Results

A few days ago some senior top leadership had a big talk with the whole platoon and let anyone voice any problems. The guys with the most complaints shouldn't have been talking at all. The results of this is problems snowball. When someone on top is mad he yells at his subordinates and the problems just get bigger as they come down hill. At the bottom they hit the lowest guy the hardest. In this case we are the lowest guys. Some straight up stupidity resulted. People complained about being punished in ways only those farther up the food chain are able to be punished. The result was a "surprise" pt test today and tomorrow. The reason it was surprise and no one was told was so that people wouldn't go get a profile so they could skip it. If you fail a pt test you get a negative counseling and you get punished either way. Quite a few failed. The other thing that resulted was we now have a roster that we have to sign out and back in whenever we go anywhere, even when we are released. Even with this new system we still had a failure to report at a normally scheduled formation. This is the stupidity that results when people complain to their bosses boss.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

has caused me to re-evaluate my purpose and direction in life. I have always had the idea that someday I would get a degree, a job or business, marry, and live a similar life to that of my parents. The problems that my actions were a result of my immediate focus on short term: What can I do to look good? What will be fun/provide adventure? What am I being asked/required to do? This book helped me focus my daily actions on long term results. I have always struggled with discipline and a general lack of direction. As it says in Proverbs 16:3, "Commit your works to the LORD And your plans will be established" The idea there is in order to receive that direction in life, to have that vision, to have plans established by the Lord I needed to commit individual works to Him. In my war against my undisciplined aimless actions I have some new weapons: "How will this affect my leadership ability / marriage / family / children / grandchildren?"

There are many more lessons in this book that have to do with a good leader, this is just the one that has made the greatest impression on me. I have been struggling with where am I going and how am I going to get there.

This is defiantly a five out of five. For maximum use I recommend going through it with a friend you can talk through the issues it presents.