{"id":45730,"date":"2021-08-27T09:11:31","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T13:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=45730"},"modified":"2021-09-06T10:44:37","modified_gmt":"2021-09-06T14:44:37","slug":"commanders-intent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/commanders-intent\/","title":{"rendered":"Commander\u2019s Intent: The Key to Effective Messaging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Commander\u2019s Intent? How can using the commander’s intent principle help you communicate more effectively? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army adopted the concept of \u201cCommander\u2019s Intent\u201d in the 1980s. It refers to a concise statement that lays out the goal or intended outcome, allowing people to react to changing circumstances as they pursue a clear goal. You can use this concept to pinpoint the essence of a message that you want to communicate effectively to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more to learn about Commander\u2019s Intent and its application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Commander\u2019s Intent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Military operations require massive amounts of planning, starting with an order from the president that flows down through numerous levels, becoming increasingly specific and detailed so that ultimately it dictates the actions of foot soldiers and everyone in between. The process is time-consuming but necessary\u2014commanders must think through all the potential issues and options. However, the plans often prove to be worthless. The saying is that \u201cno plan survives contact with the enemy.\u201d Things always change due to a huge number of variables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make its planning more useful, the Army adopted the concept in the 1980s of \u201cCommander\u2019s Intent.\u201d<\/strong> It refers to a concise statement at the top of each order, defining the goal or intended outcome. All aspects and details are distilled to a central point. At a high level, the Commander\u2019s Intent could be abstract (\u201cBreak the enemy\u2019s will\u2026\u201d) while at ground level it\u2019s concrete (\u201cClear Hill 45 to protect the flank of the First Brigade\u201d). Plans may change, but everyone is responsible for executing the intent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commander\u2019s Intent coordinates people\u2019s actions, while allowing them to react to changing circumstances as they pursue a clear goal. Finding the essence of your message is like writing a Commander\u2019s Intent: focus on the most important thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commander\u2019s Intent at Southwest Airlines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Southwest Airlines<\/a> is known for its obsession with finding ways to reduce costs. This goal has kept it profitable for decades and kept it ahead of its competition. But putting the cost-reduction goal into action requires communicating to thousands of employees what it means to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do this, the airline has its own version of a Commander\u2019s Intent, a simple message distilling cost reduction to its essence, which guides everyone\u2019s actions: \u201cSouthwest is the<\/em> low-fare airline.\u201d CEO Herb Kelleher once gave an example of how it works. A marketing director proposed giving passengers on the Houston to Las Vegas flight a chicken Caesar salad instead of just peanuts. Kelleher\u2019s question was: \u201cWill adding the salad make Southwest the<\/em> low-fare airline from Houston to Las Vegas?\u201d The answer was no, so the salad idea was scrapped. The message works because any employee can apply the low-fare test to his or her actions: it\u2019s about prioritization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is Commander\u2019s Intent? How can using the commander’s intent principle help you communicate more effectively? The Army adopted the concept of \u201cCommander\u2019s Intent\u201d in the 1980s. It refers to a concise statement that lays out the goal or intended outcome, allowing people to react to changing circumstances as they pursue a clear goal. You can use this concept to pinpoint the essence of a message that you want to communicate effectively to others. Read more to learn about Commander\u2019s Intent and its application.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":45735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,14,104],"tags":[459],"class_list":["post-45730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-management","category-marketing","tag-made-to-stick","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nCommander\u2019s Intent: The Key to Effective Messaging - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Commander's Intent isn't just limited to the military context. 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