Incentive.
You need it in leaders.
You also need it to stir others to follow you.
It also helps to have incentives for training.

This is one of the more unusual incentives - and thought up right on the spot- that I ever witnessed being offered during a training session.

There is a Parade Ground that is used for small unit training, and marching drills at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. It is a short march from the Quads, and there is a paved street that runs parallel to the whole field.

On one side are the backyards of Officer Housing, on the other side of that street is a row of big trees. The street looks more like a back alley in a nice neighborhood back on the Mainland. It is a pleasant place to take a Squad, or sometimes a whole Platoon to work out some Training issues.

Sometimes the Dependents of those houses would come out to watch. Or they would be riding their bikes, or strolling with girlfriends or boyfriends. Usually they ignored us...we ignored them. Except for the older teen girls almost always got a wave, or a smile as they strutted their stuff on the way to the Base Swimming Pool. No crude remarks though. No one wanted a Colonel, or higher coming out to speak to you about your "catcalls" or whistles.

A lot of the WAC's (now called: Soldiers) also used that street to cut through to the Main Gate. And on this particular day...two very pretty female soldiers (both Spc 4's) were walking by our training eating their shaved ices.

At the moment they happened to be passing by, one of the Platoon Sergeants was giving holy hell to a gunnery squad that just couldn't get it together. Aiming stakes were to close together, it took to long to assemble the base plate, tripod, and barrel...and the Gunner just couldn't get the Fire Command out from Memory.

The Platoon Sergeant was in the middle of a truly epic rant, when the two Spc 4's stopped to watch...and listen. It took a moment for the Sergeant to shift gears...and adapt his language to more standard words. He was still hot though.

"Can I help you Specialists?"

And his tone made it a hint to move on, not to actually answer.

But the one female soldier stepped forward. She had a big smile on her face, and ruby red lips from the Cherry Shaved Ice. Even in Uniform, you could tell she was cute as a button.

"Well Sarge, it looks like your troops need a little motivation."

"Yes. They do indeed."

She looked over at her companion who was stifling a laugh.

"Okay, so how about this? You give my friend and I a stopwatch. You tell us the time they need to meet Expert Standards. If they meet, or beat that time...well, they can take my friend and I bowling on Thursday Night. "

(Thursday night was open bowling at the bowling alley, no dependents allowed, only Uniformed Soldiers. It kept folks from fraternizing with either dependents, or spouses. Well, it was supposed to anyway.)

"Are you serious?"

We all held our breath to hear her answer.

"Yes, Sarge. It is obvious these soldiers need some better incentives than just a "good job."

The Platoon Sergeant thought for a New York Minute:

"Okay, but you made the offer, not me."

"Agreed."

So they were both given stopwatches. Told the Times for the different tasks and what to look for to deduct points. And how to measure where the Aiming Stakes were supposed to be.

Well, let me tell you, for that next hour or so, ammo bearers ran those aiming stakes out like they were in the Olympics...a full 100 yards for the far one. People put the barrel in the tripod and slid the ball into the baseplate, like silk sliding over a table top.

Gunners made adjustments to the brass bubble levels like they were Finish Carpenters working with the grain. And FDC was calling our Fire Orders like they were trained TV Announcers; clear, clipped, precise.

After about an hour of that intense training, they set the three gun crews in a contest to see who got to go with the two Spec 4's on Thursday. It was close. It was everyone doing their best. Eighteen guys pulled off some of the quickest times at their task they had ever done.

But there had to be a winner. It was Gun Crew number two. So those five guys, plus the FDC plotter, got to go bowling with the two female Spec 4's on Thursday. A year later, and that first Spec 4 to make the offer with her shaved ice waving like a magic wand as she offered her incentive- well...she got engaged to the Gunner who won that contest.

Everyone had a blast on the first Thursday. So much so, that the next Thursday the whole Platoon showed up. It became a thing to do - and more of the WAC's showed up too.

Incentive.

It works!