[April 15, 2023] Over the past few weeks, as I lay in the hospital bed after major surgery, I thought of the lessons we fail to tell good men. Those lessons I will write about can make good men even better. Better than they ever could think they could be, these lessons deserve to be laid out and discussed.
Many of these lessons will come from my military experience or from those Soldiers and troops I had the honor to serve with for many decades. Of course, I would most appreciate critical feedback and your thoughts about them. Regular readers of my leadership blog know that I read every comment and take them for their value. I also make adjustments based on your input. Thank you, in advance, for your contributions.
Okay, here I go. Today, I’ll bring up three lessons for good men. These lessons are not appearing in any particular order but as they come to my mind. Later, I will prioritize them and address their importance and how they properly tie to and support others.
“… In truth, whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well; and nothing can be done well without attention; I therefore carry the necessity of attention down to the lowest of things, even to dancing and dress.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope
- Excellence is a Habit: One thing that makes leaders successful is their persistence toward excellence in those essential things we commit ourselves to. Shortcuts do not work well. Cutting corners is a failed way of achieving important goals. Regardless of the mission, do them well, do them well every time. This is the secret to gaining respect from all others.
- Know what is Important: Be able to prioritize goals. There is always more to accomplish than time allows. Attempting to do them all is a recipe for eventual disaster. Do not spend time and energy on things that don’t matter, and be aware of what is important. Focus on what is most important first. Get it done, and then move on to those things of lesser importance.
- Follow Through: Perseverance and follow through matters. The development of personal skills and moral characteristics is what makes us who we are. Never give up on making yourself a better man. Always follow through. Your word is everything. In big and small things, not doing what you say erodes your credibility and reliability.
Over the next few weeks, I plan to expand upon this list. Thanks for reading my blog today.
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Not for good men ONLY. For all men and women.
Hey, Gen. Satterfield, good article and I am looking forward to the follow up in future posts. This is the start of something BIG.
Agreed. What is next? I hope this series turns into something that is truly useful for young men, actually for all of us. I know that Gen. Satterfield says this is for “good men.” But anyone who reads his blog daily knows that his posts are for everyone. Just read any article at random and you will see it. What I do want to point out is that he writes the title with “good”. Now, that has implications that the lessons are for those who are ethical, who are oriented properly, and who have a noble vision in their lives. All of us can do it. But it does involve hard work and focus.
Anything that is good, is hard.
Well said, Max. I do appreciate your analysis and summaries. 👍
Wow, nice start, I am looking forrward to more.
Well, great start Gen. Satterfield to your new series. If you could also discuss the lies we tell good men, too. Now that would be very useful.
I AGREE
Great article, thanks Gen. Satterfield for giving us some lessons we ALL should know, esp. young men.
Ursala, correct. and the point Gen. S. is making and something we should all encourage too.
Theses are clearly for more than just ‘good men’ but for women also. 🙏
A quick search of the Internet yields an abundance of sites that talk about lessons for boys and for men. This is a place to get a bit of a hint of what others are saying about this exact same subject. Review them, learn from them, and be sure to credit them when you take their idea. Give credit where it is due and let them know you are supportive as we are supportive of your work. Keep the good articles coming. They make me smile each time I read one.
Gen. Satterfield, here is a big suggestion that I hope you take to heart. Maybe consider, just for a moment that you write a book on lessons we fail to tell good men. Use this forum as a start to get feedback and help. Remember, we’re here to help put the exclamation point on your work. 😉
Good! Yep, that is what we do.
Our mission!
Our job and our mission and the reason I read this blog regularly and take those lessons to heart. ❤❤❤❤❤
Great start, thanks from a good man!