Hey there! Let’s settle in with our virtual coffees and chat about something that’s vital if we’re looking to scale our restoration businesses: the notion of ‘commander’s intent.’ Understanding the commander’s intent means understanding the why of what we do. In an ideal world it means team members have the ability to lead and effectively make decisions at all levels of the organization because they have a clear understanding of what the underlying values are that drive our organization’s decision making. This enables staff members to make decisions when process or procedure doesn’t clearly define what to do in a given situation. This serves to create the environment for a smoother running, and more scalable organization as it removes the need for “the answer man.”
Cast your mind back to our last discussion about trust (Previous Article). Trust comes from a simple yet profound concept: aligning our actions with our words. It’s not just a feel-good factor; it’s the cornerstone of any successful organization. In our current information-rich age, this alignment is more crucial than ever. People are quick to spot discrepancies between what we say and what we do. This transparency, or lack thereof, profoundly impacts the respect and authority we hold in our industry, and on our teams. Furthermore, we need to explore how trust affects our ability to be agile and scalable in our decision making as an organization.
Most of us are more than a little familiar with the idea and the importance of writing out our core values as an organization. That’s the first step in outlining the commander’s intent. However, as we all know, understanding the leadership principles and executing and implementing them are two very different things. Too often these credos are phrases employees roll their eyes at. I can confidently say that we’ve all been a part of a team or organization that claimed to value something and didn’t live that out. The problem with this is that when someone down the chain needs to make a decision and there isn’t a clear process or procedure to drive that decision for them, or when the core values are stated but there isn’t alignment, it creates uncertainty for the individual. The most common reaction we see to these conditions is paralysis by analysis, or the often heard “I have to ask my boss”.
Most of my property management career I managed over 300 units, had at least 7 employees and always managed more than one location. As many of my now fellow restorers know — people are awfully sensitive when it comes to their homes. Even more so when they believe they are paying for immediate relief of their problems, as most people do when they are renting. I quickly realized working in customer service that the vast majority of the time people got really upset, one of two things happened: they didn’t feel heard or that anyone cared about their complaint, or there was an overall lack of speed with regards to action taken to resolve a complaint. The way I addressed that on my team was by encouraging everyone on my staff to be problem solvers. As I often oversaw more than one large apartment complex I couldn’t allow myself to become a bottleneck. I told my staff I wanted them to default to being aggressive. I strongly encouraged them to provide a solution anytime they came to me with a problem, and if I wasn’t available for any reason I encouraged them to take action on their proposed solutions. Last but certainly not least, I promised them they’d never get in trouble for being aggressive in trying to solve a problem.
Occasionally this led to mistakes and poor decisions and all the things you can imagine might happen when you encourage people to make decisions without process or procedure in place, but it also did something else. As my staff brought solutions to problems instead of just seeking instruction I was able to encourage them to think about the what and why of problem solving in difficult situations. I also was able to affirm my staff, build their confidence, and get them thinking about and acting in alignment with the commander’s intent. When they brought me solutions that didn’t align with how I’d solve a tenants need, it opened the door for conversation. When they made the decision to act in an effort to solve a problem in a timely fashion, it gave me the opportunity to affirm or constructively coach their decision making. Overtime I had developed a team of leaders, and problem solvers regardless of job title, because I held the line on ensuring they understood the commander’s intent. Being surrounded by a team of people who I could trust to operate independently enabled me to loosen up my grip on the reigns of the day and focus on leadership development and bigger picture strategic initiatives.
One thing we have to keep in mind is as we are talking through our core values, our mission, our vision, or our intent with our staff is there has to be alignment from top to bottom. We can not expect people to make decisions based on alleged values and patterns of behavior that don’t exist. Values need to be clearly stated and actions need to obviously be in line with them. If you can do that simple (but not easy) thing the speed, agility, and scalability of your organization will sky rocket. I can assure you there are individuals on your team right now who are ready and willing to take on more responsibility so long as you foster an environment that encourages that behavior, and is consistent enough that people can confidently take action.
As I’m nearing the end of this cup of coffee let’s remember as owner’s, leaders, entrepreneurs and intrepreneurs one of the most common issues that stops us from accomplishing our goals is being stuck in the now. Being the answer man, or living in the “urgent and not important quadrant” of time management, keeps us from keeping our eyes out on the horizon. In order to work on our business, or on our teams, we need people in our organization to step up and lead as we would in our absence. In order to do so effectively we need to make a commitment to be who we say we are constantly and genuinely. Let’s align our actions with our values, and in doing so, truly embrace the spirit of commander’s intent. It’s not just about scaling our businesses; it’s about nurturing environments where trust, empowerment, and integrity are not just words but the very pillars of our everyday actions.
Wayne Hudson
Wayne has built a dynamic career rooted in the skills acquired during a 7 year stint in Property Management. While managing portfolios of hundreds of units spanning multiple locations he focused on becoming a more strategic thinker and worked hard to build high impact relationships.
After honing his leadership skills through hands-on management and navigating unique vendor partnerships, Wayne took a bold step in 2021, leaving his career in Property Management and pursuing competitive submission grappling while traveling the country.
Now, Wayne thrives in a remote role at Floodlight, applying his expertise to the growing team while planning his upcoming wedding with his fiance Hunter and heeler mix Samantha.
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