The Editor Talks with You

Who's watching you? - The monkey see school

Posted 7/23/20

I’m a big believer in the Monkey See-Monkey Do School of Human Relations.

If you are a mother, father, grandparent or anyone in a leadership role in life, people are watching you and what you …

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The Editor Talks with You

Who's watching you? - The monkey see school

Posted


I’m a big believer in the Monkey See-Monkey Do School of Human Relations.
If you are a mother, father, grandparent or anyone in a leadership role in life, people are watching you and what you do. 
That’s even more so in these uncertain covid-19 pandemic times.
‘That make you feel uncomfortable?
It should. You are a role model.
Like it or not, others watch what you do and follow your lead.
My initial managerial job was  a shock. The Army plucked me from the ranks and dropped me into a warehouse where I supervised a dozen Korean nationals. 
Koreans are observant and smart.
They have to be. They have lived through centuries of war and occupation. 
They learned to watch the enemy closely and adapt to his commands.
The US Army wasn’t an occupier or a cruel master. But like GIs in Britain in WWII, we were over paid and over there.
In high school I had never been the cool kid on campus, the smartest in class, the quickest and toughest on the field, the most talented at anything. The list is long of all the things I was not even good at.
In contrast, my wife is most of the things I am not. It was an even bigger shock when she agreed to marry me.
 But back to the Koreans.
The Koreans were an amiable lot and I came to love them. They did whatever I asked. Each afternoon when the work slowed down, we held language class.
They taught me Korean and I taught them English. We got the swear words and insults out of the way first. I can now tell you off in Korean and Japanese.
They thought it was hilarious to learn American curse words and hear me swear in their own language.
My commanding officer, Capt. Roy Higgins, was more a father than a boss.
He commended me for teaching them.
“But remember 2 things,” he said. 
“Treat them with respect. Never swear at them. Loss of face to Asians is like death.”
“Second, remember they are watching everything you do, every time you do it. 
“They watch and remember. You must be a good role model for them. Our reputation as their partners against the North Korean Army depends on it.”
It was a great leadership lesson: Treat everyone with respect and remember that they are watching what you do.
Later, the 7th Infantry Division commanding general put me in charge of his VIP visitors billeting. These were people from Washington, the Pentagon and celerity USO show people from Hollywood.
It was like running a luxury hotel in Quonset huts. The general gave me a squad of Republic of Korea soldiers to help.
I remembered Roy Higgins’ words. Those words inspired me, encouraged me and kept me aware of my decisions and deeds.
If you are a mother, father, grandparent or anyone in a leadership role in life, don’t forget that others are watching you.
 That’s even more important in these uncertain covid-19 pandemic times.
    Next: Better news in bad times

editorial, opinion

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