First of all I heard this term for the first time in the eightys when I was in the military. We were taught in our tactics classes that as battlefield leaders that this was a quality that we needed to develop. This term is a combination of two different words, bold and audacious. Many of the successful battlefield leaders who won critical battles won because of bold decisions that they made at critical times. Now let me add here that being bodacious and being reckless are two totally different things. Recklessness is stupidity and not to be tolerated. The bodacious leader can be bodacious because he knows exactly what the situation and circumstances entail.
As a leader I found out that if I could train my followers to be bodacious the benefits were enormous. My troops by their bold initiatives saved me a lot of trouble and worry. We were able to set some National Training Center records because of their actions. Not record as one but records as in many. If you can instill this quality in your subordinates you will have a serious kick butt unit.
My forward observers would clean your clock and give you back change. They were the best and they knew it. We had quite a reputation. I was not afraid to allow them the room to make bold decisions and to do their jobs. I was in effect taking a chance by trusting their judgement but I knew that they were well trained. I knew what they had in them and I wasnt afraid to allow them the latitude to use it. I was taking a risk but it was a calculated risk. In many situations it worked out for my good. There was a time or two when one of them made a bad decision but the benefits were worth much more than the pitfalls.
A bodacious decision is based on the situation, your assets, timing, and the intelligence that you have on the enemy. You have to be a good judge of the situation and aware of all of the nuances that it entails. You have to know your capabilities and the capabilities of the enemy that you are facing. You have to know how to pit your strengths against his weaknesses, and you have to know exactly when and how to strike. When you can combine these ingredients you have a winning strategy.
You have to recklessly execute your plan once you have committed yourself to action. Halfhearted execution is a recipe for failure. Even if your plan isnt perfect (and it doesnt have to be) you can force it to work. You can always come up with a better plan no matter how much time and how many resources that you devote to the one that you have. Execution is the key.
Two boxers who were bodacious were Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. They both knew their own strengths and how to apply them. They usually won with their execution and the decisions to execute their plan of action were vigorously carried out once they made them.
George Foreman was a powerful fighter who could rapidly dispense of his opponents but he could not leave himself open for punishment because he really couldnt take any more than the average fighter. He knew that in order to win he had to overpower his opponents very quickly and keep them on the defensive so that they could not mount an attack before he could beat them into submission.
Muhammad Ali knew that he would not be able to fight toe to toe with Foreman. He knew that he was not a knockout fighter and that there was no way possible that he would match his power in a toe to toe fight. He came up with a bodacious Rope a Dope strategy that won the fight for him. His corner warned him in round after round to get off of the ropes but he refused. He fought a defensive fight and when George Foreman saw him on the ropes he attempted to use his power to take advantage of it.
Ali, by laying on the ropes was able to absorb all of the punishment that Foreman dished out. He rolled with the punches and let the ropes absorb the energy of George Foremans punches. Foreman thought that he had the easy win and committed himself all the more to destroying Ali but the ropes took the brunt of the force. After Foreman had worn himself out Ali was able to score repeatedly and win the fight. Are you bodacious in the way that you conduct business?
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