Shut Up and Follow.

In the Army, I have never seen an effective leader (key word is Effective) who was not a good follower.

Have you ever had that one person in the office who always has a sarcastic response to all of your questions and comments? Out of the two HR offices I worked in the past five years it was always the lowest ranking person in the office who had the biggest mouth. At my last unit that Soldier got kicked out of the Army, and at my new unit I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happens to this Soldier.

The issue with people who say whatever comes to their mind and have no filter, they think that not being afraid to say whatever they want is a form of confidence. Its not, it’s actually a sign of insecurity and immaturity. Maturity is the ability to think about what want to say before you say it, and confidence is the ability to say what needs to be said even if the consequences may not work in your favor. Such as speaking up in a meeting about a plan that you don’t agree with and being able to state your opinion assertively while also being respectful of other people’s opinions and feelings.