Why are you asking people to do what they’re being asked to do? Do you give orders without explaining the “Why” behind the orders? A good leader explains decisions, requests, and directions.
Before my first command tour, I was fortunate to be in a Prospective Commanding Officers course, with the amazing CAPT (now VADM) Betsy Hight as our class mentor. For years, officers I worked with argued back and forth about having to explain orders. On one side, officers quoted Elbert Hubard with “Never complain, never explain.” The other side noted that Sailors are more likely to fulfill a commander’s intent if they understand the reasoning underlying an order.
Then-Captain Hight shared that she always explained, when and if she had the opportunity to do so. She told a story about how she was walking around her 500-person command one day. A Chief (senior enlisted) stopped her and asked if she had given a particular odd order. Without ever directly answering him, she replied simply, “Does that sound like me?”
Years later, I was away on a business trip, literally on the other side of the world. My team was able to make decisions during my absence, keeping the business running smoothly because they knew what I sounded like, the types of questions I would likely ask and the decision that was most inline with my philosophy and the organizational goals.
One sign of a good leader is that the team can do a fair imitation of their leader. Do you explain?