Leadership For The Fight
Feb 21, 2016 15:55:40 GMT -5
Post by Michael Downing on Feb 21, 2016 15:55:40 GMT -5
disturbeddeputy.wordpress.com/2016/02/21/leadership-for-the-fight/
Leadership For The Fight
If you’re reading this far into the newsletter, it’s clear you intend to survive and are preparing for combat situations. You may end up being a leader in a combat situation- even if you’ve never been in combat! There’s all kinds of courses and books you can buy on leadership and posters you can hang on your wall about leading from the front and setting the example, etc. This is the real deal- distilled into concise points of leadership that you can actually apply.
1. Survival. Whenever possible, the leaders should make an effort to preserve themselves. This becomes more important the higher in the chain you are – if you’re a Fireteam Leader, you’re most expendable, with the Platoon Commander or Company Commander being the least expendable. “Survival” is accomplished by acting in a fashion that will not put you at extraordinary risk or single you out to the enemy. This means that a leader should not be using anti-tank weapons, machineguns, or anything that will place a giant “SHOOT ME” marker over their head for the enemy. Your best weapons are the people you command, and they depend on your levelheadedness to keep them alive throughout a fight. Don’t fail them by putting yourself recklessly on the line and being taken out by the enemy.
2. Know the job of the leader above and below you and be prepared to assume the role of your immediate superior if he becomes a casualty. Know the role of the leader below you so that you can most effectively command him and his troops.
3. Be clear and concise when giving orders. Being able to give an easy-to-understand order during the heat of virtual combat and getting your teammates to work towards accomplishing it can turn the tide of a battle. Brevity is critical to understanding – everyone in a firefight is going to have to worry about many things at once, and having to concentrate on a long and wordy order from their element leader will cause nothing but trouble.
4. Decide quickly and act. You do not always have time to figure out the perfect way to approach things. Being able to decide on a good plan and get it put into play as rapidly as possible is more valuable than spending a large amount of time thinking of the perfect plan and trying to implement it. “A good plan now is better than a perfect plan later”. This is especially true when combat is ongoing and every second of delay puts you further behind the curve.
5. Task by name, especially when bullets are flying. Saying that “Someone needs to grab that AT” is not a decisive order, and since nobody is singled out specifically, it may be forgotten or ignored in the confusion of battle. It is much better to single out people in your element to do specific tasks – i.e. “Madcows, get the rifle off of that corpse” or “Oakley, shoot the guy behind the truck”. Call people by name and task them directly and you’ll see that things will get done much faster with less ambiguity and confusion.
6. Avoid micro-management. Leaders need to let leaders lead – it sounds blindingly obvious, but it has to be said. Orders should be given that allow a subordinate to get them done in the way that they deem to be best. Lower-level leaders require tactical flexibility to get their jobs done – dictating exactly how an element should move and rigidly enforcing it can get people killed. It is better to give guidelines – that you need them to move to a certain place, and that they should try to follow waypoints you set for them – and allow them to adapt to it as they see fit. Obviously there are exceptions to this, but they are just that – exceptions, not the rule.
7. Exercise tactical patience. Tactical patience is defined as “giving a situation enough time to develop and unfold before trying to determine its meaning, significance and how to react to it”. There will be times in where the leaders will have to sit back and allow the situation to unfold, without trying to jump in and start giving orders before it is prudent. As an example, just because you see a few infantrymen approaching from one flank does not mean that the bulk of the attack will be coming there, so it would be unwise to shift your defenses before the situation developed further and you could come to a more informed decision.
8. Exercise disciplined initiative. Remember the earlier section talking about the importance of individual initiative at all levels? Leaders are no exception – one of the core aspects of our group’s leadership mentality is the ability to exercise initiative in a disciplined manner that aligns itself with the higher commander’s intent. Leaders are expected to be able to make good decisions on their own when the situation requires it, without having to consult with the higher commander for permission. It is a sign of our trust in our junior leaders and it gives them the freedom to adapt to a rapidly changing situation.
