Mission Command

Six steps to getting leadership right:

1. establish beyond doubt the aim and purpose of your enterprise;
2. get the organisation right;
3. get the right people into your organisation;
4. get the right spirit into your people;
5. get your communications with them right;
6. let them get on with it.

No plan survives the first five minutes of adversity so... Do not command more than is necessary, or plan beyond the circumstances you can foresee.

(Summary of a review of the book 'The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps Between Plans, Actions and Results' by Stephen Bungay which I found in the Management Today January 2011 issue. The book review entitled 'Penetrating the fog of war' by Colonel Tim Collins was about how insights gained in battle can be usefully applied to the world of business – knowing when to lead and when to delegate.)