Not everything you learn in uniform is worth keeping. Some habits were tied to a specific context. Others were just plain broken.

I make a point of not doing any of the things on this list:

  1. Wasting time on things that don't add value. Time was often filled for the sake of being filled. Align time with impact. If an activity doesn't move the mission forward or help someone grow, it needs to go.
  2. Making people wait—again and again. “Hurry up and wait” was a way of life. Repeated delays erode trust and morale—especially when they're avoidable. Respect people's time, whoever you are.
  3. Relying on empty slogans as discipline. “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” Maybe. But sometimes you just need to sleep. An exhausted employee is rarely a productive one.
  4. Deferring blindly to hierarchy. Even with the privilege of rank, I always believed the best idea should win. Have your teams challenge you when they think you are missing something or making a mistake.
  5. Prioritizing uniformity over individuality. Conformity was required in uniform, but in business, creativity and diverse viewpoints are essential. Don't hire people who look, think, and operate like you—that's rarely the way to make magic happen.
  6. Keeping people busy just to keep them busy. In the military, we often filled idle time with meaningless tasks—just to look busy until it was “late enough”. An absolute morale killer and a great way to build resentment. If your team doesn't need to go all out today, let them recharge.
  7. Treating exhaustion like a badge of honor. Being tired and still operational was a vital necessity as a soldier. In the corporate world, pushing through fatigue might feel heroic, but it erodes performance and decision-making. You never know when you will need resource, so use it wisely.
  8. Staying silent around mental health. Mental strain was real, but rarely acknowledged. That silence cost people—more than we like to admit. Let's check in with our teams and create the conditions for folks to actually say: “I am not doing well”.
  9. Enforcing blind obedience as a management tool. Obedience in the military is not negotiable. In a business setting, blind obedience kills initiative, creativity, and ownership. You get compliance—not engagement. Build alignment and share clear goals so teams can make smart decisions without constant oversight.
  10. Treating every decision like life or death. Some military decisions were life or death. In the business world, treating every decision with maximum intensity burns people out and slows everything down. Most choices are reversible. Most mistakes aren't fatal. Pressure has its place, but wisdom means knowing when not to bring the whole hammer down.

This mindset is part of what we bring to the table at TEN Consulting—but we're more than that. Send us a note if you want to find out more.