Commander’s intent

When large organizations attempt to navigate complex markets, leaders must focus on expressing clear and objective intent. Commander’s intent is the application of this idea in the military domain:

During World War II, the sea and airborne invasion of France on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) had been planned for years. British, Canadian, and American airborne forces planned and rehearsed for months a precise series of glider and parachute landings that were designed to secure bridges, road junctions, and other key terrain that would enable the ground invasion forces to advance rapidly inland. The airborne invasion forces took off from England and months of planning appeared to vanish instantly. Parachute forces dropped into unmarked landing zones, gliders landed in the wrong areas, and thousands of soldiers from different units were mixed together in the night. It appeared that a military disaster had occurred. Yet, only hours later, the original military objectives were bring accomplished by ad-hoc units that faced much fiercer German resistance. Commander’s Intent had saved the day. Leaders and soldiers at all levels understood that no matter where they landed, they had to form into units and seize the bridges and key terrain. The plan was a failure, but good Commander’s Intent and superior training allowed improvisation and initiative to save the mission.

The role of a leader to express intent increases in proportion to company size and market uncertainty. At the same time, followers must thoughtfully adapt intent—expressed through missions, strategies, and objectives—at different levels of an organization, taking advantage of their proximity to market reality.