Robert Greene’s 5th Strategy of War says: “Avoid the snares of groupthink: Command-and-control … Create a chain of command where people do not feel constrained by your influence yet follow your lead. Create a sense of participation, but do not fall into groupthink.”

Surprisingly, I’ve deployed this strategy less in combat zones, and more while managing freelancers for my businesses.

Today’s freelancers are often smart, creative, and opportunistic, with wildly diverse backgrounds—even from different countries and speaking different languages.

A unique combo that can be a:

Force multiplier and accelerant for a small, nimble business
OR
A liability who delivers projects that just miss the mark or sows seeds of chaos with in-house teams.

In the past few decades, here are my battle-sharpened lessons commanding 200 specialized freelance “soldiers” …

 HAMMER CLARITY

Even if your kick-off call is recorded, write out what you when in plain, detailed language. Ditch the vagueness: turn “just put the lime in da’ coconut” into “place one quartered fresh lime in a halved coconut, then hand it to me for drinking.”

It’s not overkill—it’s eliminating confusion before it starts.

️️ ️️️️️️️ SHARE VISION

Freelancers don’t need your life story, but a quick snapshot of the big picture can help. I told one of my graphic design freelancers, “This brochure will be handed out in a booth inside a windowless convention center. I want attendees to remember us afterward.” The freelancer asked the ‘dumb’ question, “How are you going to decorate the booth?”

The unexpected response to sharing the vision inspired me to make changes that drove the campaign from a weak sauce to a spicy showing.

COMMUNICATE FREQUENTLY

Constant communication isn’t for the freelancer—it’s for you. If your project misses the mark due to poor freelancer performance, it’s on you, the boss. The only way you’ll reveal what working (or not working) with your communication before the project delivery is through human-to-human, real-time interactions.

Only AFTER your quality of communication improves, can the frequency drop.

⚠️ Warning Shot

My choice of the word “command” vs. [collaboration, suggestion, specification, tasking, delegation] was deliberate.

Maintaining a command posture with your freelancers becomes especially critical when working with a group of creatives and techies. When I smell the stink of groupthink creeping into a project, I’ll privately allow the source of the stink to vent, then say, “I hear you. I still want to do it XYZ way. If I’m wrong, I’ll own it,” then follow up with a restatement of the original command.

And if you are wrong, own it.