Drill Sergeant

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this post....

I find myself often in the role of the Drill Sergeant - blowing the whistle to make sure all the exercises, drills, regulations, procedures, etc are being followed. I try to do this without yelling or being a jerk, especially when something goes awry (as things can and eventually will). But at the same time, few things really get people's attention as well as letting them know when you're upset, why you're upset, and letting them feel the level of your dissatisfaction.

So here's the coin toss - be too nice and you'll be a doormat. Be a jerk and no one will want to work with you. Be in the middle and you're a coin standing on its end (which can't last for long).

My solution is to be on the jerk side of that coin, but not too far down that path. On a scale of 10, if 1 is being the "nice-guy" (aka pushover) and 10 is the "jerk" (aka i hate working with that guy), then I'm shooting for a 7.

I'll say that this approach doesn't always work. Sometimes some people are highly offended by a 7. Others don't register a 7 (its still not loud enough to get their attention) and only register a 9 or higher.

As is true in all of life, avoiding extremes is key. But more times than not, I'm sticking with a 7.