the limitations such as time, boundaries, correct and incorrect actions · Allocate resources · State what is to be achieved, not how it is to be achieved · Give decision-making criteria Put simply, commanders must stick to the basics - tell their people what to do and why, but not how to do it! Similarly, the subordinate commander should: · Understand 'my role in his plan' two levels up · Devise his own plan to play his part in achieving the commander's intent · Ask for more resources if needed, but offer back resources not needed · Brief his subordinates two levels down - and so forth So, commanders, I hope you and other readers now know why I dislike hearing the words "I'm sorry sir, but I'll have to check first with my commander." We as leaders must trust our people, empower and give them responsibility, let them use their initiative, let them get on with it, even if they occasionally get it wrong. We should remember: Task (What) and Purpose (Why) = Mission. I endeavour to use mission command as a daily routine, do you?