This is the final piece to this series, wrapping up our lessons from Communication 101, 102 and 103. We are arming you with the simple communication framework essential to our organizations’ success.
I’m no special operator, but I imagine any special team, like in the movies, has a secret codeword to abort or leave an objective when they’ve got to go.
Maybe their helicopters are running low on fuel, or the enemy reinforcements are on their way, or bad weather’s rolling in, or they just know they’ve accomplished all they needed to on the target. The team has a way to say, “it is time to leave.”
When we communicate, we need an exfiltration plan. Time is our only limited resource, and we’re going to respect our audience by treating their time the same way.
As we’ve covered: professionals communicate only for purpose: to generate action and build shared understanding for our organization.
When our purpose has been achieved, it’s time to stop talking. Did you secure the resources, authorities and support you need? Great. Shut your mouth and get to work using those things to protect America.
If we attempted and failed to achieve purpose through communication, recognize when more communication is not the answer. Can you turn the decision around by continuing to engage? In most cases, probably not, and more discussion would serve no purpose. Thank your audience for their time, disengage, get off the X, and figure out a way to re-attack.
(Photo from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), DVIDS)
