LEADING THROUGH CHAOS

STRATEGY
CAN YOU ANTICIPATE THE FUTURE?

YES MAYBE NO

DELIBERATE EMERGENT
"AUFTRAGSTAKTIK"
Or "Mission Command," is a decentalized model of
leadership. It is a doctrine - even a philosophy - that
places great emphasis on situational decision-
making by leaders on the ground. The premise is
that events cannot always be anticipated in strategy;
therefore, improvisation is needed. 

The concept originated with the Prussians after

Napoleon decisively destroyed their army. The
Germans in the first-half of the 20th century
employed it. The American Army has attempted to 
employ this leadership philosophy for decades.
 THE FOG OF WAR
A gap between reality and expectations slowly
appears once we begin our mission. We plan on X
happening, and it sort-of-happens. Or not at all.
Our plan is not going according to plan! Alternative
courses of action start to make sense. but they
distract us from our original mission or result in
confusion and ultimately, delayed decisions.

FRICTION &
FRAGMENTATION
Undesirable things accumulate along during your
mission. These internal and/or external forces slow us
down, and help to widen the gap between
expectations and reality. As a result, people become
exclusively focused on their immediate surroundings.
They lose sight of the larger team, and ultimately
diminshing the chances of success as anticipated.
THINKING
ESSENTIALS
This is the "Concept Model." It represents the
structure of a concept, showing the relationship
between the larger idea and its essentials. The
purpose of this model is to help ensure accuracy
in your ideas, as well as present them in a succinct
way. How to use it: place the higher concept in the
top triangle. Break the topic down into its bare
essentials and place them in the lower triangles.
Ensure your essentials have "meaning."

 "MEANING"
Four examples to clarify meaning:
Destroy vs. defeat.
Maximize vs. optimize.
Training vs. education. Words are not arbitrary sounds; they represent something in reality.
Negotiate vs. debate vs. argue. They have implications, in respect to resources, effort, and priority. 
COMMUNICATION
PURPOSEFUL
COMMUNICATION
is a type of communication that is designed for
execution. It links words to strategy, and invites
initiative in execution. It consists of two parts:  PURPOSE
TASK
                  is the specific, particular,

TASK #2
assignment. It's something clear and
simple, like “Do this” or “Do that."

PURPOSE
                                    is the larger goal. TASK #1 TASK #3
It’s preceded by “so that” or “in order
to.” It links directly to a larger goal.
"LINKAGE" P
is the connection of Tasks to Purposes within
the parameters of a larger strategy. A hierarchy
of essential tasks is created. Each task serves a T
larger purpose, and each purpose contributes to T T
larger tasks. This in turn contributes to the
accomplishment of goals or objectives -  the
essentials of the strategy's mission.

Using the levels of operations as a

P P
perspective, every tactical task serves a
purpose in achieving an operational goal, T T
and every operational goal serves to T T T T
ensure a strategic goal.
BEHAVIORS
 PACE/
INTENSITY
TAKE CHARGE THE PEOPLE CONFORMITY
PATIENCE
TRAIT TRAIT TRAIT
TRAIT

PERFECTION;
MUST HAVE INCLUSION, PLAN & PREP FOR
HIGH TRADITIONAL
CONTROL RELATIONSHIPS THE TEAM
PROCEDURES

MIX EITHER WAY EITHER WAY EITHER WAY EITHER WAY

MUST BE QUIET, NEEDS GOOD ENOUGH;

LOW EXECUTE, NOW!
SUPPORTIVE TRUST INNOVATE
KEVIN BLACK, MA, MBA
EXPERT OF EMERGENT LEADERSHIP

Kevin helps leaders and teams rapidly align and improve

their performance to better drive strategy from the ground
up. A veteran Army officer, he transitioned to the private
sector as a leadership and strategy consultant. Kevin has
worked with a variety of clients, from start-ups to Fortune 5,
to include LifeLock, Medtronic and McKesson. Overall, he’s
helped create over $500 million dollars of value.
“My philosophy is that leadership and strategy are interdependent. Most
of the time, strategy does not go according to plan, placing a significant
burden on leaders on the ground to drive, correct and contribute its
intended direction. This is why I focus on execution and specifically,
developing those ‘in the trenches’: emergent leaders and their teams.”

Kevin is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council.

His book, Managing Chaos: The Emergent Leader, is
scheduled to be published in the Fall, 2020.
KEVINBLACK.CO