Mission-type tactics

Mission-type tactics are when a leader gives a general objective or goal to a team and allows them to come up with their own plan to achieve it. Imagine you and your friends are playing a game like tag. Your mom says "reach the picnic table on the other side of the yard without being tagged by the person who is 'it'."

Now, you could all stand in a big group and wait for your mom to tell you exactly what to do, like walk in a straight line, or zig-zag, or sprint to the table. But instead, she tells you "you have to reach the table without getting tagged, but you can use any strategy you want."

Now you and your friends are free to come up with your own ideas. Maybe someone suggests that you all split up and go different directions. Someone else suggests that you work together to distract the person who is 'it.' If you're a little kid, you might just run around crazily and hope for the best.

In either case, you're not just waiting for someone to tell you what to do. You're using your own creativity and problem-solving skills to figure out the best way to achieve your goal. That's a mission-type tactic. It's like being given a mission, but being allowed to take your own path to get there.