The Body's A Machine

"If you always quit when you are merely tired, you will never gain. Once you let the body tell the mind when to quit, you are whipped for sure. You cannot gain by listening to the body. We can become much stronger if we drive the body. We use about one-tenth of the available strength of our bodies and less than that of our minds!" - George Patton

I've continued to lift weights three days a week after vacation. It's paid off some, as I'm wrist curling 45 pounds (up from 30) and bench pressing 130 (up from 115) after six months. Sometimes I notice my mind tiring and my body following suit shortly after. The mind effectively poisons the body's confidence that way. One thing that's been effective is to fix my mind on the thought that it's floating separately from the body, watching a machine pump iron the same way that I might regard a car while driving up to my Mom's.

More recently, the sweltering 90 degree heat this past week batters a body, but while others complained I made up my mind to ignore it and just accept the sweat pouring as if it was some gentle rain.

Success Defined

"Success is how high you can bounce when you hit bottom." - George Patton

From Fear To Freedom

"You can manage fear in yourself and those you lead by doing as much as possible to eliminate the unknown." - Alan Axelrod

"I am free when I am within myself." - Georg William Friedrick Hegel

How To Win In Every Game

Patton's wife, Beatrice, found her husband kneeling in prayer before a polo match. Afterward she asked what he'd been praying for. 'For help in the game,' he replied. 'Were you praying for a win?' she inquired. 'Hell no,' he said. 'I was praying to do my best.'

I think that the steadiest victory in sports is victory over ourselves. When we conquer our inattention, our fatigue, and our anger, and seize fully the opportunity to exert our very best, then even the hardest loss on the scoreboard pales against the ultimate satisfaction of the hour well spent.

What, Not How

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." - George Patton

That is at odds with "vision" that leaders try to share... instead of a crystal clear snapshot of the future, it requires more of a soft, fuzzy glowing image. But the creative power it unleashes!

The Living Plan

"One does not plan and then try to make circumstances fit those plans. One tries to make plans fit the circumstances. I think the difference between success and failure in high command depends upon the ability, or lack of it, to do just that." - George Patton

This is a good lesson for me to take to heart, since I love to plan and hate to change them. For one thing, this has led me to build lots of cushion into my plans. Often it comes in ahead of schedule, and sometimes it's right on time. And when the time comes for my plans to be completely scrapped, that's when I chalk it up to a higher power telling me that I was just way off base, and need to get with the program!

Carrying The Mail

"Until we know how friendly troops will fight, do not count on them to do much more than bring up our mail!" - George Patton

Bottom line - trust is earned, not implied.

Great Returns Through Interest

"All officers, and particularly General Officers, must be vitally interested in everything that interests the soldier. Usually you will gain a great deal of knowledge by being interested, but even if you do not, the fact that you are interested has a very high morale influence on the soldier." - George Patton

Let's face it... two heads are better than one when it comes to learning as much about the interesting wrinkles of life as possible. My neighbor who's been to Europe, or installed a new electronic gadget at home, or joined the Rotary Club can teach me things faster than I can learn it with shoe leather. Why not ask? I tell you what, this city boy never dreamed that he'd know as much about farming as he does today.

"Interest" is a financial term indicating return on your investment. But in relationships it's the opposite, interest is what you invest to get great returns.

And How Did He Go About Measuring It, Anyway?

"I want you to know that I do not judge the efficiency of an officer by the callouses on his butt." - George Patton

It's a personal presence and interest, for learning rather than meddling, that inspires the team more so than memos.

I Shall Return... Just Not As Much

"Infantry troops can attack continuously for sixty hours. Frequently much time and suffering are saved if they will do so. Beyond sixty hours, it is rather a waste of time, as the men become too fatigued from lack of sleep." - George Patton

Imagine. Sixty hours of continuous combat! That memorable number was the result of rigorous training. And once reached, that figure was respected. Knowing the limits of our team prevents the wastefulness of burnout, or as economists would say, the law of diminishing returns.

That's Sensational!

"In war nothing is ever as bad, or as good, as it is reported to Higher Headquarters." - George Patton

Fish stories aren't confined to the ponds. Human nature exaggerates for good, in order to be able to coast a while, and for bad, in order to gain excuses or more resources.

For the best information, get down to the front lines.

Tasty Fluids

"A pint of sweat is worth a gallon of blood." - George Patton

This isn't about the exchange rate at some gross flea market.

Patton trained his troops hard. Often regarded as overeager to pour his men into every fight, he definitely was eager... but not before they had gotten a full six weeks of training.

"It's a damn waste of the most wonderful manhood of America to send green troops into combat before they are ready. We must train to win."

Often training falls by the wayside, something to be done ad hoc or completely through on-the-job training. In matters of training, undoubtedly doing beats watching. But who would stick a teenage driving student into the middle of the freeway on day one? Yet that's the siren song of "results-oriented" business, or more pointedly, "short-term results-oriented." The traditions of successful organizations demand that we create a high-quality on-ramp for new employees, with thorough manuals, visual aids, indoctrination into the vocabulary and acronyms of the culture, and most importantly adequate time to absorb plentifully.

Winning Easily

"It is easy to know when you have won. Just declare a victory.

It is just as easy to know when you're defeated. Give up.

Expect reverses. Expect losses. They are inevitable. But why give them the last word? Take them as bumps along the road to victory." - Alan Axelrod

It's Why He Always Wore Such Tight Pants

"You don't want to appear more comfortable than those who work for you." - George Patton

Of course, Patton was referring to work ethic. People do what people see. The team you lead is significantly more productive if you invest the most sweat.

Log Chains

"Trying to lead men from behind makes you a driver and not a leader. It is easier to lead men just as it is easier to pull a log chain. You cannot push a log chain and you cannot push troops. The troops will keep running back to you for instructions - really from fear. A leader has to be ahead of his men." - George Patton

Once again, Patton stresses the importance of leading by example. Telling people what to do only goes so far.

Commanding Too Far Down

"A general should command one echelon [level] down, and know the position of units two echelons down... It has been my observation that any general officer who violates this rule and at, let us say, that Army level, shows the location of battalions, starts commanding them and loses his efficiency." - George Patton

In modern parlance, don't micromanage! Earlier in my career, I would sit in on conversations involving a first-line supervisor and a difficult employee. I wanted to show personal interest, but I came to realize in time that I wasn't adding value by doing so. In later years, I'd get updates on similar situations as if I was listening to the evening news. Very rarely did they need my help. In fact, my absence had the unintended bonus of leaving me available as an impartial counselor for employees who needed a fresh set of ears to listen to their situation. And meanwhile my time was generally free to focus on other activities to lead the department.