Things are Never as Good, or as Bad, as they First Appear
Marine Corps Leadership always demands a calm, consistent and steady hand. Marine Corps Leaders should never be too quick to jump to conclusions and assume the sky is falling every time there is a major problem. They shouldn't be in a hurry to pat themselves on the back either.
Unless you're in contact, don't be afraid to walk away and make the decision later. There usually is plenty of time to let the situation develop and determine the appropriate Course of Action. The extra 24 or 48 hours may be all thats needed to find a simple solution that didn't appear in the "heat of the moment". Your simple calm reaction can instill confidence in your subordinates (if the boss isn't worried why should I be) and will often allow you to make a better decision given a few extra hours or days to reflect on the consequences.
"Unless you're in contact, don't be afraid to walk away and make the decision later"
Always give credit where credit is due, but have you turned over every stone to make sure your unit is as completely ready to accomplish the mission? Always take the extra time to evaluate the situation and make sure you haven't let something important go unnoticed. Time is your ally, use it wisely and you may avoid overestimating your unit's ability. Rush to conclusions and you could end up underestimating your enemy.
Marine Corps Leadership is an art, take the time to do it right.
At the end of the movie Charlie Wilson's War CIA agent Gust Avrakotos lets the air out of Congressman Wilson after he helped defeat the Soviet's in Afghanistan.
Gust Avrakotos: There's a little boy and on his 14th birthday he gets a
horse... and everybody in the village says, "how wonderful. the boy got a
horse" And the Zen master says, "we'll see." Two years later The boy falls
off the horse, breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, "how
terrible." And the Zen master says, "We'll see." Then, a war breaks out and
all the young men have to go off and fight... except the boy can't cause his
legs all messed up. and everybody in the village says, "How wonderful."
Charlie Wilson: Now the Zen master says, "We'll see."
Posted by Leading Marines.com at 6/15/2009 4:51 PM 
Categories: General Leadership, Command
Tags: military leadership
Categories: General Leadership, Command
Tags: military leadership
There are two reasons the Marine Corps is the worlds best leadership school.
1) Natural Selection: We learn from our mistakes or die it is that simple. What has evolved over the years is a product of our learning.
2) We function at the bottom of the pyramid... According the Maslows's hierarchy of needs the base of the pyramid is basic survival... it's the place where you live or die... it's the place where are senses are tuned for survival and must choose fight or flight...
This is the where Marine Leadership is honed and perfected...
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Your points are well written. Sometimes in the cockpit, you have to sit on your hands for a second, evaluate and then act.
look forward to more!
s/f
Taco
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