Leadership is often the deciding factor in whether an organization succeeds or struggles in its agility journey. Yet, many organizations cling to command-and-control leadership styles, believing that tighter oversight leads to better outcomes. It doesn’t.

If you want to derail your agility initiative, keep using command-and-control leadership.

To thrive in an agile environment, leadership must evolve from controlling to enabling.

A shining example of this shift comes from the military—a domain often associated with strict hierarchies. But as former U.S. Navy submarine captain David Marquet demonstrates, agility demands a very different leadership style.

Last year I wrote a Book Recommendation: “Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders” on David Marquet book

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David Marquet’s View on Leadership: “Turn the Ship Around”

David Marquet’s story, shared in his book Turn the Ship Around, challenges the myth that military success relies solely on command-and-control.

Marquet inherited a nuclear submarine plagued by low morale and poor performance. Recognizing the limitations of top-down leadership, he shifted to a model of empowerment and clarity.

Intent-Based Leadership is the leadership philosophy pioneered by David Marquet. The approach is designed to shift organizations from a command-and-control structure to a culture of empowerment, ownership, and accountability.

Instead of issuing orders, Marquet encouraged his crew to take ownership of decisions. His mantra, “Don’t give orders; give control,” transformed his submarine into one of the best-performing in the fleet.

This leadership approach aligns perfectly with the principles of agility:

1. Empower Teams to Make Decisions
   • Instead of telling people what to do, equip them with the context and tools to make informed decisions.
   • Marquet’s crew moved from waiting for instructions to confidently taking action, knowing they had the knowledge and trust to act.
2. Create Clarity of Purpose
   • Agile leaders ensure everyone understands the mission and desired outcomes, reducing the need for constant oversight.
   • By clearly articulating his expectations, Marquet gave his crew the autonomy to execute their roles effectively.
3. Remove Impediments
   • Command-and-control leadership often creates bottlenecks as decisions pile up at the top. Agile leaders eliminate these roadblocks, enabling faster and more effective action.
   • Marquet actively sought to eliminate barriers that prevented his crew from succeeding.

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Why Command-and-Control Kills Agility

Command-and-control leadership directly opposes agility in several ways:

1. Bottlenecks in Decision-Making
   • Centralized control slows down responses to change, undermining the speed and adaptability agility requires.
2. Stifled Innovation
   • Teams working under tight control are less likely to take risks, share ideas, or experiment—core drivers of innovation.
3. Low Engagement and Morale
   • Employees feel disempowered and disengaged when their autonomy is stripped away, leading to high turnover and reduced productivity.
4. Increased Complexity
   • Micromanagement and top-down control add unnecessary layers of complexity, slowing progress and frustrating teams.

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Building Leadership Agility: The New Playbook

To enable agility, leaders must adopt a coaching and enabling mindset:

1. Empower, Don’t Direct
   • Shift from “How can I control this?” to “How can I enable this?” Give teams the authority to act while providing support and context.
2. Focus on Outcomes, Not Inputs
   • Define clear goals and let teams decide how to achieve them. Trust them to know the best route to success.
3. Be a Multiplier, Not a Gatekeeper
   • Multipliers amplify the intelligence and capabilities of their teams. Instead of being a bottleneck, they clear the path for others to excel.
4. Foster a Culture of Trust and Learning
   • Create psychological safety, where teams feel safe to take risks and learn from failure without fear of blame.
5. Lead Through Questions, Not Answers
   • Ask open-ended questions that encourage teams to think critically and explore solutions. Marquet often used, “What do you intend to do?” instead of issuing commands.

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The Agile Leadership Imperative

David Marquet’s story proves that even in the most hierarchical environments, agility thrives under empowered leadership. His submarine became a model of excellence not because he tightened control, but because he let go of it.

If command-and-control is still alive in your organization, it’s time to let it go. Leaders must evolve to coaching, enabling, and trusting their teams to make decisions at the right level. Agile leadership is about creating the conditions for people to succeed—not dictating every step of the journey.

Want to kill your agility initiative? Stick to command-and-control. Want to see it thrive? Turn the ship around.

How is your leadership enabling agility in your organization? Share your thoughts in the comments!