What's the Best Leadership Advice You've Received?

Nobody's smarter than all of us.

Thank you for the win!

The best advice I have ever received was from a E7 while on tour at Ft. Steward GA. He said, don’t work where you live and don’t live your work.

my captain told us to "never give up, and never surrender" and I have used those lines always in every aspect of my life.

Lead by example. and when you turn to see who is with you, there will be a long line.

I was at my E4 frocking ceremony and made a sarcastic comment about the way the ceremony was set up. My Senior Chief turned to me and said, "Too many times, people are perceived to be ignorant or more or less an idiot. It is always better to be perceived that way than to open your mouth and remove doubt of it."

From various mentors as I rose in rank. Never say "We have to do this because so and so said to" always say because I said so. Explain what, where, when and how if needed. For why, refer to the previous sentence. Never ask your people to do anything that you won't do yourself. And the best one of all, IMHO, is don't do stupid shit, and don't fuck up.

I was moving into a demanding department head position while still relatively junior for the position.
Knowing that I was a total Workaholic, & tended toward the "It's best if I do it myself" my CO called me in & handed me a copy of the Harvard Business Review article "Who's Got the Monkey?" https://hbr.org/1999/11/management-time-whos-got-the-monkey Pure gold! Helped me immensely for the rest of my career, and after retirement as a civilian leader/manager.

What you tolerate will happen.

Managers do things right; Leaders do the right thing.