Overall, I agree with Brock. I have encountered the Message to Garcia several times, and each time it left a bad taste in my mouth. Of course that may not be as much from the message itself, as much as from the leaders who were using it for an LPD. By itself, the anecdote provides a lot of fodder for conversation, especially as it relates to mission command, disciplined initiative, and information requirements. In this vein, I think the author leaves a lot of information implied, rather than stated; for example I am confident Rowan had a good idea of his mission before walking into the White House. Contemporary readers most likely would not have been bothered by the seeming gaps in the story.

In my experiences in the present, however, leaders (especially senior leaders) have viewed the story as prescriptive. As others who have commented have mentioned, misreading the story leads one to think the lesson is that all subordinates should be mindless automatons who execute with immediate, unquestioning obedience, and without a nagging desire for petty details. Understandably this especially riles millennials and subsequent generations, but also anyone with a degree of common sense and experience.

Still, the Message to Garcia is useful. Leaders who choose to use it as a leader development tool must understand its proper application. It must be viewed in the proper historical context, and used to generate discussion. To use it as a prescription does a disservice, and may be dangerous.

Nate