The Operations Process - Execution

Guided Discovery.

Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash

How do you execute in life?

Suggested Reading

• ADP 5-0, The Operations Process

  • Pages 4-1 through 4-9 based on printed document (PDF pages 65-73)

  • An overview of the leadership actions and responsibilities during execution in the Operations Process

• Link to ADP 5-0 on US Army Publishing Directorate

• This week’s Study: First to Paper

• All excerpts below are from ADP 5-0

Guided Discovery

Effective execution requires leaders trained in independent decision making, aggressiveness, and risk taking in an environment of mission command.
ADP 5-0, Section 4-3

Independent decision-maker.

Aggressive.

Risk taker.

How do you describe yourself to yourself? “I am…”
How do others describe you to each other? “He/she is…”
How do others describe you to your face? “You are…”

How do you want to be described?

The answer to any of these does not need to be “an aggressive, risk-taking, independent decision-maker,” though most professionals and leaders, in their hearts would use and hope a version of this definition is used. It is how people would like to think of themselves: I’m bold and confident and comfortable with risk and make decisions for myself!

Generally, no leader is described this way.

Aggression is rash, overbearing, mean. Risk is to be mitigated, not taken. Independent decision-making? Sounds like you did not trust your team enough to ask them!

Caught in a world where you’d like to be aggressive, risk-taking, independent decision-makers, are concerned that we aren’t aggressive, risk-taking, independent decision-makers, and fear that we might be penalized both if we are OR are not aggressive, risk-taking, independent decision-makers, how should you execute in life?