[May 26, 2017] Get er done is an American colloquial phrase and philosophy that tells leaders to do the right things to succeed in life. There always seems to be too much to do and not enough time. Get er done helps push us to get what needs to be done and done without procrastination, hesitation, or excuses.
All good teams and organizations have their favorite saying or motto. The same was true for us in one of my combat engineer units. We even had a “mascot”1 which we named ‘get er done’ to symbolize that we would do everything we could (legally, ethically, morally) to accomplish any mission assigned. Our unit built more buildings, bridges, and roads and cleared more IEDs than any unit of the war in Iraq.
Get er done can be considered a type of attitude. It’s in your head that ‘action’ is the operative word; smart ideas and action make up this attitude. Once we were given only six weeks to build a fully functioning area to house, feed, protect, and supply a full combat brigade; not easy in a desert environment.
While on the hood of an army Humvee drawing the initial plans, there were bulldozers and graders in the background preparing the land for tents and buildings we knew had to go there. We accomplished the mission with time to spare and no injuries to our engineers or contractors. Our unit was the place to go if you wanted something done.
The idea of this thinking is to do those things – the right things – at the right time to complete the task or mission. It’s an approach with the mindset of success.
Here are some of the actions that the get er done philosophy assists us in pushing:
- Instill motivation, commitment, and direction in ourselves and others
- Plan and be prepared
- Use time effectively
- Train properly
- Overcome barriers
- Adapt to circumstances
- Improvise when necessary
- Take control
We’ve all know those folks who were go-getters, self-starters, live-wires … they were people who always seemed to be at the forefront of everything happening and in the know on anything important. These are the same people who adhere to the get er done philosophy. We like them. They can be us.
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- The mascot was a stuffed toy horse given to our unit Chaplain by his young daughter.