Ops NCO

The Principle:

At the end of the day, how successful you are as a leader or in any other venue is really a matter of choice. People who make up their minds to be a top performer, or excellent leader, will find a way to be. People who don't will always find an excuse as to why they can't succeed. The heartfelt decision to be a top-notch person, employee, spouse, parent or leader is one of the most important decisions a person can make.

How I first learned this principle:

As a young private, I had a team leader named Doug (I can't use his entire name due to what the military calls PERSEC, or Personnel Security. You'll see why in a moment...)

Doug was a guy on his first enlistment. He had a great deal of natural ability. He could jump and ruck all night a day, and took quite naturally to the skills every good infantryman must posses.

But, Doug was planning to get out. He could literally tell you how many days before his discharge date. All he could wait for was to get out and become an English teacher.

Once day, someone stopped me in the hallway and asked if I heard what happened with Doug. It turns out he had reenlisted! I remember asking him what he was thinking. His reply? "I just decided this is what I wanted to do."

After his reenlistment, Doug went to the US Army Ranger School, one of the most demanding courses in the Army. After that, he was transferred to an airborne unit in Italy.

I lost track of Doug until a few years ago. Turns out, after his tour in Italy, he volunteered and had served for over 12 years with the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He was later tapped to be the Command Sergeant Major of this battalion...and later of the entire Ranger Regiment. I couldn't help but poke a little fun at my old team leader, telling him that "for a guy who was getting out the whole time I knew him...he was doing okay".

Things to think about:

No matter what you decide to do in life, you have a choice to make. You have to decide if you're going to be a "top 10%er", a "bottom 10%er", or one of the "80% who are average".

You see, you will always be compared to your peer group, no matter what role you have. If I take ten people, be they soldiers, civilians, spouses, children, doctors, nurses, Baptists, Catholics, black, white, yellow, brown or green (you get the picture) -- they will generally break out like this:

• 1 or 2 will be top notch or above average. They'll strive to be better than the group.
• 6 to 8 will be average.
• 1 or 2 wil be below average and generally a drain.

Now, let me be clear. I'm making no judgments on any of the above three groups. The world's a big place and needs all three types. I won't lie to you, it takes more work to be a top 10-20% person, spouse, parent, employee, etc. I just happen to think it's worth the effort.

The next step:

Sit down and ask yourself if you truly have decided to be a top performer in your chosen area. Then ask yourself what kind of results you are producing in that area.

The simple truth is, the actions you take are more important than your words. You can say you're dedicated to being a top performer, but if you aren't actually producing top results, than you have work to do (or, not to be overly harsh, you are lying to yourself).

Don't skip this step, as it is one of the keys to success in anything you choose to do. Don't take my word for it...just ask Doug.