Command and Control

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Command and Control

It sounds intimidating, doesn’t it?  Command conjures up images of the great general on horseback or the company president barking orders as their eager assistants take notes.  Control gives the impression of the puppet master pulling strings, or maybe life in The Matrix.  The typical person, even someone with military or traditional business experience, might perceive command and control (C2) as domineering; deciding (with some justification) that they will never use such an oppressive model when leading their team.

It doesn’t have to be that way.  A good C2 system can help any organization to achieve its goals with maximum efficiency and minimal friction while strengthening the entire team.  Let’s explore the basic concepts of C2 and consider how leaders can use them to help their organizations succeed.

Command is authority… AND responsibility.  In the most extreme example, a military leader gives orders and those directions have the power of law, but that “order-giver” is also liable for everything good AND bad that happens under their command (whether it was their fault or not).  Such a high level of responsibility must also include the authority to make decisions, allocate resources, and take action.

Fire department incident commanders and police officers in command hold similar authority and responsibility; their team members are trained to function in hierarchical structures.  Business leaders also use command under different circumstances, governed by a differing set of laws, policies, contracts, and other understandings.  In fact, command is never absolute power in our culture, but is always subject to the checks of law, ethics, and morality.  When you put someone in charge, they must clearly understand the limits of both their responsibility and their authority.  Within those limits, it is reasonable to think of that leader as being “in command.”

Control is regulation:  a combination of systems, procedures, processes, and monitors (like thermostats) used to improve understanding and support accomplishing goals.  Military and business controls are similar in that they help maintain progress toward objectives and protect organizations from careless acts, uninformed decisions or reckless behaviors.  Good controls help leaders by providing predictable responses, reliable flows of information, timely communication, and a framework to help guide activities even when they are not physically present.

Ideally, the controls a leader establishes will help unify effort without inhibiting initiative. If there is not enough control, teams can find themselves working at cross purposes, wasting resources, or losing time as they try to sort through chaos.  Imagine the wrong parts delivered at the wrong time to the wrong place.  Of course, most of us are all too familiar with the problems of excessive control: slow response times, stifled innovation, micromanagement, or bureaucracy.  No leader wants to fund a Department of Redundancy Department.

Effective command enables leaders to communicate purpose, direction, and motivation to their subordinates.  Strong command systems and processes enable teams to function smoothly day-to-day and to deftly handle the unexpected.  Leaders use timely feedback from their team to make sound, well-informed decisions.  In a healthy command climate, team members understand how to work together to solve problems and when to seek additional input or resources from outside of their teams.

Good controls also promote collaboration within and across teams.  They work in several ways: sharing critical information to increase understanding; establishing routines, procedures, or actions to smoothly respond to circumstances; and setting parameters to promote autonomy and reduce conflict.  When establishing controls, leaders must seek the level that works for them and for their teams as they progress together.

Hopefully, this discussion makes the concepts of command and control seem more straightforward and relevant to many leadership situations.  However, even simple C2 concepts can be hard to implement.  With so many variables at play, a person’s natural inclination is to manage and control as many of them as possible.  What if the task is complex?  What if our team is unprepared?  What if there are lives on the line?  You might be tempted to clamp down, hold the reins tight, or check up on everybody all the time.  Don’t do it.  Effective command is often limited command.  Your goal should be to create an environment that gives your people the maximum possible latitude and psychological security to accomplish their tasks while supporting sound execution by establishing the scope and boundaries of each player’s responsibility.  It takes great confidence in our teammates (and in ourselves) to use command and control in ways that are effective without being restrictive.

To visualize optimal C2, think about walking with a handful of sand.  If you hold your hand flat (too little C2), sand will flow over your palm and onto the ground as you move forward.  If you clench your fist too tight, you will exhaust yourself while the sand leaks out between your fingers. (Ignore this if you are Superman, who could squeeze the grains into a fine piece of crystal!)  So, the successful leader (who is not Superman)  uses a cupped hand – not too tight, not too loose – to hold the most grains of sand while allowing for shifts and flow as the whole moves forward together.

Command and control do not have to be oppressive or restrictive.  On the contrary, good C2 can help your team or organization to meet challenges, find opportunities, and thrive.

At Ethical Leaders in Action we believe that most, if not all people, can develop themselves to play leadership roles in many different spheres both large and small. The foundation of this development process is a short but powerful list of virtues which can be developed and improved through conscious effort. For more information feel free to take the Virtues of Ethical Leadership Self Inventory (VELSI) which breaks these virtues down into features that can be individually developed. The results of the VELSI come with a quick reference guide to help you understand how the virtues and their individual features fit together. https://ethinact.com/velsi/

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