Set the example

As Marines progress through the ranks by promotion, all too often they take the attitude of "do as I say, not as I do." Nothing turns Marines off faster! As a Marine leader, your duty is to set the standards for your Marines by personal example.

Porridge Beta

Back to the universal principles

Calibration

Under, just right, over.

SituationUnderJust RightOver
A standard you asked forAsks for a standard you do not keep yourself.Keeps the same standard in your own work, then asks it of them.Performs the standard so loudly that the work becomes a show about you.
A shortcut that is convenient for youTakes the shortcut and tells them not to.Does the step you asked them to do, including the unglamorous one.Refuses every convenience, including ones that do not touch the standard.
A hard week people can seeLets the week show as complaint, lateness, or a drop in care.Holds the same bar you set on a calm week.Performs stamina and will not name a real limit, so they hide theirs too.
An exception you want for yourselfTakes the exception and hopes they do not notice.Applies the same rule to yourself, or changes the rule for everyone.Denies yourself a reasonable exception to make a point.
The room is emptyKeeps the standard only when someone will see it.Does the same work the same way when nobody is watching.Reworks private work past the standard you set, and the job does not leave the room.
They copied youBlames them for a habit they learned from watching you.Owns the example they copied and changes it in yourself first.Rewrites a sound part of the habit because they copied it, and they copy the excess next.

Further reading

Sources and essays on this principle.

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