text: Leadership During Operations
  communication of this updated visualization with the need to provide sufficient time and freedom of
  maneuver to subordinate leaders. Commanders’ descriptions of their visualizations should account for
  interdependencies among various domains and the desired end states within those domains.
  DIRECT
  8-33. Commanders direct action to achieve results and lead forces to mission accomplishment. Decision
  making and timely sharing of information ensures friendly forces reach a position of advantage relative to
  the enemy. Commanders who are able to sense, understand, decide, act, and assess faster and more effectively
  than enemy commanders can impose multiple dilemmas, requiring enemy forces to dedicate resources and
  combat power which otherwise might further their objectives. Creating and maintaining this state of decision
  dominance depends on the actions of the commander, informed by a knowledgeable and integrated staff.
  Communications systems and other technologies can help enable decision dominance, but leaders must take
  care to ensure they do not become overly reliant on technical solutions that may not always be available.
  LEAD
  8-34. Leadership is the most decisive element of combat power. Effective leadership can compensate for
  deficiencies, while poor leadership can negate advantages. Commanders lead by personal example, the
  quality of the guidance they provide throughout the operations process, and the actions they take during the
  execution of operations. They focus on the decisions only they can make. Operations encompassing the
  employment of capabilities from multiple domains demand rapid adjustments based on brief windows of
  opportunity. Tactical patience is required to develop the conditions that create those opportunities over time.
  When making or changing decisions, the commander’s will and personal presence provides the moral impetus
  for necessary action in a timely manner. Friction is inherent in all military operations, and leadership exerted
  by commanders and their subordinate leaders is what overcomes it.
  ASSESS
  8-35. Commanders, supported by their staffs, assess the situation before execution and throughout operations
  to understand conditions and determine what decisions they must or are likely to make. They compare the
  state of current operations to what was anticipated or planned, remain alert to variance from expectations,
  and watch for information indicating an emerging threat or opportunity. Continuous assessment helps
  commanders anticipate and adapt their forces to changing circumstances, enabling friendly forces to counter
  unexpected threats or exploit opportunities. Effective commanders encourage cross talk and dialogue
  between superior, subordinate, and adjacent staffs, and they conduct dialogue between commanders to share
  observations and maintain situational understanding. They continuously review assumptions and cumulative
  risk. Commanders must not be overly fixated on what is happening or may happen on the ground in the
  physical dimension. Not assessing the relevant events occurring in other domains, or not considering the
  information or human dimensions, increases the odds that enemy forces can achieve surprise.
  ADAPTING FORMATIONS FOR MISSIONS AND TRANSITIONS
  8-36. The conduct of successful operations requires leaders and units that are able to anticipate changes and
  quickly adapt their formations, dispositions, or activities to meet those changes. Anticipating and adapting to
  changes begins with commanders, but all leaders help create agile and adaptive units, develop subordinates,
  inspire resilience in their people, and maintain mission focus in the face of adversity.
  8-37. Changing conditions and transitions may impact the teamwork and cohesion of a formation; both
  require adaptation and leader attention. Some examples include—
  (cid:122) Task organization changes.
  (cid:122) New or changing guidance.
  (cid:122) Periods of intense privation and fatigue.
  (cid:122) Mission transitions.
  (cid:122) Mission failures or setbacks.
  (cid:122) Reconstitution.