What do you need from your command post?
Borrow One Idea: Positive Control
(The above includes adult language)
The Rock might be the greatest movie ever made. Is it a coincidence or an interesting psychological quirk that all of my favorite movies are dated from my years in high school?
The above scene, for those not intimate with the plot, is the point that the antagonist, Brigadier General Hummel, is betrayed by his own renegade Marines. Having gone rogue on a mission of blackmail, BG Hummel has a platoon of Marines in his command following his orders…up until late in the film when their interests diverge.
Before this scene, despite the aggressive actions taken by BG Hummel’s men (stealing missiles, capturing Alcatraz), the Marines follow orders and execute well within the General’s control. Even within this scene, the dialogue maintains the formality of rank and deference. But now, when the stakes are the highest, BG Hummel has lost control.
Why is control so tenuous, and why can it sometimes appear to both exist and not exist simultaneously?
According to the US Army, control comes in two forms.
Control is the regulation of forces and warfighting functions to accomplish the mission in accordance with the commander’s intent (ADP 6-0). Control takes two basic forms: procedural and positive. Procedural control relies on a combination of orders, regulations, policies, doctrine, and standard operating procedures. Positive control involves commanders and leaders actively assessing, deciding, and directing subordinates.
ATP 6-0.5, Section 1-11, PDF page 10
BG Hummel, throughout the film, has procedural control of his unit. For 90% of the movie, he also has positive control.
Procedural control is conveyed via an organization or external structure. It exists because of a broad, collective effort in the creation, development, maintenance, and reinforcement of its elements. The evidence of procedural control is in a group’s cohesiveness and ability to act in a uniform, consistent, expected manner. The authority of rank, as an example, is a product of procedural control.
Positive control, on the other hand, is individual active leadership that consists of both directions given and directions followed.
Is it possible to lead with only procedural control? No. At best you are a process manager. Traffic cops have procedural control. So do unlikable dictators (paired, obviously, with militaries and evil henchmen).
Leadership is positive control. Positive control is created through action: assessment, decision and direction. It is not personality based (though personality helps!). Procedural control will typically grant a leader the benefit of positive control one time; new leaders receive the benefit of the doubt. After that, positive control is earned and maintained through a leader’s actions and a team’s willingness to be within positive control.
This week, borrow with pride and evaluate your balance between procedural and positive control. Do you have positive control or are you reliant on procedural control? What does you team need? How can your improve control?
Get Familiar With: Command Posts
One way to improve both procedural and positive control is to develop and maintain one or more well-organized command posts.
A command post (CP) is a unit headquarters where the commander and staff perform their activities.
CPs are facilities that include personnel, equipment, information systems, and networks, guided by processes and procedures that assist commanders in the exercise of mission command. Commanders employ CPs to help control operations through continuity, planning, coordination, and synchronizing of the warfighting functions. Commanders organize their CPs flexibly to meet changing situations and requirements of different operations .
ATP 6-0.5, Sections 1-1 through 1-2, PDF page 9
In the military, the command post is the physical embodiment of the intersection between procedural and positive control. Most of us will not, in our lives, establish a physical command post to the form and function of the military. We do, however, have offices, homes, team rooms, and other frameworks, both physical and virtual, that replicate the benefits and support provided by a command post.
Are our professional and personal bases of operations as well organized and thoughtfully constructed as a military command post? Do they give us what we need?
What do you need from your command post? If you were going to redesign your professional and personal bases of operation, what would you add or improve?
The Guided Discovery for this week will explore how the US Army structures a command post, the activities performed by a command post, and the critical staffing required to successful operate a base of operations in a complex environment.
Learn More: Suggested Reading
ATP 6-0.5 Command Post Organization & Operations
Pages 1-1 through 1-13 based on printed document (PDF pages 9-21)
Overview, definitions and general information on command posts
These materials will be the focus of Thursday’s Guided Discovery
Catch Up: Last Week’s Content
Study: The Mishap Library
Guided Discovery: USMC How To: Stay Relevant
Always be asking:
1. What is the connection with my leadership development?
2. How does this change my thinking on management?
3. How does this influence planning for life?
4. What can I borrow with pride to use this week?