20 Army Lessons, Skills and Competencies Learned for All

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Army lessons learned are real-life learning for everyone. This field is full of learning lessons, skills, and competencies. In this article, I am going to talk about army lessons learned to be useful in the practical life of every individual.

Army lessons learned

There is no end to learning to achieve career goals. Learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military can be useful for a person at any age. or time. The core point to consider is the intention. It is true, that with strong willpower, any person can learn life lessons from the army.

No doubt, Army lessons learned can change one’s life. This article is going to talk about learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military, and how to achieve them all.

1. Managing Chaos

Contradictions are a common part of a professional as well as personal life. Where there is no chaos, there is no innovation. In fact, creativity and innovation breed out of chaos and problem. We can’t ignore the existence of chaos.

It is told, that contradictions are good in the team when it’s used positively. A good idea comes through a lot of chaos and disagreement among the team to center on army lessons learned.

Managing chaos effectively and efficiently brings professional success. We can’t live in chaos, it breaks down peace and harmony of life- says Army lessons learned.

A successful team bonding breaks up due to chaotic approaches. It is a million-dollar success to deal with chaos successfully, lessons learned from military service.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change”- Albert Einstein

Not every person causes chaos. You will find very few who lead a chaotic environment. Some others just stay in the streamline, the rest disagrees with the issue or show indifference. But, resolving chaos permanently is a great achievement life in a military leader. By resolving chaos, organizational growth can be ensured, according to life lessons from the army.

How to handle chaos

Stay neutral
Be positive
Listen
Identify the root cause
Take time
Talk less
Find out common interests
Have patience
Don’t take it personally
Visualize end results

2. Mission-Driven

The mission is a long-term set goal that drives a person to the end results. Setting an achievable mission and reaching it is a trait of a successful person. Achieving a mission signifies determination and focusing on the objective. There should be a self-motivated drive to achieve anyone’s mission successfully.

A driver is the ingredient, trigger, power, or catalyst that stimulates a person to achieve something. People with mission-driven are resilient and committed. It is a kind of self-motivation that inspires a person to have meaning in life- lessons learned from military service.

“Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground”- Theodore Roosevelt

It is a sign for the winner. A mission-driven personality reaches his destination anyhow, as per the life lessons from the army. A person like this is a great inspiration for others. As a leader, he sets examples for others. He is far better than a doer than 10/20 average-level people. He fights barriers. A person like this is very logical in his or her every action to achieve a target.

How to be mission-driven

Set your mission
Be self-motivated
Celebrate success
Stay focused
Visualize big picture
Be positive
Don’t be distracted
Give a pause
Sleep and eat
Stop procrastination
Set priority
Learn to say no
Don’t indulge in multitasking

3. Limited Resources

Most people can perform tasks when you give them adequate or more than enough resources they require on the way of accomplish any goal. It is much easier for anyone. There is no actual credit on the caliber of the leadership of a person when he finishes his assignment amidst a resourceful environment.

The credit goes to those who can do a job under pressure, and obviously from the desert of resources. Lack of resources indicates various things, like, lack of money, market share, manpower, logistics, or even training and time.

A real leader is one who reaches his goal despite the scarcity of resources as much as a person may need on average. Life in the military explains that.

“Many of life’s failures are people who didn’t realize how close they were to success when they gave up” – Thomas Alva Edison

Finishing a mission with limited resources is a way of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military. By doing a task with as limited resources as you can deploy, you save resources of your office, business, or personal life.

When you are a doer with frugal utilities, you will grow your value among your network. Use fewer logistics, less manpower, or less money, here lies your difference and exclusiveness with others.

However, don’t try to be so much frugal that actually ends with nothing and you have to start afresh, causing much wastage of resources.

How to work with limited resources

Stay focused
Capitalize strengths
Develop productivity
Don’t experiment
Segment your tasks
Improvise
Set a perfect action plan
Make schedule
Don’t be distracted
Don’t rush
Think twice before action
Know your limitation

4. Multi-Tasking

Time and resources are limited. If you want to do more work in a limited time, you have to undergo multitask. Since you do multi-tasks on a stipulated time, you can accomplish more work in number, or volume than others. And when it’s your regular practice, you can be a successful executor.

It is true, that multitasking hampers creativity, time, and focus, but it has many benefits too. Researchers found that multitasking may reduce productivity by up to 40% varying from person to person. Some exclusive leaders can perform well while multitasking, it’s the lessons learned from military service. Few people can manage their brains to redirect to several tasks at a time with the center for army lessons learned.

