On Friday morning I had the privilege of having breakfast with a former United States Army Ranger. We discussed a myriad of leadership topics – church, family, business, military and the merging of the four into a singular journey.
Much of his military experience is classified and I show the proper respect by not asking questions to put him in an awkward situation. He did share a story about a particular mission in which his unit was dropped several miles from a target. They would then begin to long trek to their destination.
Their nighttime march took them through a series of rural farms. My friend was stationed near the back. His job was to provide communications and call in aerial assets if necessary. At a certain point of their journey the Rangers were ambushed. Their unit, consisting of approximately 30 men, were spread out over about 100 yards. Shots were coming down from the mountainside and an RPG was fired from the rear.
The men behind him were hit by the shrapnel from the RPG. He did what he was trained to do – drop to a knee allowing the blast to go over his head, then move forward and go to the ground. My friend then coordinated the efforts of the troops, got the injured men assistance, and secured the aerial assets which took out the mountain threat.
It was then he gave me an incredible leadership lesson. He said, “We are trained to Pause. Assess. Take Action. The mistake most people make is not taking action. When I dove to the ground the blast went over my head.”
The following conversation ensued:
“So what causes you more stress, a military conflict or an argument with his wife?”
He responded with a smile, “An argument with my wife.”
“Really? Your wife is so kind and sweet. Explain that to me.”
“It’s easy. There is no emotion involved. In the military we are trained to take the emotion out of it.”
It was then I applied military leadership lessons to everyday life. I asked him, “So when we have conflict with our wives, why don’t we pause, assess, and take action.”
His reply was perfect, “That’s why we need men’s ministry.”
This week you are going to face many conflicts, challenging situations, and hard decisions. I recommend you take the advice of a United States Army Ranger and do these three things:
- Pause – Stay calm.
- Assess – Gather information and then make decisions.
- Take Action – Great leaders have a bias for action, but only after first pausing and then assessing.
What is one thing you learned from my breakfast meeting which will make you a better leader?
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