[June 8, 2023] As a new Platoon Leader in the U.S. Army Infantry, my Soldiers were always comparing me to their previous leader. And oh, that Lieutenant did not do so well. Those comparisons were usually unflattering and frankly I was not too happy about it (for professional reasons). My commander told me to just get use to it. He was right.
“Life is not fair. Get used to it.” – Bill Gates
It took a year before I was fully accepted into the platoon for who I was and for my own teamwork and accomplishments. It is to be expected that leaders are compared to other leaders. Yep, the advice to just get use to it, was spot on. This is the way of the world and so better to have a thick skin and move on.
Being compared to other leaders is something we should not only expect but also should help manage. There is a natural inclination of others to do this. Typically when we think of people making comparisons, it is one person comparing themselves to someone else. For the leader to be compared to other leaders can be a sticky problem if it gets out of hand.
This is why it is so important for leaders to establish genuine personal connections to people and to use their social skills effectively. At that point, when the tendency to make comparisons occurs, the comparison is more likely to be positive.
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It is wonderful to get a glimpse into the world of Gen. Satterfield and on occasion to get into his thoughts and to learn how he developed himself over time. This article is a quick peak into one of his experiences. It clearly had an impact on his Leadership Philosophy and he as a good person. Folks don’t forget to read his books.
Read them both. Gen. Satterfield is da man.
I saw yesterday that Sadako Red posted a comment. I hope he writes another article soon. I’m a huge huge fan of his.
Gen. Satterfield noted that “Being compared to other leaders is something we should not only expect but also should help manage. ” This is a bit of sage advice. Please folks, don’t overlook it. We should all be paying close attention to even the short articles by Gen. Satterfield.
Gen. Satterfield, thanks for todays DAILY FAVORITES. Victor Davis Hanson is a great historian and one that we all should be reading more often. I am particularly enthralled with his ideas of post WW2 in that it was not really the end of global war but a war that continued to rage in eastern Europe and throughout parts of Asia. Peoples were being enslaved at a greater rate under the USSR than under Hitler’s Nazi Germany. We missed all that. Our parades thru NYC nonetheless.
True enough. We don’t teach history at all anyway in school. Why bother to study this?
Because it is necessary to not lose faith in humans and to know that evil exists in its many forms, capital EVIL and small evil. Evil runs through the hearts of us all.
We have a long way to go to recover America’s formal public education system. It is totally broken.
As usual, great points Max. ✔
Another easy read for today and much appreciated. BTW, I got a copy of your book “Our Longest Year in Iraq” and am now enjoying each page.
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Longest-Year-Iraq-Construction/dp/1737915510/
Highly recommended book by Gen. Satterfield.
Book of the year. 😎
Gen. Satterfield tells us the obvious but with a bit of his history too. Thank you, Gen. S. This comparisons are all a part of growing up and learning to be an adult.