“If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be” – Maya Angelou

However, in case a person is profoundly proficient at several tasks, he is likely to quickly transfer attention among the tasks and accomplish the tasks efficiently. Managing multi-tasking is a way of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

How to manage to multitask

Meditate
Set priority
Focus on the most important task
Do tasks alternatively
Delegate
Make a checklist
Pay attention
Practice time management
Sleep, take some rest
Avoid distractions
Make it a habit
Breakdown tasks
Expense more time
Keep task lists in a visible place

5. Perform under pressure

A real leader is a performer who can accomplish his job under pressure. It is really hard to perform well under pressure, but, some people can minimize the impact of pressure on their performance. There will have one or more constraints that may be beyond your control and interrupt your job, it is one of the life lessons from the army.

The constraints that a person recover in life in the military might be disagreement among team members, insufficient resources, time constraints, the difficulty of the task, inadequate knowledge needed to finish the task, sudden changes, tight deadlines, demands from the boss, employee performance issues, or unforeseen problems, etc.

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” -William James

Because stress can’t be avoided, it’s obvious to learn how to find an outcome and deal with it in a healthy and productive method. Performing under stress is a way of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

How to perform the best under pressure

Focus on a key point
Meditate
Be serious
Try Eisenhower Model
Accept mistakes
Seek support
Smile
Improve continuously
Enjoy work
Focus on the present
Break your tasks down
Set priority
Stay positive
Be active
Take breadth
Identify crunch time
Change perspective
Search patterns from past
Take pressure to grow up
Be ready for unexpected
Keep a routine

6. Managing Risks

Risk is a part of professional and personal life. We take many risks throughout life intentionally or unintentionally. Risk is a step that is taken to achieve a specific objective that has a 50/50 chance of success. Taking risks is a vital thing in any personal or professional life.

Not all persons are equal in risk-taking. Risk-taking is a personal trait, a gut that enables a person to think about of box. Risk always takes place out of my comfort zone in order to Army lessons learned.

Wisely taking risks is a significant step to one’s growth, its lessons learned from military service. Risk takers are desperate in their endeavors, set well-thought action plans, and achieve these.

When you are a poised risk taker, you like to embrace challenges. And do whatever you need to achieve. A risk-taker is quite different than those who love to stay in their comfort zone, of life lessons learned in the military.

He has the self-motivation, courage, and drives to influence others and control the situation. He makes his way as he needs, or, adjusts to the situation to maximize his output in an adverse situation.

“If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten” – Tony Robbins

A risk-taker can manage situations. He knows the difference between risk and rash. He also understands that all rash, unplanned, and impossible decisions are not well-thought risks, as they are aware of outcomes achieved and resources used. Managing risks is a way of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

How to take a well-thought risk

Visualize outcome
Calculate resources
Test feasibility
Keep your backup plan
Be positive
Absorb stress
Chalk down the action plan
Write down options
Stay focused
Seek help from the team

7. Thick Skin

People having thick skin can actually control their emotions and sensitivities in such a way that they can absorb any situation positively. The term thick skin, however, refers to metaphor, which means being endurable, flexible, and accommodating to any situation.

When you are sensitive, you are likely to be vulnerable to any adverse situation in your personal and professional life. Having thick skin is a learning lesson, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

Your emotions trigger you to quit your mission in the midway in case you face any harsh situation. Having a thick skin is good in that sense, that allows you to bear rude attitudes or hostility from anyone or anything.

“When you go in search of honey, you must expect to be stung by bees”- Joseph Joubert

Think, during the sales, a client rudely behaved with you. He hurt you personally. What will you do? Will you take your revenge by fighting back?

Or, will you take revenge by winning your purpose, ignoring any personal attack? Persons with thick skin and resilience are more successful to deal with difficult customers, compared to any other- lessons learned from military service.

How to develop a thick skin in the office

Don’t take it personally
Give pause
Listen more, speak less
Smile
Enhance tolerance
Learn to absorb
Meditate
Visualize outcomes
Say sorry & thank you
Be polite and humble
Don’t talk loudly
Be silent
Divert your mind

8. Build a Tribe

A leader is not a leader when he doesn’t have followers. It is not necessary to lead a team always, but it is necessary to be an influential team member. To be an efficient team member, one needs to be a contributor. Be helpful to your team members. Create your value on the team.

