METT-TC
If you are a ranger student, and you are trying to graduate the U.S. Army Ranger School, then you had better know and live by the acronym METT-TC. METT-TC stands for (1) Mission (2) Enemy (3) Troops (4) Terrain — (5) Time and (6) Civilians. These are the 6 factors the young Ranger must remember, understand, and utilize in order to graduate from the world’s toughest leadership school for warriors. But the mistake would be to consider METT-TC just a school solution. In fact, METT-TC is used all over the special operations forces and combat arms community today. And the truth is, you should be using it as a leader in your business and life, since it is useful anywhere you find true competition. First of all, what is your MISSION? What are you trying to accomplish as an owner, executive, or team lead? Do you understand what you are trying to accomplish in the form of a Who, What, When, Where, and Why statement? Are you able to articulate what you need to happen in a 1-sentence statement containing the 5Ws? Next is your ENEMIES, what are the obstacles in your way? Who is trying to stop you, internally and externally? Are your teams facing enemies from within? What is the position of your competitive enemies? Next, what TROOPS (people, resources) do you have for the task at hand? Do you have everything you need to be successful? Does your team have everything it needs to be successful? Next, and certainly one of the most important factors, what is the TERRAIN you are facing? Is it GO, SLOW GO, or NO GO terrain? Are you breaking ground, or has your teams done this mission many times before in similar terrain, and against similar enemies? If you want to understand terrain better, watch old films of D-DAY, or the German invasion of Russia. Terrain is both terra firma and weather patterns. Next, TIME must be considered. If you are struggling to understand how TIME Is a factor in warfare or competition, read Boyd: The Fighter Pilot who Changed the Art of War by my friend Robert Coram. Next, you must consider CIVILIANS. What are civilians you say in the business world? First, you can think of friendly civilians as your family and friends. What will this mission cost them? Next, you can take a look at enemy civilians, which you can find on Twitter if no where else…
