I don’t even remember what I was angry about at the time. Nor do I remember the details of what I said to that young Soldier as he stood at parade rest in the cold grey of a German November afternoon. What I do remember vividly is the look on my new Platoon Sergeant’s face once I dismissed the target of my tongue lashing. He was clearly not pleased with his Lieutenant’s behavior, but his look was not one of anger. Rather, his expression was a perplexing mix of concern and irritation.
“SFC Mosely, was I wrong?”
That seasoned NCO paused for a moment and then spoke the words that changed forever how I would deal with problems, people and performance.
“No Sir, you were not wrong . . . But that Soldier has a vested interest in your success, and you have a vested interest in his (success) . . . the sooner you figure that out, then the better off we are all going to be.”
The first thing that flashed across my mind was “Can he say that to me?”
