[March 11, 2021] Guys my age grew up on old Western movies. The plots were usually the same; a wagon train headed West gets attacked by Indians, and the U.S. Army Cavalry comes to the rescue. There was plenty of action as the cavalry chases off the attackers. Always present with the troopers was the red and white guidon (flag) representing the rescuing Cavalry unit.
Taking the guidon is an old tradition dating back before recorded history. A new Commander takes the guidon (or something of similar symbolic value) from the outgoing Commander. When the guidon is handed from one officer to another, so does all responsibility and accountability for the unit as well. The symbolism is time-honored.
Taking the guidon has other, similar meanings. In the military, it can also mean to take the initiate, grab responsibility, or charge into battle. Thus, if you are a leader, you are expected to take the guidon. You are responsible for what does or does not happen. You are expected to look into the future and prepare your soldiers (or civilians) for all contingencies. It means that you are the leader; no one else has overall responsibility for your organization.
This taking of the guidon also symbolizes the moral and legal obligations specified in that organization. The “guidon” in a civilian organization will not be a physical flag like we see with the U.S. Army. For the King, it is the crown. For a judge, it is a gavel. And for the CEO, it could be a large office. Those in possession of the ‘guidon’ are the publically recognized leader.
In October 1992, I took command of A Company of the 365th Engineer Battalion. I was handed the unit guidon, a red flag with the engineer castle, “A” and “365” in white in compliance with the Army’s guidon standards. Upon my departure from the unit, I received a framed replica guidon, a gift I will always cherish. It hangs in my home today.
Great care is observed when a new person takes the guidon. Because the fate of the organization depends on the abilities of the new leader, transferring responsibility is not taken lightly. New leaders must prove themselves. Leaders considered for command today no longer fight it out in hand-to-hand combat. A similar, more productive method is used. This involves vested caretakers within the organization selecting the right person based for the job.
My friend Wilson and I sat in front of the old black and white television set on Saturday morning to watch cowboy films. High Noon (1952), Fort Massacre (1958), and the series Wagon Train (1957) were our favorites, even to this day. In reality, the cavalry does not always come to the rescue, but leaders are obligated to exercise responsible behavior. Taking the guidon sets them apart.
One of the best articles I’ve read in a long time on responsibility. Take all the reasonable responsibility you can muster. It is difficult, but if you want to be satisfied with your life and have a happy family, the do it and do it now. Don’t wait, don’t procrastinate over adopting responsibility, go out and grab it now.
Hi Gen. Satterfield, I enjoyed today’s article a bunch. Thank you. BTW, I forwarded it to my boss at work to get his comments. I’m interested in his thinking on the subject.
Let us know, Gil what he says. 😊
He loved it. Good thing, I was a bit hesitant about sending him anything that might upset him – things aren’t going so well in these poor economic times. He expects taxes to go up, the cost of business to climb (Biden promised as much), and the workforce is getting ‘woke’ and overly sensitive.
Wooo hooo. Thanks all.
Reminds me growing up and learning to be a man. There are many aspects of learning this but one of them was to be able to ‘see’ what needed to be done, have the willingness to jump in, and the motivation to carry out the tasks to get it done. Sometimes you have to take the guidon even if you don’t want to. This is what distinguishes the great from the good.
Very interesting article today. I too grew up with cowboys and indian movies. It was a fun time. All the shows were in Black and White and that made it that much more mysterious. Thanks Gen. Satterfield for bringing back some childhood memories.
Yes, fun to remanence about our time as children.
Excellent article, thanks Gen. S.
The ‘guidon’ may be symbolic but let’s not overlook a comment from Gen. Satterfield that states “This taking of the guidon also symbolizes the moral and legal obligations specified in that organization.” More than responsibility directly, but there is both a moral and legal component that cannot be overlooked. Focus here. That is where most leaders get into trouble.
Well said Max. And those leaders who are not paying attention will get trapped quickly. I’ve seen it often when someone is chosen to lead a team when they don’t have the moral character or experience. That happens a lot when women and black are pushed into leadership positions to show the company’s compassion for “justice.” The result is not so good.
Some will say your comments are racist and sexist but I know that this is simply an observation of reality. Many will ignore it but these problems will come back to haunt us in the future and drive others more toward disliking women and blacks.
Sad, but true. Thanks Kenny.
This is far too common of a way to ignore problems, by calling others names and projecting bad motives. Sadly, that does not work in the long term.
Well said. Also you have hit the nail on the head with your comment. Some people are willing to ignore reality to be validated by others as having moral authority. It’s so easy to get and to overlook the destructiveness of it.
… and this is the world that we are coming too. Sadly, our new federal govt is only encouraging this irresponsible behavior.
General Satterfield, smart idea here. 👍
Just wanted to say this is a really good article and informative about a basic idea that great people – and those who are most satisfied with themselves – are those that grab responsibility when it is presented. Taking the guidon and running with it, yes, an interesting way to put it. Thanks Gen. Satterfield. This is another example of why I keep coming back to your leadership blog.
me too ## …. a different me too movement (ha) …
… and there you go, again making sense out of something as basic as being ready to take on a reasonable amount of responsibility.
Yes, responsibility. That is what makes things work. If you don’t take responsibility, chaos looms in the background and may become part of your daily life. Then, what will you do. The chaos is upon us in America and is a direct reflection of our failure to deal with the Marxists in our mist.
Good point , Jonnie. I see it every day in the policies of the US Democrat Party and the new (p)resident Joe Biden who is clueless and his VP Harris is even less clueless. Who is running the show?
Jonnie, yes, I agree and the problem as others have pointed out is that we actually encourage this lack of responsibility by rewarding failed behavior.
That is what humans do best – take on responsible action – but many do not. Those that are not responsible are helping make the world a worse place.
Many however failed spectacularly at the tasks. Let’s not overlook the fact that we can also learn from failure even if it is catastrophic failure.