They say that in life, it's not what you know but who you know. I have recently found that who you know contributes greatly to what you know. My experience in the military to this point, though short, has allowed me to meet and encounter people from all across the United States and has exposed me to many world views and perspectives on life. Here are some ideas I picked up this weekend.
Knowing what you don't know is just as important as what you do know.
The take away here should actually be to know your limits.
- Never be afraid to admit that you don't know the answer to something as long as you're willing to find it.
- Delegate tasks accordingly. Life is hectic as it is, so the delegation of simple or routine tasks is paramount to accomplishing what you are actually there to do in a timely manner.
- There's no harm in referring to a specialist or consulting someone who's had more experience. It can be harmful and potentially neglectful to try to solve a problem that's beyond your scope or knowledge base.
Don't work without getting paid.
About a year and a half ago, I was put in charge of a large program that was running marginally at best. I was (am) a new lieutenant and had no idea what I was doing. Given our limited time to work on our projects, I had no choice but to put in extra time in order to learn the ropes, catch up on what was going on, and get it going in the direction I wanted it to go. Although we are given a salary, the amount of work and effort put in far surpassed any amount of monetary compensation afforded. Needless to say, this had a grievous effect on my morale.
And then I was told that I could be compensated for my work from home via telecommute. Although I had to jump through hoops for a minute amount of reimbursement, knowing that my extra effort at getting my program operational was recognized was a major morale booster. At least the beer money was anyways.
Riches abound when least expected.
Two thoughts here:
- There's always money somewhere, you just need to find it.
- If you like what you do, don't worry about the pay, because you'll probably get good at it. If you get good at what you do, they'll pay you more to do it.
The key to success in almost any situation is honesty and transparency.
A little bit of humility goes a long way. Be honest with your shortcomings and make it known that you need help.
- Forced review of a situation. Specific problems are presented, broken down, and identified. A big problem may be comprised of smaller, easily handled issues that could can be addressed internally.
- If you are not able to fix said problem, maybe someone else out there might have an idea that could help you.
