The amount of contortions I've seen to avoid 'failure' that actually results in real failure are legion. I'd always take a deadlined track and the heat of getting it repaired over a pencilwhiped PMCS and have that vehicle go down in the field.
I dealt with that in 3ACR where I forced my howitzer platoon to eliminate all of the work-arounds. Like when driver comms went down and I told them to just route the cable to the back and they told me that's the one that went down. The primary AND the workaround were down... Not good.
By the time we were done fixing everything, including all the work arounds in the digital fire control, and rolled the the field, my CO was pissed at how my vehicles made the Battery look to the Squadron CDR. I got a stern lecture that I had cut my maintenence too close to our departure and to look to how the other platoons had done things.
As we rolled out 1st Platoon didn't lost a track crossing the road outside the motorpool. Third platoon blew a track on the way.
When we went to fire for qualifications, after two days, my tracks were the only ones operational and all the other teams had to shoot from mine. Suddenly my CO was telling the other LTs to come to me to figure out what I'd done.
I raised three boys. The older two 11 and 8 years older than my youngest. I let my youngest fail far more than my older two. I taught all of them I would never get angry at their mistakes. Provided the mistakes were well thought out. Yes, I told them ‘a thoughtless mistake should not happen. Think it through, make a decision. If it turns out wrongly, figure out what you did wrong, and re do it.’ But I allowed my youngest far more failures. Then I discussed what he thought he did wrong and where he could correct. He is now my business partner. Nothing happens where he doesn’t say ‘you know what I did wrong…?’ Never blames anyone else. He makes excellent decisions as a result. Similar to what you wrote.
BTW my admonition I would not criticize them for a mistake made that had been thought out, but I would for a dumb mistake helped them. But it also made the three of them into locker room lawyers. They could argue upside and down why their mistake had been well thought out. No matter how dumb it actually had been. Also okay. That too helped them think.
Agency. You provided agency to your troops so they could learn how to succeed, and learn from their failures. Stepping in unbidden would have been the DM fudging the die rolls for a D&D player. Excellent simulationist gaming methods translated into real-world actions.
The amount of contortions I've seen to avoid 'failure' that actually results in real failure are legion. I'd always take a deadlined track and the heat of getting it repaired over a pencilwhiped PMCS and have that vehicle go down in the field.
I dealt with that in 3ACR where I forced my howitzer platoon to eliminate all of the work-arounds. Like when driver comms went down and I told them to just route the cable to the back and they told me that's the one that went down. The primary AND the workaround were down... Not good.
By the time we were done fixing everything, including all the work arounds in the digital fire control, and rolled the the field, my CO was pissed at how my vehicles made the Battery look to the Squadron CDR. I got a stern lecture that I had cut my maintenence too close to our departure and to look to how the other platoons had done things.
As we rolled out 1st Platoon didn't lost a track crossing the road outside the motorpool. Third platoon blew a track on the way.
When we went to fire for qualifications, after two days, my tracks were the only ones operational and all the other teams had to shoot from mine. Suddenly my CO was telling the other LTs to come to me to figure out what I'd done.
I’ve talked about the same thing for years…But I like your word!:-)))
Good article!
I raised three boys. The older two 11 and 8 years older than my youngest. I let my youngest fail far more than my older two. I taught all of them I would never get angry at their mistakes. Provided the mistakes were well thought out. Yes, I told them ‘a thoughtless mistake should not happen. Think it through, make a decision. If it turns out wrongly, figure out what you did wrong, and re do it.’ But I allowed my youngest far more failures. Then I discussed what he thought he did wrong and where he could correct. He is now my business partner. Nothing happens where he doesn’t say ‘you know what I did wrong…?’ Never blames anyone else. He makes excellent decisions as a result. Similar to what you wrote.
BTW my admonition I would not criticize them for a mistake made that had been thought out, but I would for a dumb mistake helped them. But it also made the three of them into locker room lawyers. They could argue upside and down why their mistake had been well thought out. No matter how dumb it actually had been. Also okay. That too helped them think.
excellent piece.
Thanks I’m glad you enjoyed it! Feel free share it with someone who might be interested 😀
Agency. You provided agency to your troops so they could learn how to succeed, and learn from their failures. Stepping in unbidden would have been the DM fudging the die rolls for a D&D player. Excellent simulationist gaming methods translated into real-world actions.
If that is a compliment then I will take it! Thank you!
Absolutely a compliment.