Leadership and Command

by David Christenson

What is the difference? How did we learn them, how do we use them, how do we teach them?

What do others say? There is much discussion in the business literature about leadership. What is missing is a discussion of command. The Department of Defense lexicon defines command. It is discussed in public safety (fire, law enforcement, and EMS).

For one chemical company leadership is coaching; it comes from empowering people to do their best.

Some aspects of leadership can be taught but it is also learned in the hands on and day-to-day work of the organization. In the military command is where the buck stops.* The Commander is responsible for overall performance of the organization and involves some politics as you look up and down the line. Leadership is how you inspire people. Command is from your experience coming up the line. You develop from good and bad examples.

*[For some of our foreign participants: The buck was a type of knife common on Mississippi River gambling boats. It was passed around in a card game to signify the dealer. Where the buck stops is who had responsibility for the deal. Cheating and whether you had a good or bad hand clearly originated from the dealer (at least, in the gambler's mind).]

Leadership is empowering people and is more personal while command is more impersonal.

As parents we start out being in command, then in the teenage years we take on more leadership, finally, we only have leadership. Command is the health and well being of people while leadership is making people strong.

How will you measure your life? If we keep controlling our kids they will never be able to make a decision; we must get them to think for themselves.

There is a counter article to that in the New York Times called The Summoned Self by David Brooks. Read them together for a richer sense of how to teach others to think. There is Freedom of Decision and Freedom of Thinking.

With check list there is enthusiasm and interest to bring that safety tool to the hospital. Now they want the check list to used 100% of the time. There is a sequence of: impose it first then internalize it. There is tension between imposed and internalized. Some people are more self-directed and they internalize better. There is also tension between mindfulness and control. This is not either/or but use them as necessary.

Command - the physical abilities of the people to use their hands and achieve, and tactical.

Leadership - the hearts and minds, their vision, inspires, and strategic.

Leadership in wildland fire the authority to lead is established by law and includes accountability. Commanders can delegate responsibility but not the accountability.

Command is a tool that allows the organization to make a structure. Then there are functional leaders within that structure. The pilot is a commander and the functional leader comes out from that. The designated leader is the commander and appointed by authority to make decisions. The functional leader is the leader for the time-specific event. For example, on a mission the commander may be in different plane and the functional leader is the pilot. At the drop zone the load master becomes the functional leader and takes over from the pilot.

The aircraft commander may not be the pilot depending on the mission of the airplane. The pilot puts the plane where it should be and the commander tells what to do.

Can someone be both commander and leader? In the Aegis Cruiser the Captain is down below working with the missiles while the other person is on the bridge and keeps the ship going. In the movie Crimson Tide there are both aspects of leadership and command. There is the legal command of who is in charge by law and then there is the one who takes leadership.

How does the role transition in command when the functional leader takes over from the commander?

In the KC 130 refueling aircraft the aircraft commander is always in charge as designated leader. If the mission is command and control then the senior officer is the aircraft commander and the pilot gets the plane to where it needs to be so senior officer can act toward command and control, this officer then can function as his role as commander.

But for aerial delivery the KC130 must go to the specific spot to deliver things to the ground. The loadmaster then decides about the aerial delivery. For paratroops it is the Jumpmaster and for equipment it is the Loadmaster.

Leadership is not a position; it is a means of influence. Command is a position. Does the commander have the skill sets of a leader? In the art of leadership they can maneuver in that environment and not micromanage.

In Wildland Fire there is a transition from followership to leadership. The good follower learns tactical implementation. As they grow and mature they gain a greater understanding of strategy.

Wildland Fire has a great gasp of leadership but structure fire does not. Promotion in structural fire is by exam and politics.

A good leader had a clear vision of where they need to go and they inspire others to get there so people will rise to the occasion. If the leader in the command structure does not trust others then the command structure breaks down.

The command structure allows for effective flow of information. Leaders can over ride the people and goes beyond their training and their ability to obey. Managers will micromanage as they are good at the command function but are poor leaders.

With leadership and command is there nature or nurture? In a recent bus accident a young girl calmed the other kids and organized their exit without an adult to assist.

What happens if the commander is not the one with the most information or experience yet is responsible for those under the command?

Situational awareness is a Crew Resource Management (CRM) term. Basically, it is the degree to which one's perception of reality mirrors reality. A good commander builds situational awareness for the team. If this occurs, inevitably, someone on the ground or in the team has the information.

Some things that facilitate cooperation is that you try to keep your crews similar, including in training and action together. Do not overload them too much; improper presentation is part of this.

In CRM there is specifically addressed obedient disobedience for situations when the commander does not have the necessary information. Then the subordinate is obligated to tell the commander this information.

What is the difference between "Breakdown in command" and "Breakdown in leadership?"

Humility - the leader needs to be humble and listen to others and ask for help.

Framing - leadership is focus on the team while command is focus on the situation.

In the nursing home the nurse must have leadership skills to look over all aspects of care; it doesn't matter who has command as the RN is on site and, if not leading, there is a breakdown in command.

An effective leader listens to those around them. There is failure when commands are ignored. There is tension between command and leadership. This could be a good contrast to smoke out a large number of examples of HRO.