The Marines do not really give much thought on how to play nice with others.
We tended to want to just handle the whole show on our own, thereby ensuring all was up to our standards.
But every now and then, it was unavoidable. At the very least, we had to know how to do so within our own unit, between shops, and even between each other in our shop.
None of this was ever easy. Our individual desires to be the best would often get in its own way of becoming a reality. We were a funny lot.
But we pulled it off when it was most needed. We worked with other branches, we tolerated other units within our workspace, and we commingled with other shops within our unit enough to get the mission completed.
Thankfully, my edge has worn off a bunch in this area but not enough to water down my efforts. I knew from the Corps that a time comes when others must be brought in and teamed up with, in order for any of us to get what we wanted out of the day.
In these cases, our will to win became focused on being OK with the fact that we couldn’t be 100% in charge of the situation.
We developed the desire to conquer even our own internal bullshit, in order to be the best at that day’s activities.
What this led me to, some 20 years later, is my active search for others with whom to work, grow, and evolve
I seek assistance at every turn. The trick is to do it without being needy, sometimes unavoidable in the early stages of getting your plan off the ground.
In this one area, I’d love to help you develop the mindset of a person who’s looking for help and getting it but from a position of strength. You need others’ help but they’ll give it to you because you’re strong in presentation.
Smaller players will want to assist so that they may be closer to you. Equals will see the power of being a partner with you. Mentors will see your potential and want to bring you up a level in comprehension and performance.
It’s a cool ride and I’ve been all three of the people above. Wherever you are on that scale, I have information to move you forward.
The photographer of this post’s featured photo: Robert Collins