“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” Those were the famed words of Winston Churchill, a man who knew a thing or two about facing down incontrovertible truth. Facing down the might of the Third Reich while London burned around him, Churchill saw the utter nonsense of ignoring the present reality. Incontrovertible Truth has loomed large in my worldview and has served as a guiding waypoint for how I treat my clients and candidates. The truth is not always easy to accept and I’ll confess, there are times where a less than candid approach may serve me well in the immediate future. The truth can be painful at times which is why Churchill also pointed out that “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.” I know at times that the truth is not what a client or prospect wants to hear, but I am convinced they are better off for having heard it. The truth is indeed incontrovertible, and it will be the cornerstone of any professional endeavor or relationship I pursue. Over the next few weeks let’s bathe ourselves in some cold hard truths and start to forge together a future without precedent for all of both.
Know. Do. Be.
During my 27 years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, I saw first-hand the power of organizational culture as few do it better than my beloved Corps. Whether you are an officer or an enlisted Marine, there is a certain expectation or lowest common denominator that one needs to meet in order to survive the culture of the United States Marine Corps. Much of this knowledge is passed on during Officer Candidate School or Basic Training.
Yet, this is just knowledge and hardly the most critical component. Ask any Marine and they’ll regale you with tales of the Marine Corps birthday at Tun Tavern on November 10th, 1775. I suppose any studious individual could obtain this knowledge on their own. Next, there are certain things that Marines are expected to do. Every Marine is first and foremost a rifleman and the ability to operate a rifle universal throughout the Corps. This too is not the most critical component of success in this organization.
Ultimately, success is determined by a thorough understanding of what this nation and the Corps expect you to be. You are expected to be a United States Marine. Knowledge can be learned and skills can be acquired, but one must be a United States Marine and all that this embodies to be successful in the Corps. If you doubt this, call a Marine a “soldier” and watch how quickly they will correct you. They know what they are expected to be and they know what they are. Friends, I have found it to be no different on the other side of the uniform. Candidates and organizations thrive when there is a mutual understanding of what one is expected to be.
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Let’s start the discussion. This very week, top tier candidates and industry leading organizations will be looking for one another and they may very well be looking for you. Don’t miss the action. Visit the Connecting File website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@connectingfile), or start your own narrative with me at an upcoming Connecting File event!