Cover and Move
Teams win when they support each other rather than compete against each other
Cover and Move is the most fundamental combat tactic in the SEAL Teams: one element moves while the other provides covering fire, then they switch. Applied to organizations, it means every team must support other teams toward the shared mission rather than competing against them for resources, recognition, or credit. When departments in a company view each other as adversaries rather than allies, the organization fails regardless of how talented individual teams are. The leader's job is to ensure every team understands how their work supports other teams and the overall mission. This requires breaking down silos, creating shared incentives, and actively preventing the toxic internal competition that destroys organizational effectiveness. In combat, failing to cover and move means people die. In business, it means the organization underperforms while internal factions cannibalize each other's efforts.
- Every team exists to support the overall mission, not to win against other internal teams
- When one team moves forward, other teams provide support - then they switch
- Internal competition between departments is as destructive as enemy fire
- Leaders must create shared incentives that reward collaboration over individual team metrics
- Identify Internal CompetitionAudit your organization for symptoms of internal competition: departments blaming each other for failures, teams hoarding information, metrics that reward one team at the expense of another, or leaders who build empires rather than serve the mission. These symptoms indicate that Cover and Move has broken down and teams are treating each other as adversaries rather than allies working toward a shared objective.Pro tipAsk frontline employees what other departments they find most difficult to work with - the answer reveals where Cover and Move has broken down
- Align Incentives to the Overall MissionRestructure metrics, rewards, and recognition to incentivize collaboration rather than internal competition. If sales is measured only on revenue while operations is measured only on cost efficiency, they will inevitably conflict. Create shared metrics that make every team's success dependent on other teams' success, mirroring the battlefield reality where one element's survival depends on another element's covering fire.Pro tipInclude cross-functional collaboration as an explicit evaluation criterion for every team leaderWarningBe careful not to create metrics so diffuse that no one feels accountable for anything specific
- Practice Active SupportMake it a habit for teams to actively ask how they can support other teams rather than waiting to be asked. Schedule regular cross-functional check-ins where teams share their challenges and other teams offer resources, information, or assistance. When one team is under pressure, other teams should automatically shift resources to help rather than viewing it as someone else's problem.Pro tipLeaders should model this by publicly crediting other teams' contributions to their own team's success
In Ramadi's urban environment, SEAL elements had to move through streets where enemy fighters occupied buildings and rooftops. One fire team would provide suppressive fire on known or suspected enemy positions while another fire team advanced to the next position of cover. Then they would switch, with the advanced team covering while the other moved forward.
Cover and Move is the foundational tactical concept taught in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. In combat operations in Ramadi, Jocko and Leif saw how critical this principle was when different elements of their task unit had to move through contested areas. One element would provide covering fire while the other advanced, then they would switch. The devastating consequences of failing to support each other were obvious in combat but equally destructive in the corporate environments where Jocko and Leif later consulted through their company Echelon Front.