06.
Command by Intent

Golden Rules to Live By

Command By Intent is a clear, concise statement of an operation's purpose and desired end state, enabling subordinates to exercise initiative and act independently to achieve goals, even if the original plan fails

Life is made so much simpler by using this military doctrine (from the book Extreme Ownership) in agency operations, and almost no-one uses it because it requires trust in the people you hired. Despite the exhaustive, hire-wire job descriptions you send it out into the world, trust is rare in agencies, mostly because 'failure' is forbidden. By defining golden rules and empowering your people to improvise, you liberate both parties. There will be mistakes. You will need to have adult conversations, give feedback, and criticize (each other). But the net result is true delegation that:

1. Helps you face reality
2. Separates what you, as an owner, do and own
3. Defines your operating values
4. Enables the Talent Siphon

Put differently, you want a team that doesn't sit waiting to be told what to do. You want a team that learns and improves by learning how to think.

There are no commandments set in stone, but there are personal golden rules you demand of your people. Examples might look like:

• Projects end on time
• No free work as concessions
• No work happens out-of-hours unless in extreme need

Another agencies' golden rules might differ considerably:

• Clients get a reply inside 10 minutes in working hours
• Always present to clients in person
• Always prefer quality over deadlines. If we can make it better, but deliver late, we will

This level of trust enables personal and professional development, creating a high-functioning team, faster and more effectively than hiring 'the best people' you can find.

Most Likely to Be Misunderstood

There is one role in most companies your size which is grossly misunderstood: the role of project manager. For some reason, project managers are often treated as domestic labor. My guess is this happened due to the broad skillset required and the abundance of more affordable female labor. This disrespect usually manifests as an owner-operator asking their project manager: "Please send that email to the client." The person in charge usually treats project managers as note takers, calendar-setters, and the people responsible for catching client curveballs. They're usually not in the top half of earners, women, and overlooked. That's about to change.

You're about to put the word "manager" into "project manager."

Paraphrasing

It's hard to overstate how important it is that your project manager can paraphrase what someone just said. The short answer is that it's at least as important for people to be understood as it is for them to be able to express themselves. Employees lose confidence in their role, their management, or their company because they have no meaningful stake in the relationship or the environment. Everyone on your team should be able to paraphrase, but it's especially important for a role where communication, understanding, and a cool head are as important as they are for a project manager. Angry people make bad decisions. It is not your project manager's job to play mother or therapist to anyone on your team (you included). The way you avoid project managers catching everyone's problems is by insisting on their ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and nothing makes people heard and understood quicker or better than someone making eye contact, staying quiet, and then, at the opportune time, summarizing what they heard concisely. If that sounds like an oversimplification, it's because you're underthinking it. On the surface level this seems basic, but as in any professional discipline, there are levels of sophistication beneath the obvious. All professionals should practice paraphrasing both because it's the bread and butter of relationships but also because it leads to a deeper understanding of psychology.

On a basic level, through a selfish lens, you need to centre the people that can cause you pain. Those can be internal or external stakeholders, all capable of saying no and derailing your success. The goal is not — will never be — to manipulate people. The objective is for everyone to win. A good project manager will enable praise for their peers because a project landed on budget. They will make owners happy by having a plan B and C when plan A does not bear fruit. Clients will feel taken care of, their needs being met before they even knew they had them. No other role exists in small businesses that can do so much good or harm. Which is why it's so disappointing to see the role of project manager relegated to sending email.

One Set of Books

I liken the (multiple) stories we tell ourselves and each other to the crook keeping one set of books for the government and a second for themselves. Not because I enjoy moralizing but because it's more work, and becoming a better professional as you age is all about increasing your context, trusting your pattern-matching abilities, and making life easier. Multiple sets of books are exhausting because you have to do the mental legwork to context switch each time you interact with a different audience. In practice it looks like this fow a project manager:

• You need a task completing to unblock an important project. You tell your developer this needs to happen by the end of today.
• The client is frustrated that they've been waiting two days for the issue to be unblocked. You tell them a fix is in place and you're just trying up the loose ends before you share it with the client. It's right around the corner!
• Your boss is aware that the client is unhappy (they keep texting me, please get this done ASAP!). You tell them it'll be in front of the client in the next hour (hoping it will be).

Every person in this story is frustrated and unhappy with the situation and each other. Worse, there are at least three competing narratives to manage on one task on one project — no wonder the complexities are burning people out! Keeping one set of books makes the world of difference; you go from managing half-truths (bordering on well-intentioned lies) to managing relationships:

• You tell the developer you need to send the work by the end of today, and based on our thorough estimate this is safe to tell the client. 'I need this to be in front of the client by 5pm today.'
• The client is frustrated that the issue has taken this long but you've assured them that you understand they're up for a promotion and this task is one of many factors tied to their success. You've made a promise you intend to keep.
• You tell your boss the same message you shared with the client. 'We understand the stakes involved and will deliver the task by 5pm today. I will keep everyone informed when that happens.'

The project manager manages up and down. The people staffing their projects need clear expectations. The clients waiting for updates need to hear commitments and receive what is promised. Internal stakeholders need clarity as much as clients and by keeping a single set of books the project manager can share the same timeline with either party with confidence.

Importantly, for you as the owner-operator: if you sold this project and are the account manager, you play a role in the scenario where the client calls you frustrated. (Remember: separate do, own risk.) But if you sold the project and play no role in its delivery, make that very clear to everyone involved, especially the client. Nothing undermines client confidence in your team than you babysitting them by back-channeling messages in a literal game of telephone.

Next Time

Next time you find yourself watching a soccer game, pay attention to the players hounding the referee whenever a decision is made. The uninitiated, baffled by the strange behavior — why are they complaining to the referee? They never change their mind once they've made it up — will scratch their heads and wonder. It's never about this time, but about next time. Meaning, the next time a player appeals to the referee they're more likely for things to go their way because they complained previously. Regardless of why, it's relevant to the standard in your company.

In the same way those soccer players are increasing that referee's anxiety, you need to insist upon mistakes being part of the process of learning for future benefit. Trying to turn everything into a process in a messy business like yours is a bad idea — it would take forever and be outdated instantly.