A Military Perspective on Leadership

When attending conferences, I always seek out off-the-beaten-path learning opportunities so the session, "A Military Perspective on Board Leadership" caught my eye at the recent regional Building Better Boards training in Florida's panhandle. Brigadier Gen. Neil Snyder (Ret.) and RADM Rick Grant (Ret.) shared the Army and Navy points of view, and also covered the Marine's perspective on behalf of Gen. Robert Milligan (Ret.) who had a last minute emergency. 

As I expected, there was a fair amount of the "command-and-control" language that doesn't really translate well into effective nonprofit governance, but there were also a few pearls and gems to pass on.

Military Leadership "Pearl" - Expectations, Tools, Feedback

The first was a very practical look at common leadership styles across military branches and both presenters agreed that they carry these three fundamental principles with them as a result of their training:

(1) Ensure that expectations for actions and performance are clearly and explicitly communicated.

(2) Provide the tools that are needed to meet or exceed expectations.

(3) Use regular feedback to reinforce positive progress, and to allow for timely corrective action.

What if every Board of Directors did just these three things? Well, it would likely mean that:

(1) The Board and staff team would have clear vision-based goals, objectives, outcomes, benchmarks, and performance measures.

(2) The staff team would have the operational, financial, and human resources needed to provide high-impact mission-based programs and services.

(3) The Board and staff would regularly self-assess, celebrate successes, and re-trench if and when a Plan B becomes necessary.

Hard to argue with that result, isn't it?

Tactical "Gem" - 5 Paragraph Field Order

The second great "find" from this session was learning about the "5 Paragraph Field Order." I've never heard of it before, but according to Wikipedia, it is commonly used to convey critical military information during tactical field engagement. 

General Snyder discussed it in this way:

Paragraph 1: Current Position. Summarize the current position and situation of the troops.

Paragraph 2: Mission. Describe the mission, including the Who, What, Where, When and Why.

Paragraph 3: Execution. Summarize the execution plan. Include desired outcomes, planned tactics, and specific instructions for troop coordination.

Paragraph 4: Logistics. Describe available weapons (tools), resources, and back-up.

Paragraph 5: Command and Signal.  Summarize who is in charge, and how they will communicate their directives.

I've been thinking about the usefulness of the field order in enhancing communications in general, and I really like its concise format as a mini-strategic plan.  It creates clarity, and could be used effectively for a wide variety of communications, particularly for organizations going through transitions or challenging times.  In essence, it's a great quick gut-check for whether you are ready to take action, and just takes a few moments to create.

Can you see other applications for these or other military practices to the nonprofit sector?