Courage to Execute: What elite U.S. military units can teach business about leadership and team performance

Appendix

Mission Checklists

Planning Overview

Planning Questions

1. Is there another team in the organization working on a similar plan?

2. How much time can we dedicate to the planning process? Are we deliberate or rapid?

3. What is the purpose of this plan: action, contingency, or concept?

4. Do I have latitude in forming the team? Can I make it more collaborative and cognitively diverse?

5. Leader's decision brief: Is one required now or later for budget reasons or for clarity?

6. Budget check: The concept in planning that recognizes that budgetary approval during the planning process is required.

7. Communication plan: What level of communication will be required for team planning and for the organization?

Eighty Percent Planning

A good plan executed flawlessly is better than a perfect plan left on the shelf or implemented too late. You need a bias for action along with simplified plans that your troops can understand, support, and implement.

Six Steps to Mission Planning

1. Determine the Mission Objective

a. Clear: Avoid proprietary or ambiguous terms unless the definition is agreed upon.

b. Measurable: Provide a date when the mission objective will be measured, and ensure success or failure will be unambiguous at mission completion.

c. Achievable: Does the planning team believe the mission objective is achievable?

d. Aligned: Consider a description of how this mission objective supports the high-definition destination (HDD) and how it attacks critical leverage points in ...