Preparation and Patience

After our successful killing of OBL on Sunday - - two words need to be highlighted.  One is preparation.  Training, coordination, logistics, and having a really good Plan C - - the killing of OBL showcased the definition of preparation.  The other word in patience.  Observe, analyze, synthesize - - having the patient gene makes it so much easier to put those three words together.  Waiting almost ten years demonstrates a remarkable national level of perseverance and our ability to endure.

Think about preparation and patience in everything you do - - especially in the context of a career.  Prepare for a career, don't plan it.  Think in terms of a pyramid instead of ladder.  Building foundations and layers.  Focus on broad experiences - - technical, relationships, managerial, geographic - - this foundation will help you to synthesize new things.  Get out of your comfort zone - - the Navy SEALs that killed OBL make a career of executing outside their comfort zones.

Also think about patience in the context of your career.  Set realistic goals.  From day one - - keep asking questions and growing.  Always think in terms of moving forward - - some days it will be three steps forward and two steps back.  Remember the old Spanish proverb that has its roots in the virtue of patience - - "What grows well, grows slowly."  Work on the people-skill part of the business.  Yes, solving a complex hydraulics problem requires patience.  But dealing with the complexities of the human race will test your patience daily at levels well beyond any hydraulics problem.  Finally, learn to deal with failure.  In some respects, learning to be a good success starts with learning how to be a good failure.