Maggie's Farm

Lead, follow, or get out of the way. Simple.

For my time in the US Army, I agreed to follow orders. I was never issued an illegal one, and so I did. Didn't hurt me any. While I was not in the Army long, by the hindsight my age allows me, I did achieve rank that expected me to accept and issue translations of instructions and orders and I did my best to make those concise and precise.

I failed a bit at the following (judging by remembrances of people getting in my face) but not the least in the second part which I base upon the fact that those I needed to order about did what I told them with precious little grumbling - and each and every could have made my life much more difficult than I could have made theirs. So what?

Throughout the long and real life that followed when looking around me and finding someone who wanted to lead I basically said, "Oh, hello there, let me step aside so you can march on ahead of me" and then went and did as I pleased or at least saw fit for me and mine. Essentially I learned the non-military version of "lead, follow, or get out of the way." The voluntary paycheck version. Which is, "Agree and commit, disagree and commit, or leave."

That seemed fair to me and I lived it. Along the way I have had a not inconsequential number of instances and even stretches of life where I felt the need to march briskly toward an objective and would need assistance upon attaining it. If and when you need to lead explain yourself and do it and don't bother turning around to see how many are following. You'll know soon enough.

To those who have never had life force them to make a plan that needed to survive dinner let alone budgets and years, and never required anyone but themselves and a shortlist of family to buy into and execute... well, you have my begrudging munificence and that's about it.