Command responsibility. That's the responsibility that a commander has to the people under his charge. It means that he answers for everything under his command, even if he is not directly or indirectly involved. It means that by virtue of his appointment, he has significant influence that could have shaped things differently, in big ways and small, and thus, whatever the outcome, it had been influenced by him.
It is a recognition of the amount of power that a commander holds in his hands. Yes, he may not be directly involved. He may not have given the orders and thus indirectly contributed. But somewhere along the line, if he had done something different, said something different, it would have influenced someone, somewhere along the chain, and resulted in a different outcome. His behaviour shapes the people under him. His daily behaviour could have influenced the people who were directly involved, such that they thought differently and acted in a different manner, or made a different decision.
And thus, even if he is not on scene, the commander is always responsible. That is command responsibility. It means being able to recognise the influence that he holds, and being willing to shoulder the results of any outcome that happens under his command. He can't say "It's not my fault." "I wasn't there." "I wasn't told." (the list goes on...) When faced with a problem, he stands up and faces the problem and brings his team to solve it. When something bad happens, he stands up and faces the music. When something good happens, he smiles and pulls up the guy who made it happen and says, "That's him, he's the one who made it happen."
It is about being humble and being willing to say, "It's my fault." and not letting your own ego get the better of you. It means being willing to accept the failures of others as your own failures. It means being willing to accept failures and then move on, without letting pride stand in the way.
It means a lot of things, so much of which is hard to pen down. This short article is but the tip of the iceberg, and it doesn't even get close to describing exactly what command responsibility is. But I do hope it sets people thinking about the command responsibility that they have, because each and every one of us is a commander. Why? Because even if we don't have command over others, we are always in command of ourselves.
It is a recognition of the amount of power that a commander holds in his hands. Yes, he may not be directly involved. He may not have given the orders and thus indirectly contributed. But somewhere along the line, if he had done something different, said something different, it would have influenced someone, somewhere along the chain, and resulted in a different outcome. His behaviour shapes the people under him. His daily behaviour could have influenced the people who were directly involved, such that they thought differently and acted in a different manner, or made a different decision.
And thus, even if he is not on scene, the commander is always responsible. That is command responsibility. It means being able to recognise the influence that he holds, and being willing to shoulder the results of any outcome that happens under his command. He can't say "It's not my fault." "I wasn't there." "I wasn't told." (the list goes on...) When faced with a problem, he stands up and faces the problem and brings his team to solve it. When something bad happens, he stands up and faces the music. When something good happens, he smiles and pulls up the guy who made it happen and says, "That's him, he's the one who made it happen."
It is about being humble and being willing to say, "It's my fault." and not letting your own ego get the better of you. It means being willing to accept the failures of others as your own failures. It means being willing to accept failures and then move on, without letting pride stand in the way.
It means a lot of things, so much of which is hard to pen down. This short article is but the tip of the iceberg, and it doesn't even get close to describing exactly what command responsibility is. But I do hope it sets people thinking about the command responsibility that they have, because each and every one of us is a commander. Why? Because even if we don't have command over others, we are always in command of ourselves.
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