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Special Guest Post today by Earl Breon, Jr.- lead author and founder of The Layman Leadership blog…

Those gravelly voiced, spit projecting, smokey bear hat wearing men and women who made your life hell for so many weeks were actually sages in disguise and I bet you never realized it. I know I didn’t until many years later when a buddy and I were talking about some of the stuff our Drill Instructors would say. Now, I went to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (where real Marines are made) and he went to MCRD San Diego (Hollywood Marines) but our DIs had a lot of the same wisdom to share. Here are the eight that are actually safe for public cons:umption.

The only bad mistake is one you make twice!

This is one of the first phrases out of my Senior Drill Instructors mouth upon receiving to the new platoon. Make no mistake, he demanded perfection in every little detail but when you messed up you had better learn from it. You will always make mistakes.

The person who wins is the one that makes mistakes, learns and adapts his strategy.

Dark green, light green, we are all green!

Many people don’t consider the military a bastion of diversity, but it really is. Heck, one of my boot-camp friends was a Muslim. I’ll never forget when I had to stay back with him so he could roll out his rug and pray. It was so foreign to me at the time but it is one of the reasons I make sure people throw in the word “extremist” when talking about Muslim terrorists.

Race, religion, or economic background don’t matter, we are all green! Feel free to pick your own color or logo for your organization. Just be unified.

Yes, Sir? No, Sir? Say something!

Communicate, communicate, communicate! There seemed to be no greater offense than not communicating. If you were asked a question and didn’t answer, and answer quickly, this was the phrase that followed rather quickly. It was usually said much more, hmmm, colorfully than this.

Communicate, and when you are communicated with then be sure to respond.

Know our history and know your future!

Marine Corps history was a huge focus during boot-camp. That’s right; it wasn’t all running and learning to kill. They taught us history and other topics, as well. Granted, they were all military oriented. But, history was by far the most important.

When you understand what those before you have endured it frames your perspective on your current situation. When you know that approximately 520 Marines and Sailors repelled an entire Japanese fleet for 15 days (Wake Island) then a jammed copy machine doesn’t seem like such a big deal.

Act like you have a sense of purpose!

This phrase came out anytime somebody looked lazy or lost. There is no room for lazy and lost in highly successful organizations. You must believe you have a sense of purpose and contribute.

If you don’t have a sense of purpose right now then act like you do and one will show itself pretty quickly.

When one of you fails, all of you fail!

Teams do not thrive on individual success. Sure, there may be one or two with more talent than others but teams fail or succeed together. There is no way around it. Even when you think of somebody like Lebron James in Cleveland, yes, he carries the team but without the four other men on the court he could not beat five men.

A chain really is only as strong as its weakest link. Build each link to be as strong as possible.

Sunday to Sunday and chow to chow. That is how you make it through anything!

Take life in smaller more manageable sections. Yes, plan big and plan long term but don’t miss a turn because you are focused on the finish line. It is easy to get distracted by final results and miss crucial opportunities along the way.

Break life and life goals down into smaller, more manageable steps and stay flexible enough to incorporate new opportunities along the way.

Stay motivated!

Proper motivation is extremely important. It is, many times, the difference between opportunity being taken or being allowed to pass you by. It is also a key difference between success and failure.

Stay motivated and focused and achieve things you never thought possible.

About Earl Breon, Jr…

“I am passionate about leadership. From my first job as a kid, to the United States Marine Corps and through a career as a federal servant I have seen first hand the magic of great leadership as well as the tragedy of poor leadership. These hard learned life lessons are what inspired me to start blogging on the topic and help others become better leaders. My goal is to change the world by spreading leadership fundamentals in order to inspire a growth of leadership skills across all sectors. Pure and simple, the only way any problem gets solved is through effective leadership. I want to help solve problems.”