You need to sacrifice yourself with your supportive thoughts, and actions. Your business team should be committed to each other. When you will have a tribe, your strengths will be multiplied. Your tribe will come up with creative, innovative ways to maximize your brand image. They keep you in marketing.

“Either you run the day, or the day runs you” – Jim Rohn

It is not necessary all the time that your tribe to be your team members. Your tribe will be promoting you with the center for army lessons learned.

There is a simple proverb, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips”. Your tribes take steps in networking you with their influential circle, life lessons from the army.

How to find your tribe

Be likable
Develop networking
Contribute to tribes
Celebrate success
Give credit
Be positive
Set your standard
Practice your set culture
Create bonding
Listen
Communicate

9. Contribute

The contribution is the visible and positive return a person does for others, mostly voluntarily, inspired by self-motivation, or internal force.

A person who contributes to others is likable to all. Contribution enhances confidence, mental peace, and credibility. It gives more mental strength to do more. The contribution is an example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

There are many ways to contribute. As a professional, first of all, you have to have your passion for your job. When you tie up passion and work, your contribution will be found great. You can be a good team player who holds the team bonding. Do multitasking to multiply your contribution.

“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional” – Walter Disney

Show your dedication, loyalty, self-motivation, and determination to the organization. Meeting deadlines by working under pressure in need is a proven contribution.

There are many such examples in the case of business and personal life as well. Overall, it is a good feeling to help others. People will feel good about you. Moreover, when you contribute to others, they will replicate it to help others in need too. It is a reciprocal process.

Ways to contribute more effectively

Visualize the end results
Do more than expectation
Understand your clear roles
Start from peanut
Be Collaborative
Give credit
Be the first
Communicate
Do what you say
Be generous
Use fewer resources
Donate

10. Learning about other cultures

Continuous learning is a way of development. Some people learn faster, whereas the others learn comparatively later, Army lessons learned.

There are many things in personal and corporate lives that are necessary to learn, but those are most ill-fated who never learn. The most valuable part of learning is willingness.

“You will never know the moon or stars, unless you breathe in their solar system and inspect it from many diverse vantage points as possible.”
– Shannon L. Alder

Learning about other cultures has many benefits. Culture encompasses social norms, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, languages, arts, drama, music, foods, faith, religion, rituals, customs, and values of societies, with life lessons learned in the military.

Rules and norms in different cultures are different. In way of personal and professional life, we come across different people from different cultures, environments, and societies. Grasping other cultures is an example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

Therefore, it is important to know about different affairs that vary from culture to culture. When you are able to deal with people from different cultures, you actually obtain your objectives successfully.
You will have command and superiority overall. For example, knowing a second language will give you great benefits to deal with people from that language.

How to learn about other cultures

Be curious
Find your passion
Be knowledgeable
Mix with people
Exchange and share
Grow up networking
Travel
Watch movies
Read novel
Know historical chronology

11. Adaptation to changes

Change is a natural phenomenon in life. There is continuous change everywhere. Some changes take place sooner, some gradually. A person with a military mentality always is prepared for imminent and unpredictable changes. Adaptation to changes means complying with my change, and accepting it as it comes.

The first thing is to accept changes. Some people are reluctant to accept any change. On the contrary, some people are flexible to changes. They welcome it. These people with a military mentality overcome the fear of losing their position and rigidness toward breaking tradition.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
– Leo Tolstoy

Accepting change is not bad at all. In fact, all development, progress, and innovation have been disrupted through the changes from time to time.

Preparedness for change drives a person to enhance knowledge, skills, and competency so that she can keep pace with the change. Adaptation to change is an example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

How to adapt to changes

Show willingness
Be a part of a change
Show flexibility
Be positive
Learn new things
Adjust to a new role
Take responsibility
Grow confidence
Learn quickly
Have patience

12. Survivability

In the military term, survivability is resilience. This is an example of learning skills, competencies, and Army lessons learned.

It means, the ability or capacity of anything that completes its goal in an estimated time frame. Survivability is the courage that enables a person to withstand dangers, threats, darkness, attacks, disasters, and collapse.

Survivability is so magnanimous a term, that encompasses the existence and vitality of a person. It covers someone’s biological life from the root to other relevant areas, like, social, professional, and spiritual life, among others.

“Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere”- Paulo Coelho

Survivability is the endurance and flexibility you demonstrate to adjust to your surroundings. The environment will not be appeared as always a center for army lessons learned.

