Leadership And Training For The Fight Quotes

“Currently our society tends to churn out individuals that tend to ask the system, “What are you going to give or do for me?” We see this attitude all around us. Self-serving individuals concerned with their personal comfort and welfare beyond the norm. These individuals expect the system to take care of them at all costs. When I run across one of these individuals, it makes me want to puke. This attitude is damn near a form of communism.”
― Howe U.S. Army Retired, MSG Paul R., Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“I have never bought into the bullshit theory of acceptable losses. We have the technology, the talent, the aggressiveness, and the expertise to bring more of our warriors home than ever before. Our combat, military, and political leaders choose to be mediocre at their jobs. That is as simple as I can put it.”
― Howe U.S. Army Retired, MSG Paul R., Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“DEVELOPING A SINGLE COMBAT MIND-SET

I know I have said this before, but I will hammer this point home again: You must firmly believe in what you are doing and why you are doing it. It can be for your country, the organization, your team, or your buddy next to you. It can be that inner drive that says don’t quit and do your best. Whatever motivates you, you need to harness it and keep it strong in its place. Reflect on it as needed to keep your energies channeled for the time that will come for you to earn your keep. The stronger your belief, the stronger your mind-set.

This resolve or strength will also help ensure your survival. With it, you will train harder and push farther than someone who does not have it. Use this strength to develop your own personal beast and then keep it in its place.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership And Training For The Fight: A Few Thoughts On Leadership And Training From A Former Special Operations Soldier

“[T]he maximum effective range of an excuse is zero meters.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership And Training For The Fight: A Few Thoughts On Leadership And Training From A Former Special Operations Soldier

“A leader must be able to look a subordinate or superior square in the eye and tell him what the problem is and what needs to be done to fix it.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership And Training For The Fight: A Few Thoughts On Leadership And Training From A Former Special Operations Soldier

“As noted earlier, current theory states that it takes two thousand to three thousand repetitions to master a physical act or develop physical “muscle memory.” I believe it takes an equal amount of “mental muscle memory” to ingrain a thought process or act.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Record your strengths and positive experiences. Dwell upon them to the point where you can build on them and continually put them into practice in future lessons. Note weaknesses, then, try not to dwell on them and do not put them into action again. Learning not to do something again is learning”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Closing a student’s mind should be a criminal offense. If you let your ego get in the way of your teaching, you may become flustered or angry and lose sight of your goal to enlighten or give back.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Maintaining my proficiency keeps me humble and practicing the basics. It ensures that I keep with current training trends and techniques, so that I know what the students are going through in their mind.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Take the time to first figure out why you want to teach. Is it to bolster your ego to feel important and have people sit back in awe of your stunning presence? Or, does it look to be an easy road and steady paycheck? Either of these reasons does nothing for the teaching profession, let alone your ego.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Students and instructors will reinvent the wheel by bringing back old discarded techniques, as new or new and improved.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Some techniques may work for one venue and not another. Streamline the techniques you use and practice into a simple and comprehensive package. If not, you will have a cluttered toolbox that will not work for you. You will not find the right tool when you need it.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“There are no guarantees in life, but train in a system that will give you the best chances of survival and then allow your controlled and aggressive combat mind-set to do the rest.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Once you master the basics, it is important to begin to reinforce the training with simple and realistic scenarios. The visualization phase of training needs to be confirmed with mission-oriented and realistic scenarios which require the individual to work with all the tools they carry on a mission. This training ensures that individual carries the proper gear and in the spot they can most efficiently use it.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Personnel in the tactical arena should be thick skinned and ready for direct and frank feedback.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Still others implement the latest and greatest technique just because the instructor was from this or that organization. This can be dangerous for several reasons. First, there are a slew of instructors who are one-hit wonders out in the community. One type of instructor is the trainer who has been to all the schools, and their walls are covered by certificates, but they have never kicked in a door on an actual mission. The problem here is the schoolbook answer versus the reality-tried-and-tested answer.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Some leaders implement the latest fad technique without properly researching it. These new techniques will generally work dry, but throw in role players and simunitions, and the problems jump out at you.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“They feel that by simply being issued the special gear, they are qualified to do the mission. An old instructor said to me, “It takes five minutes to dress like a commando, but years to become one.” This attitude of the “the gear makes me” is false. You always make the gear.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Effective combat leadership should empower the fighting troops to take initiative and decisive action at the lowest level to support the common goal.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Ask any performer in the field who they would choose to lead them in a high-risk environment: the person with four years of college or the person with four years of experience? The answer is simple.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Further, as a TL, I use a system where my team members get hands-on and either I cover or supervise. This is important because if I get caught getting hands-on, I am not doing my job as a leader. My job is to supervise my team and ensure that we maintain 360-degree security at all times.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“You need to be technically and tactically proficient with all your weapon systems and set the standard for the newbie on the team. They should aspire to be like you one day. If you live the example, you set the stage for success. You also take away all the excuses, should anyone want to fall back on one.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Choose tactics that are simple and safe to execute and will ensure the greatest chance of survival for your men. We do a dangerous job, and the team needs to understand this.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Live the example in training and mirror what you’re going to do in combat. Adhering to this philosophy will make your transition to the battlefield seamless. If you have built a realistic training system that mirrors combat and you train to exceed the standards, you will do well. The only change is that you may lose people.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“School chasers, on the other hand, will have stunning résumés but are functionally illiterate in their fields and are often socially inept. Much of the time, they put so much energy in getting certificates, they never do their job, or their entire focus is spent on getting the “slot,” that they never have a chance to develop their team. Further, if they are always in school, they are never home to pass the knowledge on and develop their teams.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“You need to know the difference between discomfort and pain and when to stop. If you condition yourself to stop when you feel discomfort and not pain, you’re setting yourself up for failure. You’re not only training your body to stop, but more importantly, you are training your mind to give in. You need to plan, prepare, rehearse, and make it happen; then repeat this cycle over and over. By properly planning and rehearsing, you take away all the excuses, and you realize that you have all that is necessary to succeed or fail.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“We have become a society that strives for the minimum standard, and this is how we live our lives. Failure to put in the desired time and effort will reward you with only middle-of-the-road performance.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Keep your life as simple and efficient as possible. How? Learn with each stumble or failure. Failure is only an opportunity to excel. The perception in which your mind chooses to visualize your challenges in life will enable your successes or enhance your failures.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“Do not dwell on dying. Focus on your training and what you are going to do to ensure your survival.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War

“You must also understand that with muscle memory, at least two to three thousand repetitions are necessary to help master a simple skill.”
― Paul R. Howe, Leadership and Training for the Fight: Using Special Operations Principles to Succeed in Law Enforcement, Business, and War