The Command Task

In the group tasks mentioned earlier, the qualities of candidates for working in cooperation with other members of the group are noticed but some of their leadership qualities are not brought to the surface. In order to assess the total personality of a candidate and to enable the hesitant and shy type to come to the limelight, the command task is given.

Procedure of Command Task:

The GTO selects each member of the group turn by turn to act a leader or commander of the group, so that he is able to display his hidden qualities of leadership as best as possible.
The leader is given a free hand to select 3 or 4 members to form his group.
The GTO then explains the requirement of the task to the leader.
The leader in turn explains the requirement and his plan of tackling the task to the members. Then he allots duties to each member.

Instructions for leaders or Commanders:

The commander should listen to the instructions of the GTO carefully and make a careful mental note of important details.
The first job of the commander is to select the members of his group He has seen all the 8 members working with him in the group and should know the strong and weak points of each member. He knows the requirement of the task allotted to him.
Having selected his team, the commander should think out the solution of the problem.
Having hit upon the best plan, he should explain to the members the requirement of the task, and his plan of tackling it, clearly and quickly.
He should then allot duties to each member for which each one is most suited mentally and physically.
After clarifying their doubts, if any, he tells them to start execution of his plan.
He must issue his orders to the members boldly and in an asserting manner.
The commander must actively supervise the working of the group. He must ensure that every member is giving maximum cooperation and help in the execution of the plan.
If, at any stage, the commander finds that there is a bottleneck and he cannot proceed further in the execution of his plan, he may accept suggestions from his team members, but he will have to lose some marks.