We all say we will relax once we accomplish “X”. We either set this goal so high that we have to give all of our effort to achieve it or we get there and feel like it is not enough. To be transparent, I hope one day that my mentoring of others can be become my full time job. I will work daily to get there; however, I constantly remind myself to enjoy the journey. If I get there one day, I will only consider it a success if I enjoyed the ride.
We are never done learning. Never. Nothing makes me happier than watching someone who is accomplished reading a book, taking a course, or trying something new. We have all seen those who refuse to admit they have more to learn. A boss once told me, “once you think you know it all, stay away from me, because you are about to mess something up.” Sure enough, arrogant Airman Lawrence fell into this trap several times. Thankfully, I have since cultivated a thirst for learning that I hope never goes away.
Simply put. Do you have a set of values that you live by? Do your decisions and actions point to your values? When you have a clear set of values, your decisions become much easier to stand behind. When I based tough or questionable decisions on my core values, I had no problem explaining my decision to the boss. However, when I based my decision on my own merits or other ego-driven reason; I had no foundation to stand on when things went wrong. Define your values and align your life to them.
There is some truth in the effects of influence from the company you keep. There are two ways those close associations go; either you influence those around you or they influence you. What’s the problem with that? Nothing—unless those influences are negative. Don’t be around those people and take on the burden of their complaints about the circumstance that they face and can’t control. Instead, take your own path and control the things you can control.
This is a quote that should be on every leader’s mind. We can’t expect things to just happen or to be waiting there for us to simply take. We create our futures by developing our skills and investing in those around us today. When we do the things we should today, the future will take care of itself.
Daily as a SNCO, I watched amazing things get accomplished. I was in the front row as other SNCOs and NCOs mentor one another and make the mission happen. I also get to see those times when the plan hits snags. Many times they come to me and tell me there are problems with the original plan, but they always have a solution.There is nothing more satisfying than watching your team solve tough problems and making things happen. There are very few situations that we can’t solve at our level. We just have to accept perfection is an illusion and keep moving forward.
This is something I have believed for a very long time. I do want to the provider for my family that can provide their wants and needs and I will work hard to be a success. I also believe it is imperative to be a man of character. Ironically, those in my life who I would consider men with strong values, are successful. They have strong homes, families who love them and a circle of people who would do anything for them. I would consider that truly successful. So I would say this: values = success.
There is no way to move an organization forward if we are not willing to accept temporary setbacks. Sometimes, we get shut down and have to wait a few months to try again and sometimes it is a few years. I had to wait 8 years to make a change I wanted to as an instructor. Back then, I couldn’t get the support. But in my later years, I had the rank, connections and understanding to make the change happen. Sometimes we have to shelf our idea, but we rarely have to toss it in the trash. Tomorrow’s problem may the solution you created today.
All too often we tend to look at things through the lens of the world. We live in a time where anything is possible. We have the power to create an empire using only the smart phones in our pocket, and yet we are content with the status quo. We can reach out to any human being on this planet and learn anything we want, and yet we don’t. I could ask why we do this, but I would rather ask why not make a difference in just one person’s life today. Just one. Then go watch cat videos on youtube.
