In Honor of Veterans Day

“Thanks for your input, but leadership is different outside of the Army. It’s much more difficult and people don’t just do what you tell them to do like in the Army.”

I wish I had dollar for every time I have seen or heard a version of that statement. The U.S. Army is the greatest leadership factory in the world, but leadership doesn’t come easy. In honor of Veterans Day, I thought I would share the greatest leadership lesson I learned in the Army; it also happens to be the lesson I wish every leader knew.

It was imparted upon me at a very early point in my career. A few senior non-commissioned officers took the time to make sure that I was equipped to be a successful leader.

Their lesson: Take care of your soldiers and they will take care of you.

That directly translates to every industry, organization or leadership position that exists. When you take care of your people, they will take care of you when you need it the most. There are countless times when my team fixed my mistakes because they knew I would do the same for them. People are the greatest resource in any organization, and they perform at their best when they know their leader is taking care of them. This lesson served me well in the Army and continues to help me to this day.

Wednesday, November 11 is when we observe Veteran’s Day this year. Take the opportunity to ask a veteran what they learned in the military. You may be surprised that your assumptions weren’t correct.