Sometimes you will confront failure, disasters, dangers, or depression. Stand still against them, wherever it comes, in personal or professional lives. When you will be able to live today, you can fight tomorrow. Love yourself, is one of the lessons learned from the military.

How to survive office politics

Be positive
Take risks cautiously
Don’t challenge a superpower
Avoid gossiping
Build a network
Be a fighter
Help others
Know company culture
Take opportunities
Grow your stamina
Listen and observe
Handle conflicts diplomatically
Develop self-reliance
Self-promotion
Keep the relationship with all
Focus your goal

13. Freedom

Freedom is the sovereignty of soul, body, and life that stimulates a person to do anything rational, legal, and ethical that she likes to do. This is an example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

Independence is the spirit of mind that gives anyone the courage to do anything reasonable without barriers or objections from others. It is the belief in your mind, that makes you reasonable and logical in your, every thought, intention, and action in life.

As an entrepreneur, you can continue your business independently. Freedom is a good thing in business. You can expand or customize your business in whatever ways you wish. You can invest in your way, employ human resources, and collaborate with anyone you wish.

“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves”
– Abraham Lincoln

However, in the case of a job in a company, you may have some constraints that you must follow. The fact is how much freedom you feel in mind in your office environment, Army lessons learned.

It is researched that, people with freedom perform better. In short, when you can work independently, with freedom you are more confident.

Overall, the spirit of independence is the core value in your life, that enables you the feeling of independence. Strong values are freedom of choice in every aspect of life.

How to work independently

Be confident
Develop skills
Contribute
Build networking
Be reliable
Develop a good relationship
Harness your strengths
Recover weaknesses
Know what to do
Take initiative
Be a good finisher
Grow trust
Don’t wait for instructions

14. Strategy

A strategy is a well-thought, pre-decided action plan that is divided into sub-tasks, outlined with why, when, how, and who, in line with the long-term goal that leads to growth. Setting a great strategy and achieving it is the best way to improve. A person’s military spirit has his set strategies and the action plan to achieve them.

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often” – Winston Churchill

A strategy includes identifying strengths and weaknesses, setting proper planning, developing skills and knowledge to equip the developmental process, allocating resources, and knowing the external and internal factors that affect the impact of the performance.

By adopting an exclusive strategic plan, companies can have resourceful insights on business trends, customer segments, and product and service orientation that trigger long-term organizational success. This is an example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

When you will have your strategies, you should be able to nurture and improve communication, meditative thinking, consistency in performance, cultural innovation, and creativity, customers retention through focus, find out opportunities and threats, conflicts resolution, achieve a competitive advantage, and readiness to change, allocate resources to right place and propositions, and see the big picture through border development goal.

How to develop a stunning strategy

Know your ultimate goal
Use resources wisely
Segmentize into subtasks
Be flexible
Calculate risks
Be flexible to change
Be innovative
Develop the best team
Skip unnecessary or less necessary tasks
Stay focused

15. Health

Health is wealth- is an example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military. When you are healthy in body and mind, it is probably the best gift of the Almighty. Good food, sound sleep, and regular exercise make a man healthy wealthy, and wise. When you have good health and a sound mind, you can concentrate on other works of your life very attentively and nicely.

There are many good foods for your soul too. Some say mental health and peace are far more vital than physical health. According to a source, 40% of the time the typical worker takes leave each year is due to mental health-related matters. However, I should say, good health is not the only criterion for a winner. There are many other factors to make you happy and prosperous.

“Top 15 Things Money Can’t Buy
Time. Happiness. Inner Peace. Integrity. Love. Character. Manners. Health. Respect. Morals. Trust. Patience. Class. Common sense. Dignity.”
– Roy T. Bennett

Statistics show that obesity costs the U.S. 21% of total healthcare costs – $344 billion annually in the US (2018).

Another research found that 28.0% of Americans, which is 80.2 million people in number, aged six and more are not physically active. See how important is to pay attention to your health care, and Army lessons learned.

When you will have good health, you can pay more attention to your job. Good health is related to higher productivity and lower absenteeism. Your good health contributes to your focus and taking stress in many situations.

