{"id":70642,"date":"2025-03-20T10:48:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T05:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/?p=70642"},"modified":"2025-03-20T10:56:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T05:26:04","slug":"what-military-leadership-can-teach-us-about-agile-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/what-military-leadership-can-teach-us-about-agile-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"What Military Leadership Can Teach Us About Agile Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"

We often get so caught up in meeting project deadlines or resolving urgent customer issues that we lose sight of the core principles of Agile teamwork. It\u2019s not that we forget them entirely\u2014rather, they sit in the back of our minds, overshadowed by immediate priorities. Sometimes, we just need a reminder to bring them back into focus.<\/p>\n

This is how I would describe my experience at the Agile Leadership India 2025<\/strong> – it brought my fundamentals from the debris of my daily information load to the frontline.<\/p>\n

We had the pleasure of meeting Col Suhail Zaidi who gave us hard-hitting insights into how military leadership is synonymous with Agile leadership today. He talked about the 3Cs of Military Leadership<\/strong> which I would like to discuss in this blog<\/p>\n

C<\/strong>ommand<\/span><\/h2>\n

combines centralized intent with de-centralized execution<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I will use a leadership principle explained very well in one of my favorite books, Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath<\/em><\/a>. According to Chip & Dan, Commander\u2019s Intent<\/strong> is a leadership principle that ensures a team knows the goal even if the plan changes. It\u2019s about clarity of purpose<\/strong> (centralized intent) rather than micromanaging every step<\/strong> (de-centralized execution).<\/p>\n

Think of it like this:<\/p>\n

Imagine you\u2019re leading a group on a mountain hike. You tell them: \u201cOur goal is to reach the summit before sunset.\u201d You don\u2019t dictate every step they take, but they know the ultimate objective. If a storm blocks the main path, they can find another route – because they understand the intent (reaching the summit) rather than just blindly following instructions.<\/p>\n

In business or Agile teams, Commander\u2019s Intent means leaders clearly define the “why” and “what”<\/strong>, allowing teams to figure out the “how” based on real-time situations<\/strong>. It empowers decision-making, adaptability, and ownership while keeping everyone aligned on the end goal.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an illustration explaining Commander\u2019s Intent from Made to Stick<\/p>\n

\"Commander's

How Southwest Airlines Uses the Commander\u2019s Intent Principle<\/p><\/div>\n

Collaborate<\/span><\/h2>\n

building cohesive teams through shared experiences and open communication<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Once the team is clear on its goal, the next comes how the team manages to achieve that goal through collaboration.<\/p>\n

One of the ways in which trust and collaboration are built within the teams – leaders live with their troops for an extended period of time.\u00a0 When leaders share the same challenges\u2014weather conditions, rations, and daily struggles\u2014it earns them genuine respect from their troops<\/strong>. Major Richard “Dick” Winters, who led Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, was known for staying on the front lines with his men, enduring the same hardships. He ate the same food, slept in the same conditions, and never asked his soldiers to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. His leadership built immense trust, and his men followed him without hesitation.<\/p>\n

Additionally, trust and collaboration are built among soldiers themselves. Here is how:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Marching through harsh terrain together fosters reliance on one another<\/li>\n
  • In live-fire exercises, they learn to cover each other and communicate under pressure<\/li>\n
  • If one soldier is injured, their buddy immediately helps or signals for aid<\/li>\n
  • A unit knows exactly who covers fire, who scouts, and who secures supplies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Just like military units, self-organizing teams in Agile operate with autonomy, trust, and shared responsibility.<\/p>\n

    Calm<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    preparing teams to handle high-pressure situations effectively<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Several speakers emphasized the importance of having a leader who can navigate stormy<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"Illustration

    Pressure turning into chaos<\/p><\/div>\n

    waters with a steady hand<\/strong>, ensuring their team remains focused and resilient. We’ve all encountered leaders\u2014whether in the workplace or personal life\u2014who crumble under pressure, making poor decisions and, even worse, losing the trust of their team or loved ones.<\/p>\n

    However, there\u2019s another perspective that I find somewhat misleading\u2014the idea that a good leader should shield their team from all pressure<\/strong>. While it might seem like an admirable quality, I believe this approach can be counterproductive.<\/p>\n

    Why?<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Because completely protecting a team from pressure can create a fragile team<\/strong>, one that thrives only when conditions are perfect but struggles when faced with real challenges. Imagine a sports coach who never pushes their team to perform under tough conditions. The team might play well in practice, but when faced with a high-stakes match, they freeze under pressure. The same applies to workplace teams\u2014if they never experience controlled pressure, they won\u2019t develop the resilience needed for critical situations<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    • Additionally, pressure often comes hand-in-hand with opportunity<\/strong>. Consider a startup facing a make-or-break deadline for a big client. A leader who understands when and how to share that pressure strategically can motivate the team to rally together and deliver exceptional results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      So, instead of saying that a good leader never passes on pressure, I\u2019d reframe it: A good leader knows when and how to share pressure with the team<\/strong> in a way that fosters resilience, growth, and success.<\/p>\n

      Conclusion<\/h2>\n

      Agile leadership isn\u2019t just about frameworks and stand-ups\u2014it\u2019s about clarity, collaboration, and trust. The military’s approach to leadership, especially the 3Cs\u2014Command, Collaborate, and Calm<\/strong> offers valuable lessons for Agile teams. By setting a clear objective, fostering deep collaboration, and ensuring teams can adapt under pressure, we create not just efficient teams, but resilient ones. I will finish this blog with a beautiful quote shared by Col Suhail Zaidi which sums up this article aptly.<\/p>\n

      \"Military

      Quote shared by Col Suhail Zaidi<\/p><\/div>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      We often get so caught up in meeting project deadlines or resolving urgent customer issues that we lose sight of the core principles of Agile teamwork. It\u2019s not that we forget them entirely\u2014rather, they sit in the back of our minds, overshadowed by immediate priorities. Sometimes, we just need a reminder to bring them back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":777,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":60},"categories":[5878],"tags":[324,7174,7176,454,7175,5174,7173],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70642"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/777"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70642"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70696,"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70642\/revisions\/70696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tothenew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}