Attitude and Aggressiveness

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 Attitude and Aggressiveness

“When hiring people, I look for attitude and aggressiveness…” - Gen. Jim Mattis

This article is based on the book, “Callsign Chaos” by Gen. Jim Mattis. My favorite part is his focus on attitude and aggressiveness. Gen. Mattis says, “Marines don’t know how to spell the word failure.” This “can do” attitude coupled with an aggressive personality is what is necessary to get the job done.

“I don’t know how to spell the word failure” - Gen. Jim Mattis

The quote above may sound like mistakes are not tolerated, but it is different than being mistake averse. Everyone makes mistakes. Instead, the quote describes the attitude everyone should have.  This is a big deal because attitude is more important than aptitude. Anyone can be taught the necessary skills, but someone with an aggressive attitude will not wait to be spoon-fed everything. They will seek out answers and anticipate what will happen.

The goal for all officers should be to find and fix problems before they rise above our level. To do this, we need to start with a “can do” attitude , anticipate potential issues, and build solutions. There will be problems that have to be pushed up for a higher-level decision, but how this happens is what separates the top-level officers from everyone else.

The chart above is an example to put into perspective how a subordinate’s actions can be used to gauge performance.

The chart is not exhaustive, but in general the more a supervisor has to micromanage, the less creative and innovative the solution will become.

Using this chart as a reflection tool from the subordinate perspective will provide immediate feedback on attitude and aggressiveness. Ask yourself, “How much guidance does my boss have to give me?”, “Am I fixing problems before the rise above my level?”, “Do I identify solutions and not just problems?”, “Am I anticipating problems before they arise?”. Bottom line, we should strive to have a “can do” attitude and aggressively pursue solutions.


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