[August 14, 2025] An incident occurred during a military training exercise early in my career that taught me an important lesson – little things matter. After relocating my platoon to a new defensive position, I set our machine gun foxhole in what I thought was an okay spot. My commander ordered me to change it, and later, during a simulated attack, our position performed well because of that change.
Relocating the foxhole only a few feet from my spot caused some grumbling among the men because it takes about four hours of hard physical labor for two men to construct one properly. Although my selected machinegun location was based on textbook standards, my commander’s experience prevailed. Later, the platoon was in combat and performed well.
The ancient proverb, “for want of a nail a shoe was lost …”1 reminds us that small acts or omissions can have grave and unforeseen consequences. I relearned this lesson that little things matter several more times as a junior officer. Fortunately, I had competent and patient bosses who allowed me to fail without severe penalty and thus reinforced the lesson. There’s nothing like being embarrassed in front of your peers to provide a little extra motivation.
“People do not fail by making a single big mistake but by making hundreds of little mistakes that have unplanned consequences.” – Anonymous
Not surprisingly, I see many leaders today who make the same mistakes I did. True to those who assisted me in overcoming my errors in judgment, I try to do the same. I’m a very upfront leader and use stories of my failures to communicate common-sense lessons. Some of these are quite funny—at my expense, of course—but they work.
Yes, small things do matter. In combat, failing to take care of those little things can get you and your troops killed. In business, it could mean bankruptcy. This is why I spend the necessary time with junior leaders; their smiles and laughs at my embarrassment are my reward, and their future successes are everyone’s gain.
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- Here is a short variation of the proverb:
- For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
- For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;
- For want of a horse, the battle was lost;
- For the failure of battle, the kingdom was lost—
- All for the want of a horseshoe nail.
– Unknown Author
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Good one, Gen. Satterfield. Thanks!
Sir, thanks. Often overlooked concept. The very best leaders are those who know this and either pay close attention to the “little things” or “unimportant things” in people’s lives because it works … or … they convince us that they care about them. Another great piece of leadership advice and well put. Sir, a suggestion for you. Consider writing a book on senior leadership much like you did with “55 Rules for a Good Life” in order to give us insights into how to be a great senior leader or just any leader. Thanks for it. You can thank me later when you gain accolades for your book. 😀
Good suggestion, Good Dog 🐕.….. I agree. What a great book that would be. But there are thousands of great books out there in leadership to compete with. Gen. Satterfield will have to take a different approach than them and he has the ability and the words are already in his blog posts.
Welcome aboard, Fat Shark.
AMAZING
A great quote… “People do not fail by making a single big mistake but by making hundreds of little mistakes that have unplanned consequences.” – Anonymous
If I got one thing from this blog post, its that we should, as leaders, pay attention to those things that folks love in their lives. Little things are not little at all but are truly big. Never forget. And pay attention, very close at attention to what they say, for they will tell you what is most important to them.
Nailed it, Fred.
Yes! Truth! And we have Gen. Satterfield getting us to “think” again on why things are the way they are. Don’t just take life for granted. Do something with adventure to step outside your comfort zone. But be guided by principles that are moral and tested. You will do well following that advice. 😀😀😀😀😀😀
Yep, best quote. Should be posted everywhere so all can read it and be focused on making good, appropriate decisions.
Opening eyes, sir. 👀
The “little” things are not “little.” But they are important to others and therefore matter a great deal. Maybe it’s an emotional attachment or other reason yet never underestimate what others value. New reader here. Thanks for the article.
Correct …Gen. Satterfield is on target once again!!!!!!!
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