Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/634023
February 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 78 final word | by Tom Jackson I n basic training, the newbies get hollered at a good deal. The volume and intensity taper off once the instructors feel they have your attention. But the gruff language never completely stops, even as you move on to advanced training and your first assignments. There's an important reason the military does not shower you with empty praise. Kids beyond a certain age know when praise is fake, and the military understands how counterproductive it can be. Fake praise can: • Demoralize those who see through it. • Anger those who are praiseworthy, but ignored. • Erode team unity and cohesion. • Set up underqualified people for disappointing failures. But, life in the military is not just one long ass-chewing either. Eventually, the instructors start building people up, instead of tearing them down. There is encouragement to achieve; to work together as a team and help each other graduate basic. After basic and advanced training, the NCOs and officers continue to encourage you to reach higher. In the Army, the Rangers solicit volun- teers for the Special Forces. You'll be encour- aged to go for your Expert Infantry Badge, or try some of the more rigorous schools, like jump school or Air Assault training. If you've got some college under your belt, you may be encouraged to try for Officer Candidate School or Warrant Officer school. The encouragement to achieve and excel never ends. The military's formula is designed to take ordinary people and get them to achieve extraordinary results, which was Dwight Eisenhower's definition of leadership. And, as in the military, most construction recruits are ordinary kids. Some are self-starters, but many are not. Maybe their family didn't have the money for college, or maybe they never had much of a family or lacked positive adult examples to follow. But, the fact that they showed up, whether it's in the recruiter's of- fice or your office, means there is still a spark there; a desire to achieve. What are you doing to fan that spark into a flame? You don't have to act like a drill sergeant to motivate young people, but you do need to be ruthlessly clear about your standards; to hold ev- erybody accountable and to be honest, encour- aging and fair. And most importantly, you have to show them the path to achievement. Scott Kelley, our Contractor of the Year in 2013, came up with a motto for his company: "Journey to Elite," which fulfills that require- ment perfectly. Despite the ass-chewings, the 16-hour days, the endless rounds of pushups and the mind- bending perfection demanded by the drill instructors, the dropout rate in basic training is less than 15 percent for all branches of the ser- vice. It will surprise you how well young people respond to tough but fair, if for no other reason than that they so rarely experience real stan- dards, real challenges and real praise. Tough but fair TJackson@randallreilly.com How the military does leadership, Part 2 (second in a series)