It should go without saying, but if you don’t have a combat group that you can practice with right now, you should be working towards that goal. Leaders need people to lead- and if you’re not in a group, you’re not leading anyone. Build teams and friendships now. There may not be time later.
Leadership For The Fight
If you’re reading this far into the newsletter, it’s clear you intend to survive and are preparing for combat situations. You may end up being a leader in a combat situation- even if you’ve never been in combat! There’s all kinds of courses and books you can buy on leadership and posters you can hang on your wall about leading from the front and setting the example, etc. This is the real deal- distilled into concise points of leadership that you can actually apply.
1. Survival. Whenever possible, the leaders should make an effort to preserve themselves. This becomes more important the higher in the chain you are – if you’re a Fireteam Leader, you’re most expendable, with the Platoon Commander or Company Commander being the least expendable. “Survival” is accomplished by acting in a fashion that will not put you at extraordinary risk or single you out to the enemy. This means that a leader should not be using anti-tank weapons, machineguns, or anything that will place a giant “SHOOT ME” marker over their head for the enemy. Your best weapons are the people you command, and they depend on your levelheadedness to keep them alive throughout a fight. Don’t fail them by putting yourself recklessly on the line and being taken out by the enemy.
2. Know the job of the leader above and below you and be prepared to assume the role of your immediate superior if he becomes a casualty. Know the role of the leader below you so that you can most effectively command him and his troops.
3. Be clear and concise when giving orders. Being able to give an easy-to-understand order during the heat of virtual combat and getting your teammates to work towards accomplishing it can turn the tide of a battle. Brevity is critical to understanding – everyone in a firefight is going to have to worry about many things at once, and having to concentrate on a long and wordy order from their element leader will cause nothing but trouble.
4. Decide quickly and act. You do not always have time to figure out the perfect way to approach things. Being able to decide on a good plan and get it put into play as rapidly as possible is more valuable than spending a large amount of time thinking of the perfect plan and trying to implement it. “A good plan now is better than a perfect plan later”. This is especially true when combat is ongoing and every second of delay puts you further behind the curve.
5. Task by name, especially when bullets are flying. Saying that “Someone needs to grab that AT” is not a decisive order, and since nobody is singled out specifically, it may be forgotten or ignored in the confusion of battle. It is much better to single out people in your element to do specific tasks – i.e. “Madcows, get the rifle off of that corpse” or “Oakley, shoot the guy behind the truck”. Call people by name and task them directly and you’ll see that things will get done much faster with less ambiguity and confusion.
6. Avoid micro-management. Leaders need to let leaders lead – it sounds blindingly obvious, but it has to be said. Orders should be given that allow a subordinate to get them done in the way that they deem to be best. Lower-level leaders require tactical flexibility to get their jobs done – dictating exactly how an element should move and rigidly enforcing it can get people killed. It is better to give guidelines – that you need them to move to a certain place, and that they should try to follow waypoints you set for them – and allow them to adapt to it as they see fit. Obviously there are exceptions to this, but they are just that – exceptions, not the rule.
7. Exercise tactical patience. Tactical patience is defined as “giving a situation enough time to develop and unfold before trying to determine its meaning, significance and how to react to it”. There will be times in where the leaders will have to sit back and allow the situation to unfold, without trying to jump in and start giving orders before it is prudent. As an example, just because you see a few infantrymen approaching from one flank does not mean that the bulk of the attack will be coming there, so it would be unwise to shift your defenses before the situation developed further and you could come to a more informed decision.
8. Exercise disciplined initiative. Remember the earlier section talking about the importance of individual initiative at all levels? Leaders are no exception – one of the core aspects of our group’s leadership mentality is the ability to exercise initiative in a disciplined manner that aligns itself with the higher commander’s intent. Leaders are expected to be able to make good decisions on their own when the situation requires it, without having to consult with the higher commander for permission. It is a sign of our trust in our junior leaders and it gives them the freedom to adapt to a rapidly changing situation.
It should go without saying, but if you don’t have a combat group that you can practice with right now, you should be working towards that goal. Leaders need people to lead- and if you’re not in a group, you’re not leading anyone. Build teams and friendships now. There may not be time later.