Stay Outside the Box

The parting comments from one of my Platoon Sergeants were "Stay outside the Box, Jurena. There is nothing in it."

I found these words to be enlightning. In early 1989, you just did not say things like that. You heard lots of truly remarkable things like "Because this is the way we have always done it". "That's the standard operating procedure" "uniformity is the key to combat effectiveness". "Because I said, so". All these responses were given should you have the balls to ask.."Why"?

In the end, it was this way of thinking that led me to get out. Just because you have done something one way does not mean there are not other ways to do things. And many times that idea came or comes from a sub ordinate. I learned alot from the men that served under me. I would venture to say that I learned more from them than I ever taught. I however, encouraged "why".

Yes, there are some events in my 10 years that pushed me even further to getting out but it was the realization that the Army in its configuration at that time was not a place where I was going to survive because "Why" was a key part of who I was. Yes, I would certainly snap to attention and sound off with "Roger that", when the situation became "rank" intensive. I use rank versus leadership because at that moment, I was being told to shut up and I was listening because I respected the rank and not necessarily the individual or his leadership abilities. Anyone that knows my history knows I was far from perfect and don't claim I had all the answers but I've always hated the process of shutting down any type of intellectual discourse.

I think and this is pure speculation, that could be perhaps why some folks did not like Pat Tillman. He voiced what he felt was wrong with certain situations and rumor has it, he was often times the smartest guy in the room. I would ask why and I'd have a better idea perhaps of how to do things different but many times I was truly looking for the answer. I've heard Tillman usually knew the answer and wanted to see if anyone else did.

And in the strangest of twists, in irony that I found to be beyond belief, the advisor to the Tillman family as they sought answers from the US Army, was the same man who told me, "Stay outside the Box, Jurena. There is nothing in it"

I've inserted a video below of Stanley McChrystal at a recent conference who describes the vertical that was the Army to one that is much different and how these lessons are applied in business.

What I wonder is, if the reason, either conscious or subconsciously that he got caught up in the Rolling Stone scandal is if he knew that the changes he helped create are good for the battle space but I doubt you will see the old school Army go away with regards to its organizational structure. Here is a General that, weird, was involved in the Tillman debacle as well but he certainly stayed way outside the box, my guess is he knew nothing was in it.