Today I was thinking about my time as a Leadership instructor at the US Army Infantry School during the Viet Nam War. I taught hundreds of excellent classes yet the only class I could really recall was one that I did not do my best. I think it was the last class on the day before the beginning of Christmas holidays and I knew the Infantry Officer Basic Course students wanted to get home for the holidays and I was wanting to wrap it up too.
My performance for that class that day was well below my normal standard and I guess I'll never forget it. I doubt that any of the students were wounded or died nor did it have any impact on the soldiers they led in the future, but I short changed them.
So, I guess the lesson learned is we should always do our best in everything we do so we won't remember it in the future. Like my Mother use to tell me, "Boy, it takes just as long to do something right as it does to do it half way.
Dee
Dee
