Prior to deploying to Afghanistan, our battalion’s capstone training event was a live fire (using real bullets) exercise that trained each platoon to react to enemy contact and then attack the enemy. The scenario tried to replicate what we thought we’d see in Afghanistan — a dismounted patrol (approximately 30 soldiers) encounters the Taliban and has to survive the contact, build up fire superiority, use their mortars to prevent the enemy from moving, and then lead an assault against the enemy fighters. My command sergeant major and I walked every iteration of the live fire exercise to help teach, coach, and mentor the platoons. Time and again, we saw new platoon leaders get excited and lead their platoon in an attack before they had got their machine guns or mortars into the fight. Repeatedly, we coached the platoon leaders to take a tactical pause, make sure the conditions were set for success, and then lead their attack against the enemy.

The “Tactical Pause” is a common term in the Army. When you are unsure of what lies ahead, stop for a moment — look, listen and think — especially before rushing to failure. Whether you are leading an infantry platoon in the mountains of Afghanistan, a sales team, or a Fortune 500 corporation, taking a tactical pause can help you achieve better results. Leadership involves making decisions, leading by example, and charting the course for your organization, but don’t lead your team in a rush to failure. There are three steps to do a quality tactical pause.

The Three Steps of the Tactical Pause

1. Look – If you are on the battlefield, when you are unsure of what is around you, leaders would take a knee until you can get more information. In the office, leaders go visit part of the company, send out reconnaissance, do market research, or relook your data. If you do not have the understanding of the situation or environment you need, keep trying to get a complete picture for a long as you have the time.

2. Listen – If you are on the battlefield, leaders would listen to their environment and try to hear what the enemy is doing. In corporate America, instead listen to those around you. Listen to your team, your peers, your customers, your boss, and the market. Make a conscious effort to listen to as many perspectives as you have the time.

3. Think – If you are on the battlefield, think and process the info you have and then make a decision. In the office, take the information and opinions you’ve gathered and spend the rest of your time processing it. Look for patterns, themes, narratives, or hidden. A straight path through the obstacle may not always be crystal clear, but at least you can eliminate some of the more treacherous paths.

As a leader, you will not have an infinite amount of time to look, listen, and think. However, forcing yourself to take a moment for a tactical pause can enable you and your organization to make a better decision. Follow the advice of General George S. Patton, who said “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”

Taking a tactical pause gives your group a chance to think too. Your team needs a chance to process information, just like you. Creative ideas often spring from a period of inactivity or alternate activity that can free the mind to wander and think. As you and your team develop your experience, you can shorten the time needed for a tactical pause.

You may not realize it, but you see tactical pauses every Saturday and Sunday in the fall and winter. As you are watching college football over the holidays, each team gets to call a tactical pause six times in a game. The quarterback, a linebacker, or the coach may not like what they see the other team is doing. So a leader will call a time out and both sides get an opportunity to look, listen, think, and build a plan that can better handle the environment and the competition.

So the next time you are faced with a critical decision, take a tactical pause and look, listen and think. Come up with a plan. It doesn’t have to be the perfect plan, but it will be better than the one you had five minutes ago.

Conclusion

On post #190 (January 4, 2022) TFCG will transition to one blog post a week. Blog posts will come out in 2022 on Tuesday mornings. All the previous and future posts will remain on-line and free at www.thefivecoatconsultinggroup.com.

Go on the offense and use a tactical pauses to give you and your team an advantage in 2022.