One of the most impactful leadership concepts I’ve carried from the Marine Corps into marketing and business is the idea of Commander’s Intent. In the military, before any exercise or combat operation, every Marine knows two things:
- Why are we doing what we’re doing
- What the desired end state looks like.
Leadership is not just about barking orders or sticking rigidly to a plan. It’s about clarity—clarity of mission, clarity of purpose, and clarity of outcome. That clarity empowers initiative, flexibility, and speed. Viewed as a military concept, it is every bit as relevant in the business world.
Intent vs. Instruction
Too many business leaders focus on giving step-by-step instructions and micromanaging to the smallest detail. They believe that control equals quality, but micromanagement stifles momentum and creativity.
“Commander’s Intent is clarity and focus that eliminates the need for micromanagement and overanalysis.”
When your team understands the intent of the task or project — what success looks like and why it matters—they don’t need you to tell them every step. They need space to execute.
Actionable Takeaway:
Next time you kick off a project, ask yourself:
- Have I clearly defined what success looks like?
- Have I explained why this project matters?
- Can my team run with this without constant check-ins?
If not, you haven’t communicated intent. You’ve just delegated a task.
Empowered Execution
“Understanding the what and why enables the team to execute the how.”
In 1989, I was newly assigned to a pre-deployment infantry unit when a manual titled Marine Corps Warfighting, FMFM 1, now known as MCDP 1, was released. It was the foundational philosophy of the Marine Corps to instill a warrior’s mindset, which was drilled into the minds of all infantry Marines.
FMFM 1 required Marines to seek creative solutions to unique problems through innovative ideas and actions. The guidance mandated that these ideas and actions be fostered at the lowest level-those closest to the problem. By using the Commander’s Intent as a north star, ideas and initiative can thrive.
As a junior leader, I found the “improvise, adapt, and overcome” mindset particularly resonant because it underscores the importance of thorough preparation and empowering your resources to perform effectively. The primary focus was on three key tracts:
- Maneuver Warfare: Focus on disrupting the enemy by rapid, violent and unexpected actions.
- Commander’s Intent: Explained our job, how it contributes to the outcome, and the overall objective.
- Mission Orders: Each unit has specific tasks and objectives, and is empowered to delegate subordinate leaders to make decisions and act decisively within the framework of the commander’s intent.
“Understanding the commander’s intent allows us to exercise initiative in harmony with the commander’s desires.”
That statement was pure gold because those leaders who believed it now gave me the latitude to do my job effectively. Like the battlefield, business is dynamic, and markets shift. Competitors don’t remain static, requiring managers to have the agility to make decisions, think outside of the box, and take action without needing permission for every decision.
Actionable Takeaway:
Create space for your team to adjust based on real-time context. Review your management style. Are you:
Why the “Why” Matters More Than the “How”
“The more people understand why, the less ambiguity exists—and that’s when the how becomes easy.”
This was the original working name for our International Webmastery Podcast because one of the most significant leadership gaps in business is skipping the “why.” Leaders often define what needs to be done, but fail to explain why it matters.
That lack of context leads to hesitation, misalignment, and inconsistent execution. But when your team understands the “why” behind a decision—targeting a new vertical, investing in SEO, shifting messaging—they can make smarter, faster decisions that align with the broader mission.
Toyota famously institutionalized the value of understanding “why” through their 5 Whys technique—asking “why” five times to uncover the root cause of any problem. It’s a deceptively simple but powerful approach that applies beyond manufacturing. In business and marketing, when teams ask “why are we doing this?” or “why is this process broken?”, repeatedly, they don’t just uncover more evident intent—they connect their work to broader goals and customer outcomes. That level of understanding fosters alignment, autonomy, and more effective decision-making in the field.
“When people understand the reason behind the mission—not just the mission itself—they stop asking for direction and start making progress.”
For yet another Marine Corps example. In boot camp, I was the platoon guide. I was often held responsible for my platoon’s motivation and performance, and served as a communication channel between the drill instructors and recruits. Three weeks before the final drill, our Senior Drill Instructor told me that the platoon must win the competition. That was all the instruction, other than the names of 4 recruits he felt would cause us to fail. It was not my job to teach it, but to “motivate underperformers” to improve their performance during “off hours.” I tried everything to encourage and teach them, and I also attempted to recruit others to help. A few days before, I found the courage to ask him why it was so crucial for “him to win the final drill.” After the lecture about losing sucks, he told me he needed to win so he could ultimately become Drill Master. His father had been a Drill Master. I communicated this to the platoon that there was now a bigger objective than just winning. Now everyone wanted to win for a different reason – to see him get his goal. We even put a piece of tape on our platoon guide to remind everyone during training and the final event what the goal was: the Golden Boot trophy.
Actionable Takeaway:
In your next team meeting or project brief:
- Don’t just assign tasks.
- Explain why they matter to the customer, the company, or the long-term vision.
You’ll be surprised how much faster, better, and more creatively people deliver when they feel connected to the purpose.
From Control to Clarity: The Leader’s Role
Your job as a leader isn’t to know everything or control every move. It’s about setting the vision, defining the outcome, and creating clarity—then stepping aside. That’s how high-performing teams are built.
“If you leave the how to the team, because you’ve given them the what and why, you will achieve exponential success.”
This mindset turns managers into leaders and turns teams into force multipliers.
Note: This was initially written as a compliment to Epiphany 14, but I realized it is a critical realization I learned early on that enabled me to become a better leader and deserved its own callout.
Leverage and Outcome Brief to Reinforce Clarity
If you’re wrestling with shifting project goals or unclear expectations, consider introducing an Outcome Brief—a one-page document inspired by the Outcome Brief framework. As detailed in my article, “From Clarity to Autonomy,” this tool helps you capture what your manager meant (not just what they asked), lay out your planned approach, and define success criteria upfront. It also creates a structured way to revisit direction later, by asking: “What new insight or priority changed our course?” You can read more about how it reduces friction and strengthens alignment here:
→ From Clarity to Autonomy: How the Ourcome Alignment Brief Reduces Chaos and Builds Trust
Explore More Epiphanies
This article is part of my ongoing series, My Digital Marketing Epiphanies – realizations, hard-earned lessons, and mental models shaped by decades in the field.
If you want more insights, visit the full archive here: My Digital Marketing Epiphanies
