In every large organization, including and especially in a military
organization, there is a clearly defined chain of command,
from the top to the bottom. This chain of command is essential
to assure cohesion, coordination, and cooperation at every
level in the achievement of military objectives.
Edmond O. Wilson, the Harvard biologist, writer of many
books and articles on the human condition says, “The first law
of human nature is hierarchy.” He explains that all human
beings absolutely need to know where they fit within the hierarchy
of other human beings. This is why each person should
have only one boss. Each person needs to know exactly where
she stands in relation to every other person in the organization,
and being responsible to one boss makes this clear.
The Principle of Unity of Command—One Person in Charge
Each person has to be answerable to only one person. Each
person has to know who is above and who is below him. People
can only perform at their best when they fully understand
the hierarchy in their workplace. One of your responsibilities is
to make this hierarchy absolutely clear and to remove any confusion
or ambiguities about the chain of command.
In social situations, one of the first things we do upon
meeting a new person is to find out where they are located in
the social and economic hierarchy. In subtle ways, we try to
find out what they do, how much they earn, what standard of
living they enjoy, what sort of activities they engage in, where
they went to school, what kind of background they have, and
numerous other factors that enable us to pinpoint their location
relative to us in our societal hierarchy.
In a smoothly functioning business, with a unified command
structure, there is a direct line from the top person down to the
bottom. Even in a collegial environment, where everyone functions
as friends and peers, there still must be a single person who
has the power and the authority to make the final decisions. Any
failure to establish this framework and hierarchy will eventually
lead to political machinations, misunderstandings, hurt feelings,
anger, and even to the loss of valuable staff members.
The Principle of Unity of Command in Personal Life
You want to get the very most out of yourself and to live a wonderful
life. To do this, you must impose a unity of command
over your own life as well as that of your work.
Unity of command in personal life means that you take the
time to think through who you really are and what you really want.
You organize your values in a hierarchy, deciding what is
more important to you and what is less important to you.
You analyze the various aspects of your life—your career,
your family, your finances, your health, and your personal
interests—and then determine what is more important to you
and what is less important.
You decide upon your goals in each area of your life and
determine your most important goal, your major definite purpose.
You then make detailed plans of action and organize
your actions by priority.
Every day, you focus on doing more of
the tasks that contribute the most to accomplishing your most
important goals. You allocate your time carefully to assure that
you are spending more time on those activities that contribute
the very most to your highest values and priorities in life.
Take some time each day to think about your life and your
work. Stand back and ask yourself, “If I were not doing what I
am doing today, knowing what I now know, would I start it up
again today?”