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WEISUNGSFUHRUNG! By Mark McNeilly The implementation of a creative strategy requires delegation, whether in warfare or business.

In military parlance, delegation is called "commander’s intent", or if you’re in the German army, "weisungsfuhrung" (leadership guidance). The idea is not that a leader allows everyone to do whatever they feel like doing...that’s chaos. At the other extreme, a subordinate does not follow orders from a superior exactly to the letter. Instead, weisungsfuhrung, commander’s intent or delegation, whatever one chooses to call it, means that the subordinate uses personal initiative, guided by a solid understanding of the situation and in-depth knowledge of the leader’s objectives, to accomplish the mission.

This requires that you, as a leader, communicate precisely what needs to be accomplished, offer background on the subject, provide a priority, and allocate the resources required to do the job. As your team continues to work together, over time knowledge will grow of each others views, strengths and weaknesses. This leads to success, which in turn builds trust.

A good example of commander’s intent comes from the Civil War; namely the orders from General Grant to General Sherman for the latter’s "March to the Sea." This campaign by Sherman helped the Union end the war.

"You I propose to move against Johnston’s army, to break it up and to get into the interior of the enemy’s country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their war resources. I do not propose to lay down for you a plan of campaign but simply to lay down the work it is desirable to have done, and leave you free to execute in your own way."

As we all know, the ability of an organization to successfully channel personal initiative is critical. Only by doing so can it adapt its strategy and respond successfully to a dynamic competitive environment and mercurial customer needs. As Sun Tzu coaches us, "Now in war there may be one hundred changes in each step. When one sees he can, he advances; when he sees that things are difficult, he retires. To say that a general must await commands of the sovereign in such circumstances is like informing a superior that you wish to put out a fire. Before the order to do so arrives the ashes are cold."