Duty First
One of my former managers in the past shared with me that particular phrase, "Duty First." He was a former Marine infantryman and aviator who served a long and distinguished career. In fact, many of the values I look for in a workplace stemmed from his leadership style.
For those of you who do not know me personally (but have viewed my profile on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram), I am very heavily involved in Scouts and volunteering for the USO. Duty to the community and effectively the country is important. I have developed this sense of duty on many occasions in my jobs - being the first one in and one of the last ones out. We as humans have (perhaps by mistake) created a world so complex that on a daily basis, we need to laundry list our tasks - with varying degrees of success. I'll give an example for the day of an average university student in America (garnered from my and some other friends' experiences):
- 8:00 - wake up, consume coffee/breakfast
- 8:30 - 9:15 - check email, spot-check for any immediate assignments/deliverables
- 9:15 - 9:35 - head to class
- 9:35 - 10:50 - class
- 10:50 - 11:10 - head to next class
- 11:10 - 12:25 - class again
- 12:25 - 13:25 - eat/reheat lunch
- 13:30 - 14:00 - check email, take care of any deliverables
- 14:00- 14:20 - head to afternoon class
- 14:20 - 15:35 - class
- 15:35 - 15:45 - quick break, take care of any deliverables
- 15:45 - 17:00 - workout
- 17:00 - 19:00 - prepare and eat dinner
- 19:00 - 21:00 - homework, check email, study for exam, socialize
- 21:00 - 22:00 - prepare for bed
It is no surprise that we have created this hustle and bustle world that requires one to laundry list (imagine what a young professional does on a daily basis and the complications get even more so) one's daily tasks. In short, it can get to be a little exhausting.
This brings me to my point of "Duty First". It is expected, perhaps required to be loyal and serve the ones we hold dear, whether it be family, vocation, or even religious organization. Nobody can fault anybody for devotion to a calling higher than the individual. However, sometimes one needs to take stock in one's life. Savoring the little things. Making sure every minute of every day is spent serving the organizations we pledge loyalty to.
Sure, we may not necessarily like the environment we are in presently. However, at the end of the day, it is the decisions we all make - the duty we all do first, that help define our professional and personal persona.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of routines and traditions in both professional and academic environments were changed. Policies changed, industries shut down, and economic uncertainty set in.
To the graduates of the class of 2020 - you will not be the first students to study under the hood of a pandemic - Great Plague of London, Spanish Flu, and German Measles were a few sickness outbreaks with students affected. However, you, the class of 2020, will have a distinct edge - the ability to harness 21st Century technology and methods to change the world for the better. That is your duty. We're counting on you, and we stand behind you.