[March 8, 2021] Leaders are judged by results, not so much by words. Achievements are accomplished through action by teams guided by a leader’s vision. One way such success can be assured is to pin the rose on a responsible person. I learned this lesson the hard way on the day I received my first leader promotion to Sergeant.
It was early Autumn and the days were still warm at Fort Hood, Texas. Our Infantry Commander tasked my new Platoon Leader with cleaning the Motor Pool maintenance bays, a filthy, time-consuming job. Our Lieutenant had a quick meeting where he outlined what he wanted to be done and that the cleaning was to be finished by that Friday. This way, we would have the weekend off.
Too often, a meeting or conversation ends without any action or clarification of what the leader desires. This problem is what happened that faithful day. I was promoted to Sergeant (E-5) in the morning and expected to immediately take on all dirty jobs as the newest, least experienced NCO. Me? I didn’t get the message.
No one said, “Sergeant Satterfield, get the motor pool cleaned up by Friday.” So, I left the LT’s meeting without thinking I had a task to get done, one not stated but assumed. This was a huge mistake. Looking back, both the Lieutenant and I had erred.
When a leader fails to point out who is responsible for any given action or mission, that leader has not done their due diligence. The LT was wrong, and I messed up things by not following up with a question to clarify my responsibilities. No one had pinned the rose on the responsible person (me). This failure lead to no activity in the motor pool until Friday morning.
Our Commander discovered our inaction. To put it mildly, he was not impressed with our Lieutenant. I felt sorry for the LT as he was getting a good dressing down. This was a useful lesson. My turn was next. I remember the young Lieutenant as a calm, unfazed leader. That day he told me to have the motor pool cleaned by Saturday morning, even if it meant working through the night. We did.
Good leaders recognize their subordinates when they do an exceptional job. I knew my team had better do a quick, thorough job cleaning up after this communications screw up. We enlisted the help of others in our unit because time was short. Fortunately, all was well, and we got the rest of the weekend off (but a bit tired from working all night).
The lesson I learned was that if you don’t make a point of giving a task to someone (pin the rose on them), then that task might just not get done. I was lucky this time. The task was not critical, and starting it late just caused a bit of embarrassment. In a crisis, the mistake could cost lives.
I’ve stepped on many of these same landmines. Throughout my time as a team leader in various manufacturing companies I’ve seen an overall decline in the ability of leaders to task out certain, difficult problems to be solved. They would rather micro manage them and we all know where that winds up, don’t we?
Excellent article and I will add that we in the UK also use this term “pin the rose” on someone as well. Great article with some special advice.
Looks like Gen. Satterfield spent a lot of time learning lessons the hard way. To use his thinking, best that you learn such lessons the easy way from the failure of others. He is providing that for us to learn from his mistakes. All of us should thank him for that.
I certainly thank him for giving us examples. What I like about it is that I don’t have to be embarrassed to get the message.
Yep, and that is what makes his blog both interesting and informative as well.
No shock here, Gen.S. I too like the idea that someone should be put in charge and that person named specifically and they acknowledge they have the baton. Like in rely races (when I was in HS), you passed the baton to the next racer. They handed it to the next person. The idea is simple, someone is always responsible for the outcome.
Ha Ha, you must have been in shock, Gen. Satterfield (when you had just been promoted) by getting a task for which you were not tasked. The LT should have made the directive clear and not ‘assume’ you knew what to do. This is a common mistake on both sides, the leader and the subordinate for which the job is his responsibility. Good that both of you learned a valuable lesson on a task that did not entail the risk of life or limb.
In the military, this is a common phrase but I’ve not heard it elsewhere. Any one know the origin of the phrase or its use outside the military?
Yes, I heard it often used in large organizations, mostly in the Southern US. I don’t know about it use in other places.
Common mostly in the US Army and Marines. I’m not so sure about the USAF or Navy or USCG. Maybe someone else knows. However, I found it an apt (spot-on) way of getting something done. Often our leaders failed to identify those who should be put in charge of smaller tasks. They just think it will get done and by someone who steps up and takes charge. Nice thought, but a failure oftentimes.
Nicely said, guys. 👍
Loved the article, Gen. Satterfield. Thank you for some practical advice. I see many leaders who failed to simply put someone in charge to accomplish even a simple task. That’s all it takes. Then, you can look them in the eye and say, “did you get the job done?”
You can’t beat that as a basic successfully-proven method of making meetings useful again. Nothing like having a meeting (thus wasting your time) and nothing comes of it. Hand out responsibility. It works.
Right, we’ve all been to too many gatherings where our boss wants us to get things done and what happens in the end, is that no one is tagged with a job. How is that supposed to work? Not well, actually. So, ‘pin the rose’ on someone. Make sure they are responsible and reasonable folks too.
Good point, Army Captain. Thanks. Too many leaders have yet to figure this one out. It is just too easy to do nothing but talk. You know what they say, “all talk, no action.”
Got that right, Jeff. 😊