How to keep good health

Eat a balanced diet
Sleep well
Take enough rest in between work
Walk regularly/ exercise
Lead a tension free life
Meditate
Travel
Laugh and do fun
Listen to music,
Read books you like

16. Preparedness

Every aspect of life needs preparation. It is a basic personal skill for a human being. You can’t expect maximum output unless you pay a good effort and good preparation is an example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

As a student, you can expect a good result only when you take the good preparation for the exam and career. An interviewee gets the job when she will have good preparation to convince the interviewers. Your well-prepared project proposal gets noticed in the bid. A good presentation receives appreciation when you take good rehearsal before it. There are millions of such examples around us.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Preparation is the factor that differentiates a good and bad output. Let’s think about a movie, we watch it in 2 hours, which the team produces over a long time, more than a year. Hope you get the point of preparation and its importance.

How to take good preparation

Practice, rehearse
Don’t wait for the last moment
Pay attention
Subdivide your task, or resources
Check past situation
Grow a competitive mentality
Don’t take the stress
Practice time management
Take break
Organize yourself
Visualize the final day
Sleep well
Take good food and enough water

17. Paranoia

In the simplest form, paranoia is the fear and anxiety of the mind that lead to inferiority complexities. It is the worried, and suspicion that breed negativity in the mental state of the center for army lessons learned.

National Institute of Mental Health found that 18.1% of American adults suffer from a clinical anxiety disorder, where social anxieties were found on top. 60% of women are more likely than men to have an anxiety disorder for a lifetime.

People with military spirit deal with paranoia very cautiously. As a leadership personality, you should not allow resorting to this bad state in your mind as learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

“Bitter people are not interested in what you say, but what you hide.”
– Shannon L. Alder

Paranoia has no benefits other than creating a disaster in your life. It is enough to spoil relationships, undermine confidence, and decrease creativity as well as productivity in life, business, or office. Being paranoid, you turn yourself alone in the end. You lack confidence. People around you discard you from their network.

“O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin…” [Al Qur’an: Chapter 49, Verse 12]

When a person is paranoid, he perhaps undergoes limitless anxiety on one or more issues like fears to take new challenges, speak in public, interact with power authority, being drastically nervous, suffering from a sense of perfectionism, and nurturing a sense of inferiority complexities, emotions, and sensitivities, Army lessons learned.

How to overcome paranoia

Consult a psychologist
Grow self-confidence
Avoid negative people
Build a relationship
Keep yourself busy
Realize- nothing is perfect
Talk to yourself
Feel- you are not alone with fear
Be positive
Stop backbiting
Anticipate good
Meditate

18. Work Ethics

Skills learned in the army comply with work ethics. It is a quality of huge importance for a businessman or professional. Work ethics is a crucial example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military. Learn how to improve work ethics in the office or business.

“Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan”
– Margaret Thatcher

19. Discipline

Discipline is the rule of life that brings order and develops a system for every action. Discipline is the leadership habit that is to be cultured over time. It is a practice that leads to a better life. You will find many people around you who attribute achievements to discipline.

Without discipline, life turns to chaos. The whole universe runs in a discipline. The earth moves around the sun in a disciplined way. A disciplined person remains focused on his goal. They are honored by others for their systematic life. Discipline in life keeps a person healthy and happy.

Disciplined people are usually self-motivated and active by nature. They sacrifice many pleasures of life to uphold discipline. They are born doer with involvement and better performance. Due to proper time management, they have much time to do more. A disciplined leader stays tension-free as an example of learning lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military.

“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough”- Mario Andretti

How to enhance discipline in life

Set priorities
Build self-control
Know your weaknesses and strengths
Keep a schedule
Accept mistakes to rectify
Learn to say no
Lead a simple life
Take rest
Avoid distractions
Start little
Identify your goal
Use technology
Pray

20. Leadership

Leadership is a personal trait of a person that enlists a series of good qualities. It is the most crucial and influential issue in someone’s business and professional lives, skills learned in the army.

Everyone is not a leader. Being a leader is not an easy thing. Learn 15 inspirational traits for charismatic leaders.

A leader appreciates people and communicates. She measures result that leads to accountability. A person who is intended to learn lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military involves her team to grow ownership. She asks questions to her team to engage. She explains her expectation and aligns the action plan, for life lessons learned in the military.

“Perfect is the enemy of good.”
– Voltaire

A leader clarifies values and set examples. She envisions a future where she empowers others. She takes risks, goes for innovation, and searches for opportunities. A person who is intended to learn lessons, skills, and competencies from life in the military is collaborative and recognizes contributions from others.

She is a humble, receptive, active agent who gives credit. She connects daily work with a great goal. Skills a person learned in the army focus on people and motivates others.