Hey Sarge! Why do we roll our socks?
Reg Coppicus (he/him)
Senior Project Manager, experience in Electrical Transmission, IT and Telecommunications. Leadership Development and Project Leader. Speaker | Leadership Mentor | Educator, Harassment And Racism Prevention
The young recruit is chastised, once again, for poorly rolled socks during inspection.
"Oh my God, Pte Bloggins, your socks are the worst, they look like a canoe!! Can you not follow simple instructions? And they are not in the correct spot! And your shirt is not folded correctly! Your razor is dirty!! You will have extra pack drill after dinner tonight. This is the 3rd week already Bloggins! "
Been there? Yep.
The Army has 12 weeks to transform a random grouping of civilians ("Long haired dope smokin tree huggin whiners" according to one DI) into a cohesive group, willing to perform strenuous and stupid tasks (marching for miles, obstacle courses, etc). Rolled socks are just one of 100 tools to teach simple lessons the individuals and teams need to learn quickly:
- can you follow simple directions?
- can you perform tasks correctly, consistently and repetitively?
- can you follow orders?
- do you understand accountability?
- do you understand consequences?
- did you ask for help?
- did you clarify the instructions?
- did you step in to help someone who is "not getting it"?
- did you think of ways to do the job better? (put tape on the bottom of the socks)
- did you teach the team this task improvement?
At the Platoon Commander's hour, Pte Bloggins admits he is probably enjoying Boot Camp less than his squadmates, and the rolled sock is the bane of his existence. "Rolling socks is stupid anyway Sarge."
Well actually, there is a practical purpose to the rolled sock. Why do we do it?
The soldier's mode of transportation is marching. Long distances. And then be fighting fit to perform his job at the pointy end. The soldier must care for his mode of transportation, his feet. To do this you must carry a few pairs of socks, to keep your feet dry!! When you cross a river, take a break on the other side and put on fresh socks (with baby powder).
If you fall in the river during crossing, you will get water in your pack, and everything will be wet.
Except the rolled socks;
the top of the sock will be wet, but with the toes in the centre, the feet will still be dry.
IF YOUR COMPANY IS BENT, BROKEN, OR BEDLAM, CALL ME. I help mid-to-large B2B teams realign strategy, unify messaging, strengthen communications systems, engage people, & drive results. US & CDN CITIZEN
6 å¹´Reg Coppicus Great article. Like most examples in life, it is not the action, but the reaction that matters. Having people understand the why is not always well done by Di's, but the lessons that they teach can be the difference between life and death. It is our job as mentors and trainers to go beyond the what and explain the why. It is not enough to explain to someone to make sure they are grounded when working around electricity, it is important to explain to them about the fatal consequences that may bestow them if they do not. Carelessness can lead to injury, death, bankruptcy, being fired or litigation. None of these are pleasant and all are avoidable if we take the time to explain the why behind the what. When people understand why a procedure or a process is in place, they are more than likely to keep that reason top of mind as they commit themselves to their daily tasks. Thanks for the reminder Reg, we all need to work on our communication skills and be better leaders. Ben #PowerfulPersonalBrands