Drawing lessons from the Army’s “Shoot, Move, Communicate”

I was talking to my business partner Adam (that’s him), co-founder of Alignd. And he was sharing a particularly valuable lesson from his days in the Army, something he learned at basic training. There was an expression that boiled down key activities of a solider into three things - Shoot, Move, Communicate.

Of course, there are a million things that an effective soldier needs to consider and keep in mind, but the Army teaches its basic trainees…if you’re good in these three key areas…you’ll be effective.

Shoot Move Communicate isn’t an order of activities or sequence, but rather a mental guide that helps center everyone around what a well trained unit should be doing.

Shoot- Shoot is self explanatory. Soldiers are trained to maintain proficiency in their shooting skills to ensure they can defend themselves and achieve their mission objectives.

Move - Movement is critical in combat in minimizing exposure to threats and enhancing the ability to engage with an advantage.

Communicate - This emphasizes the importance of information sharing, and a unit’s ability to coordinate actions, adapt to changing situations and maintain situational awareness.

Unlike Adam, many of us will never have the experience of combat, and while in business the stakes are considerably less intense, it is possible to adapt the principles of "Shoot, Move, Communicate" to enhance operations, strategy, and overall effectiveness. Here’s how each component can be applied in a business context:

Shoot (Focus and Execute):
-Be Precise: Focus on executing tasks and strategies with precision and efficiency. This includes maintaining high standards of quality and ensuring that all team members have the skills and tools they need to perform effectively.

-Evaluate Performance: Regularly assess performance against goals to ensure the business stays on target. How do you define peak performance? And evaluate yourself against that on a regular basis.

Move (Adapt and Innovate):
-Stay Agile: What got you here will not get you there. Businesses need to move to minimize exposure to threats and enhance the ability to engage your market with an advantage.

-Embrace Change: Encourage a culture that is open to innovation and change. This involves continuous improvement processes and fostering creativity within the team.

Communicate (Coordinate and Collaborate):
-Effective Communication Channels: Create share clarity around the things that matter most - especially as those things change. Ensure everyone is on the same page.

-Transparency and Awareness: Real-time visibility into what people are focused on and why will enable the entire team to have greater autonomy make informed decisions and improve processes.

I’m grateful for the service and sacrifice of people like Adam who serve in the military, and, in this case, I’m grateful for the lesson taught at basic training and how we can adapt that lesson to be more of a cohesive and agile business unit.