The Corporal Phi Factor

I'm a restaurant guy...

and I am emotionally attached to the success or failure of my restaurant. This type of passion is the corner stone of our business and in my opinion is absolutely paramount to success.

This means I ride high when things are going well and enter into a small depression when things don't turn around or the results do not reflect the enormous effort I and my team put in.

The thing that helps me get through the down time is a part of my experience in the U.S. Army.

When I entered the army my passion for what I did showed. My uniform was pressed perfectly, my boots were the shiniest, my brass was the brass-iest. I was first in line, a squad leader, aced all tests, volunteered for all work. I was dedicated and involved from day one. I went to training with several other guys who went on to serve with me at my first post. One of them was Private Phi. While in training and early on, Phi actually acted like he had zero interest in being in the Army. He must have gotten into two fights in the first week. His uniform looked like he pulled it out from under his bunk. Phi was late to every formation and incredibly difficult to manage.

Private Phi remained minimally changed by the time we made it to Germany. Phi continued to be a screw up and I strived to be platoon leader. One of our Sergeants was tasked to work with Phi and see what could be done. Within a span of 3 months Private Phi changed little by little and improved his soldering to a level that was exemplary. It was nice to work alongside him on several tasks, everyone had seen the change.

When we reached our evaluation time we were reviewed for promotion. There were two types of E-4 promotions given. One was to Specialist and one was to a non-commissioned officer rank of Corporal. I received the lesser of Specialist and Phi was given the rank of Corporal. Everyone had seen the change and growth. His stock was up my stock was steady.

Whenever my results fall to less than stellar, I usually feel like a failure. Right after that, I realize I have nowhere to go but up. I  then seek advice and apply learning to effect change. I usually hope everyone knows about my screw up or short fall. Because when I come back then everyone will see the change. It is necessary to fail in order to truly succeed.

Growth is what people look for. Can you take lemons and make lemonade? Can you dust yourself off and stand back up again? Hitting the mark every time is admirable but can go unseen without a reason to look. So when you fall see it as an opportunity to show your come back.

Do not seek failure, but you can be assured that it is going to happen. Be encouraged as I am by the Corporal Phi Factor. It is all about the comeback, baby!