Leaders That Shine Never Resign

My service in the military lasted for thirty-three plus years, both as an enlisted

soldier and commissioned officer, and yet it seemed so brief. During that time, I learned

so many valuable life lessons from many different people, situations, and sometimes

unexpected realities that caused me to reconsider my acumen and actions.

One such experience involved spit-shining shoes and boots, a practice I had

never heard of until joining the Army. Somehow, I was supposed to shine my boots with

polish and spit, “shinier than a bald man’s head popping out of a pool.” (Drill Sergeant’s

words, not mine) For some of my fellow trainees, the task was simple, for me, this task

was impossible. It seemed I could never get that “shine” they were looking for. I did

countless push-ups because of my lack of shine during my basic training time. Sadly, I

had resigned myself to doing less than my very best.

It got so bad that even the drill sergeants got to feeling sorry for me given the

number of push-ups they levied on me though my upper body strength developed

exponentially. During one of my push-up sessions, one of the drill sergeants asked me

this question, “Do you have any idea why we want you to spit-shine your boots?” “NO, I

DON’T, DRILL SERGEANT,” I replied, as I ate dust from the dirt. He went on to say, “It is

not about punishment as you may think. It is about the practice of perseverance, and

perseverance is key to combat success. Truth is, we know you have resigned yourself

to less than your best, and we know you are better than that!” The words he spoke

made sense to me, so I went back to striving to find the shine.

Miraculously, like staring at an auto stereogram, the shine began breaking

through the matte tone little by little. During our last inspection, I remember that drill

sergeant smiling and saying, “That shine is fine!” Words I had longed to hear, finally

spoken! I am telling you this story to make this point; it is easier to resign oneself to

producing less than their very best than it is to sink a putt in the ocean. From this boot

shining experience I developed another leadership rule for myself, “Pine for the Shine!”

It reminds me to persevere until the possibilities reveal themselves.

Remember, “Leaders that shine, never resign!”