A good friend who had preceded me into civvy street once remarked that since I was planning to quit, there were two things I needed to keep in mind that would be hugely different from service at least in the initial years of re-building a career:
A. Don't waste your time playing golf with old army buddies! (sorry guys, the next round is on me!)
B. Don't take people at face value.
It is not just golf. It could be a dinner, lunch-time reunion or a course get-together. That represented an investment in time that you could ill afford. Playing golf with a potential client is an investment and you get to establish a rapport. Playing golf with an old buddy is fun! It is for you to determine what is worth your while.
I did not initially, understand the remark on taking people at face value. I was still in service at that time and I had never for a moment in my entire service career, have reason to question the motive or doubt the integrity of fellow officers. So what did he mean by this statement.
My education in this regard was revealing and I must admit, extremely expensive! It meant that your colleague in civvy street is not all what he comes across as! Nowadays, I have learnt to factor this into my assessment of each business relationship.
I think the best way to put this would be to re-state a story I heard a long while ago, about a non-conforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter. However, soon after the weather turned cold, the sparrow changed his mind and reluctantly started to fly south. After a short time, ice began to form his on his wings and he fell to earth in a barnyard almost frozen. A cow passed by and crapped on this little bird and the sparrow thought it was the end, but the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings. Warm and happy the little sparrow began to sing. Just then, a large cat who was passing by heard the frantic chirping, and decided to investigate the sounds. As it cleared away the manure, it found the chirping bird and promptly ate him.
There are three morals to this story:
(1) Everyone who shits on you is not necessarily your enemy.
(2) Everyone who gets you out of shit is not necessarily your friend.
(3) If you are warm and happy in a pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.
A. Don't waste your time playing golf with old army buddies! (sorry guys, the next round is on me!)
B. Don't take people at face value.
It is not just golf. It could be a dinner, lunch-time reunion or a course get-together. That represented an investment in time that you could ill afford. Playing golf with a potential client is an investment and you get to establish a rapport. Playing golf with an old buddy is fun! It is for you to determine what is worth your while.
I did not initially, understand the remark on taking people at face value. I was still in service at that time and I had never for a moment in my entire service career, have reason to question the motive or doubt the integrity of fellow officers. So what did he mean by this statement.
My education in this regard was revealing and I must admit, extremely expensive! It meant that your colleague in civvy street is not all what he comes across as! Nowadays, I have learnt to factor this into my assessment of each business relationship.
I think the best way to put this would be to re-state a story I heard a long while ago, about a non-conforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter. However, soon after the weather turned cold, the sparrow changed his mind and reluctantly started to fly south. After a short time, ice began to form his on his wings and he fell to earth in a barnyard almost frozen. A cow passed by and crapped on this little bird and the sparrow thought it was the end, but the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings. Warm and happy the little sparrow began to sing. Just then, a large cat who was passing by heard the frantic chirping, and decided to investigate the sounds. As it cleared away the manure, it found the chirping bird and promptly ate him.
There are three morals to this story:
(1) Everyone who shits on you is not necessarily your enemy.
(2) Everyone who gets you out of shit is not necessarily your friend.
(3) If you are warm and happy in a pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.
Dear 12945,
ReplyDeleteGreat reading, especially since I just made the transition.