Are A Skill
Real Hero Report |
Questions
“PFC Schmuck, I need you to get the ID numbers from
now!”
“Aye-aye, Sergeant!” Turns to Marine next to him, “What the
hell am I supposed to do?”
This exchange is typical in the military. Just ask any staff
new boots. If there is anything I have learned from my time in the
military, it is that you will need to ask for help at some time. As a
whole, the military thrusts their members into jobs that they have
had no prior experience with, and they are expected to perform
as admirably as the last member. The posts get fumbled while the
member learns the ropes, then the member is off to a new job.
The solution for knowledge and skill gaps are turnover binders
and classes. I do not know about you, but a period of instruction,
teaching me an entirely new skill, has no payoff unless I have
developed questions before the class. In the military, there is no
time for this, so we struggle.
As I have succeeded and failed at my job as the Adjutant for
Combat Logistics Regiment 45, I have found what I thought to be
standard procedure, is actually a learnable skill–asking questions.
“Teamwork makes the dream work” is a statement that I often
repeat in the administration shop. It is true in every sense, but
many Marines struggle to put this phrase in action. I do not blame
and individual effort through meritorious awards and promotions.
Not to mention, the Marines who struggle the most with these
is our combat mindset. A good, useful tool that is necessary and
sharpened daily, but the continuous grind of getting this task
thrive in a mindset of “work together.”
“Gung-ho” is a slogan adopted into our Marine Corps
describing an unthinkably enthusiastic individual. There are
stories of and awards given to such individuals who internalize
this slogan. However, its roots are “gonghe,” in Chinese, meaning
‘work together.’ It is this former meaning that the Marine Corps,
and every military service, need you to internalize. Pride should
not interfere with a goal, but it will because teams are rarely given
honors.
Both the junior and senior members must humble themselves
before the team if they are to succeed. The juniors must take it
upon themselves to seek self-improvement, which is impossible
without humility, by asking questions from the senior members,
who must humbly take it upon themselves to teach the material.
This student-teacher relationship was described long ago by
General John A. Lejeune. It was perhaps, a golden era for military
knowledge, but “fear has closed once-open minds.”
Fear of looking incompetent and lazy is a wedge between
junior members and their seniors. This wedge can sabotage an
entire operation if a junior member is concerned more about his
at the root of the disconnect between ‘me’ and ‘team.’ It is up to
senior members to cultivate a squad as a classroom and recognize
their role as teachers, then the solution becomes simple: leaders
must show juniors how to do the task they want them to complete.
Teaching is showing what needs to be done, allowing failure,
and encouraging questions. Through this method, juniors will
not only learn how to learn, but how to teach. This will create a
cycle of capable and intelligent NCOs that will ultimately affect
military. Humility is the prerequisite to mastering the skill of
asking questions; questions are the answer to failure; and failure
is reduced when we humbly improve ourselves.