Who are the people you surround yourself with?

COL Mikel J. Burroughs got it correct right out of the gate. Surround yourself with those you feel have the ability to take the reins from you and make it even better when you leave/get promoted...the Soldiers deserve no less.

I'm not sure who to credit for it but I once heard, "you are the sum total of the FIVE people you spend the most time around, if THREE are negative...guess what YOU are going to be?" Another thing we are guilty of (in the military as well as first responders), is not having a wide group of friends...to include outside our profession. We need people to bring something to the table besides the same stories we have to help us keep a firmer grasp on reality.

CPT (Join to see) I have always tried to surround myself with people that are smarter than me, have my same energy level, and who have that "Eagle" instinct "There isn't anything you can't accomplish if you set your mind to it!" During both of my Brigade Commands I recruited the brightest and smartest staff officers and Senior NCOs I could find and put them in the positions that they would excel at. I left those individuals do the same thing one and two levels down. I received numerous "atta boys" for a job well done, but when it comes right down to it, I surrounded myself with the "best of the best" officers and Senior NCOs. That made my job easy and believe me I made sure they were well recognized for their efforts - I always took a back seat for any recognition and made sure the individuals that made the rubber hit the highway were rewarded. Hope that doesn't sound selfish, but I'm firm believer that Leaders surround themselves with future leaders and help them get to their potential. Another key aspect about those individuals is they weren't "Yes" people.

Would it be sexist to say I have my wife, two daughters, and I get a paltry allowance?