As an Officer, I have always strived to lead from the front in terms of physical fitness. I believe that the discipline to stay physically fit can be modeled in other facets of our lives as well. Physical fitness is extremely important in the military, and I don’t believe you can preach that unless you are modeling it. I was always out at PT with my Soldiers, and I was constantly inviting them to do races with me, and help them train for events. I made sure to be in the lead on esprit de corps runs, company runs, battalion runs, etc. I also led an incentive running team when I was a Commander that Soldiers could “test out of PT” and run, train for races instead. Instilling discipline to stay fit is a lot easier when you lead by example. Our current public health statistics show more and more that obesity will be the leading cause of recruits being ineligible for military service. It’s a win-win to make this a priority for yourself so you can model it for your Soldiers. A lot of them coming into the military these days do need to be taught how to get/stay fit. Plus, I will forever believe that PT is the best thing for morale out there.

Some of the biggest discipline related corrections I’ve had to make to peers involve sexual harassment, or talking down to their Soldiers or employees. Generally just inappropriate behavior. We need to understand that we are Soldiers 24-7, even when the uniform is off. We don’t just represent ourselves, but a longstanding tradition and honor of serving something much greater than ourselves. We need to make sure we treat our brothers and sisters with integrity, respect, and kindness. It is also our responsibility to ensure that we correct behavior when we see something wrong. Speak out when you see something that doesn’t look right.