I tell my young LTs, “if you want to be a step above most of the other people in the Army/Guard/Reserves, do two things; be halfway competent, and give a sh*t.” From my observations, those are the hardest two things to do. Knowing your job, and caring about doing it right seem simple, however look left and then look right; see many accomplishing both, let alone either?

I say this only because it’s whether or not a leader cares, that makes the difference if they learn when they fail. Failure for someone who cares is absolutely a learning experience.They see what they did wrong, make adjustments, and move forward in a manner that they will not make the same mistake again. Those who don’t care, will simply bandage what got them in trouble and not learn a thing.

Also, with failure comes the opportunity to stand out. Fine, your BDE or BN CDRs are disappointed; they are leaders too. Ask point blank; what are their expectations? What is the desired end state?

If you fail? Present what you see as the shortfall and what you’re doing to fix it, bur ask them, what when wrong from their perspective? What would they recommend? What experience do they have in similar circumstances and what did THEY learn? Make them do their jobs as well.

While these methods don’t always work (I literally had a BN CDR routinely slam company CDRs for “failing,” but then give no further guidance on how, why, or what they could do in order to fix themselves), they can go a long way to helping them develop you.