27 hard-chargin' Spearheaders sallied forth on a perfect morning to participate in Lego-ruck games. Here's the thing:
Gnarly Goat's Lego-ruck games are designed to create, among other things:
stress, confusion, frustration, fatigue, anger… and failure. After failure. After failure. Complete with firing of leaders and punishment for incomplete "mission". Today we had a complex mission, some physically demanding tasks, some stress-inducing inserts (loud music, blasting heat, time hacks, a slogan to remember, etc etc).
But it's all in the name of good fun and some good lessons-learned. Here are some take-aways from the LeGORUCK:
1. Clauswitz said, "Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult." The same can be said for our LeGORUCK… the task was simple, but it was complicated by a host of circumstances. Novelists who have finished novels, and SEALS who have finished Hell Week say the same thing about simple yet daunting tasks: "Break them down into components that you can handle. If you look at the total mission, you can become overwhelmed by the enormity, difficulty and complexity of it. So novelists simply write one more paragraph. SEAL candidates make it one more hour. Every paragraph completed, and every 15 minutes you survive Hell Week can be a cause for celebration. I guess the best way to approach the LeGORUCK challenge is to look at it "one lego piece" or one level at a time. Otherwise the task becomes overwhelming. I suppose the same will apply to HTL. If you look at all the hours and pain ahead, it could become overwhelming, but if you focus on accomplishing something in the next few minutes, then you have a task you can handle. If your mission is to move a massive log ten miles you could lose hope… but if you focus on moving that log twenty more feet, you will soon have a reason to celebrate. DFQ
2. Failure. ALL the team-leaders, and the team as a whole, failed numerous times. The key here is to learn something from the failure, pass the information on to the next person, and then keep on getting after it. The next leader and the team as a whole will benefit from previous effort whether it was a success or failure. The great builders/leaders of antiquity often died before they saw their great "missions" accomplished. Perhaps they were only able to lay a foundation for a great structure, but their role was just as vital as the person who cut the ribbon on opening day. DFQ DBAP
3. Morale: Even when leaders were being fired, and the mission was a failure and we had "punishment" the mood stayed light. That's awesome. That will keep the team going. PYA
4. Weak links: At any given time someone will be the weakest link. It may be you one minute, and the guy next to you a few moments later. A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, so continue to strengthen each other. "On the strength in one link the cable, dependeth the might of the chain, who knows when thou may'est be tested, so liveth thou bearest the strain." GYMR
That was fun. Thank you for letting me partake in your preps. Aye.