#🌱 #🟠 # Commander's Intent an example of leadership from a systems frame ![[calendar-plus.svg]] <small>Nov 05, 2022</small> | ![[calendar-clock.svg]] <small>Jan 02, 2023</small> 🏷️ [[Leadership MOC]] In _Heraclitean Fire_ (1999), Carey states that the first premise of the [[Systems Frame]] is that an "organization is an open system existing within a network of systems" (p. 66). Like a thermostat it adapts to changing inputs and outputs. This frame recognizes that there is no one best way to do things, only an optimal solution to a particular problem at a particular moment (Carey, 1999, p. 66). Rach Ranton gives an excellent example of leadership from a systems frame in her 2017 TED talk, _Where are we trying to end up?_ Ranton (2017) explains that in combat there are always a lot of unknowns and an "ever-present potential for rapid and unplanned change" (2:49). In a situation with so many moving parts everyone knows their own role, but what guides them when things don't go as planned is a concept called [[commander's intent]], which "starts by clearly and articulately explaining what the end state looks like" (4:31). It describes what needs to be achieved, but not how. Commander's intent functions with the understanding that: > [! quote] ...the more trust you give your people, the more they can make decisions and the faster you can move. It's that centralized intent but dispersed execution again. One mission, but power to those who can actually make decisions on the ground. (9:00) While each individual and/or group has their own role to play, they all recognize the interconnectedness of the team as a whole and share a higher purpose to achieve the mission. This makes me question Carey's argument that a limitation of the systems frame is that it ignores motivational energy (1999, p. 68). Or is this an example of leadership from multiple frames? ## Sources [[Heraclitean Fire - Carey 1999]] Ranton, R. (2017). *Where are we trying to end up?* [Video]. TED. [https://www.ted.com/talks/rach_ranton_where_are_we_trying_to_end_up](https://www.ted.com/talks/rach_ranton_where_are_we_trying_to_end_up)