Leading with intent: how to provide autonomy for remote teams

In a previous issue of Leadership Anywhere, we discussed why it is vital to have a mission for the company. Now, let's focus on how to translate that mission as a leader for your team. Let's talk about the Leader's Intent. 

I am fascinated by military principles and army operations. I believe leaders can learn a lot from military tactics. For example, taking a group of people, making them work together for a common goal, and commanding them to a specific purpose can be applied to modern leadership principles.

It is astonishing that leaders still tend to divert back to early 20th-century military tactics, where army generals sent troops to fields to fight. This concept replicates the throw resources at problems approach, which is highly ineffective today. It also features a top-down management style where commanders brief subordinates who "simply" perform the orders.

That is all wrong. Also, modern armies don't work like that. The battlefield is more complex and fluid, so those on it should be able to make decisions independently. 

Modern armies operate through the Commander's Intent. In a very simplified version, it means this:

• The Commander defines the mission and its end state. It means what needs to be done and what is the desired outcome.

• The Commander also creates a sequence of necessary steps to achieve the end state. Sort of like a roadmap.

• The team takes the defined Intent and moves toward accomplishing the mission. On their own, with almost complete autonomy within a predefined set of limitations.

• The team works with the resources provided by the army, defined by the Commander. The team also reports to the Commander on any breakthroughs they achieve during the mission.

Now, obviously, it is a bit more complex than this, but we can get the gist of it and how it can be helpful for remote teams. A team on the ground is essentially a remote team, reporting back to the mission control asynchronously. 

Let's translate this army principle for remote leaders. There is a simple, 5-step process for Leader's Intent:

1. You should define the company's mission. We have already discussed this in a previous chapter. Head over here to learn more about this.

2. You should define what is considered mission accomplished. By defining the end state first, leaders won't focus on the tasks of the sequence but on the results at the end. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how your team accomplishes the mission. The only thing matters are outcomes.

3. You should provide and also define the resources for the team. It is broad, but generally, it can be the headcount, the information hub for the team, the project processes, and more. You can adjust the resources later if needed.

4. You are the one who defines the sequence as well. But there is a caveat here: you should not focus on the small steps, only the outcomes. Define what the breakthroughs, milestones, and other obvious points of the plan are. It is a roadmap, not a project plan. Not leaders but managers are the ones who define detailed project plans.

5. Lastly, you define the limitations. Determining what is not considered a desired outcome of the mission is vital. Also, what is considered mission failure? Limiting the options allows you to keep the autonomous work within limits, ensuring that people are on track.

As a remote leader, you are not alone. You have four key stakeholders on whom you can rely. 

• The executive team. Namely, your founders or first leaders of the company. They help you to define the company's mission with their insights.

• Your co-leaders. They are leaders of different practices within the company, and they help you to maintain the limitations and mission objectives.

• Your managers. They help you to translate your mission sequence into a project plan. They also help you to evaluate and review breakthroughs along the way.

• Your team. They are the ones who are doing the heavy lifting. They work autonomously based on resources and plans. They provide you with feedback on changes in resources or the existing plan.

I call the model Leader's Intent. I believe that by leading your team through this model, you don't need to work through "blind trust" in your team. Instead, you define the entire landscape and let your team do their best autonomously. 

It values your team. It is collaborative. It is flexible. It is intentional. 

#TLDR

• Remote leaders can learn much from the military's Commander's Intent, where the leadership predefines the mission, but the team works towards it autonomously.

• The remote Leader's Intent has 5-steps to define a clear set of guidelines for their teams to work towards a common goal.

• Remote leaders have 4 key stakeholders that they can rely on to accomplish their mission.

• The Leader's Intent principles create a more collaborative, flexible, autonomous workplace where teams feel valued and motivated.

I know this issue might be a bit challenging to take in. I am more than happy to provide answers if you have any. Send me a message if you need more clarification on this matter.

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