Make the Reconnaissance
This is the fourth in a series of posts on using the Six Troop Leading Steps (BAMCIS) in the War of Life.
Get caught up here:
The next step in BAMCIS is: Make the Reconnaissance.
This is where you leave friendly lines, stop staring at the map, and see what the terrain actually looks like.
The map matters. But the map is not the terrain.
Your plan matters. But your plan is not reality.
Your opinion of yourself matters less than the evidence of your behavior.
This is where professional and personal development become uncomfortable.
Conducting reconnaissance means collecting the ground truth.
Not the truth you want. The truth that is.
Most people don’t need a better plan at first. They need a better grasp of reality.
They think they are “pretty active,” but their step count says otherwise.
They think they “eat pretty clean,” but a food log would tell a different story.
They think they “work hard,” but a calendar recon would show hours lost to distraction.
They think they are “present” with their family, but their phone use suggests they are physically home yet mentally absent.
They think they are “just too busy,” but the truth is, they haven’t been willing to make hard choices.
Your reconnaissance will discover the truth, that’s why most people avoid it.
On recon patrols, I have discovered that the route I have been sent to survey is impassable, that a bridge is out, or that the objective is more heavily defended that intell suggested it would be.
That can feel like bad news, but bad news discovered early is a gift.
Bad news discovered too late equals mission failure.
In the war of life, making the reconnaissance might look like stepping on the scale every morning for two weeks.
Or tracking every dollar you spend.
Or asking your spouse, “What am I like to live with?”
It may look like recording yourself speaking and watching the video.
Or timing your run and tracking your heart rate, rather than guessing at your fitness.
It may look like asking your team for anonymous feedback.
It may look like tracking how many hours you actually spend on the thing you claim matters most.
That is making the reconnaissance.
Most often, it will tell you something you don’t want to know. That's probably why you haven’t asked the question lately.
The 4th rule in Maj Robert Rodgers 28 Rules of Ranging tells us:
4. Tell the truth about what you see and do. There is an army depending on us for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but don't never lie to a Ranger or officer.
In our case, it is our lives, sucess, or happiness that depends on accurate reporting, no matter how uncomfortable the truth may be.
Don’t deny the information you gather.
Don’t try to explain it away.
Don’t make excuses.
Just observe and report.
Finding out that “You are here” on the map is not a condemnation. It is a point of information to use during planning.
Until you know where you are and what the terrain looks like, every point of the compass is equally useless.
Once you know where you are, you can plan. When you plan, you can move.
This is where Walking Point requires the third C of Courage.
Achieving the first C, Clarity, is not always pleasant. Sometimes, finding your location on the map reveals how far off course you are.
But it beats being lost.
Now you know. And as G.I. Joe says, “Knowing is half the battle.”
This week’s tactic:
Pick one area and ‘Make the Reconnaissance’. Gather hard evidence for seven days. The truth is not your enemy. The truth is your position.
John - Your arms dealer for the war of life
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And the truth will set you free...
Great analogy to help progress in daily life. Excellent post. Thank you.