What is the best lesson an NCO/Officer has ever taught you?

What I learned from a battalion commander when I was a young buck sergeant. Every soldier has a sergeant. The BN CDR has the CSM, CO has 1SG, a Private has his Team and Squad leader. NCOs run this Army every day so if a young LT fails his NCOs have failed. We all know it’s the NCO Corps that run the Army but he put the fire to our feet that if there was a failure it’s because a Sergeant wasn’t doing his job. Every Solier has a Sergeant!

CSM Crisp 263rd 1st Armored Brigade 1973. Said establish your goal, acknowledge what success is . Work back to where you are. Then you can set your course to victory. It has never failed

My NCOs taught me how to really think unconventionally while forming a tactical plan, how to read terrain at a glance, and how to instantly see the weakness in an enemy's position. Then one of my SSGs saved my life. You cannot do much better than that!

Most of the advice and lessons I learned how to be a good NCO came from NCO's outside of my MOS and some really good advice I received came from a SGM in the British Army, and it all boiled down to this:
1. Be willing to get dirty with your subordinates to show them how to perform a task. If Joe PVT has a better, easier way to accomplish XXXXX so be it. As long as its done.
2. Be a Shoulder to cry on, a sounding board for their frustrations, and keep the paperwork to a minimum. keep it internal, only write it up when it is egregious and blatant.
3. Nudge, never push; you'd be surprised with how much more can be accomplished that way.
4. Periodically help them blow off steam someplace where "you" control the environment, whether it's between members of the Platoon, or a chip about command; even if it's about you. Let them go off. The ruffled feathers can be smoothed. UCMJ leaves a mark.

I was given advice from an old C O of mine, if I was going screw off, make it look like I was doing something productive.

Sorry for typo, O-2 was the plane he'd flown, I just had ophthalmic of surgery, also, this tablet I'm using is very prone to typos and auto corrects, I'm afraid..

I once had occasion to sit with my unit CO, an O-6 whonhadnt yet pinned on O-7, I only learned urs later he'd flown 150 combat FAC missions in a9-2 Bronco light armoredmPiper Cub as in the film Bat 21 in Vietnam, I quite vividly recall the sheer, raw overawing power of the man as he asked about my motivations, I left themroim quite wrung out, I assure you, he'd given me a certificate of appreciation that morning despite something a few days earlier that'd been somewhat the opposite, I clearly hadn't been expecting the certificate. Which, given the prior circumstance, it'd been an award ceremony he'd been there for, was clearly disconcerting, surprising, and obviously welcome, though certainly unexpected, you understand, there were sevl other instances similar imcoild relate, however, that was my most vivid one as you'd mentioned tour were asking about, imtakemit, hope was of interest, many thanks....

I had a retired Sergeant Major as a JROTC instructor when I was in high school, and he was always big on excuses. Just talking about owning up for everything, whether it was entirely your fault or not. If one of your guys screwed up, it was on you, and obviously if you screwed up, you need to own up to it. Gave me a huge speech about it since I always liked to give excuses, and now whenever I attempt to give one, I think about that moment from about 7 years ago.

I believe it is the duty of each of us to act as if the fate of the world depended on him. Admittedly, one man by himself cannot do the job. However, one man can make a difference. We must live for the future of the human race, and not for our own comfort or success.” Hyman G Rickover