In a letter to his son, the Marshal de Belle Isle wrote, "If you ever make any mistakes, be quick to admit and especially comet them. While this manner of conducting oneself is totally natural and is not deserving of praise, it will however draw praise for you, will win you hearts, and will allow you to pardon mistakes in others."1 For Marines, admitting mistakes often is difficult, but we would do well to follow the Marshal de Belle Isle's advice. Indeed, Marine leaders who cannot admit their mistakes create numerous problems for themselves and their units. Conversely, leaders who have the moral courage to face their mistakes will gain the increased respect and confidence of both their subordinates and superiors.
Most people find it hard to admit mistakes, but for Marines, the task seems particularly distasteful. We learn from the outset of our careers that the Marine Corps is the best at everything. The stones of historical battles and great Marine heroes imbue a feeling that Marines have never failed or made mistakes—that we are near perfect. For a Marine to admit that he has made a mistake seems to imply that he is somehow less than the Marines who preceded him, that he is less than the best. The current competitiveness in the Marine Corps also makes admitting personal failures seem foolish, almost self-sacrificial.
During Desert Storm, I was executive Officer of a rifle company. One morning, our company hiked several miles to a deserted village, where we would conduct the day's training. We carried a tremendous amount of gear, and I was experimenting with better ways of distributing the load. On this particular hike, I had placed my 782 gear (an H-harness and web belt that holds a Marine's canteens, bayonet, ammunition pouches, etc.) over the outside of my pack. My experiment failed and left my gear dangling raggedly on my back. When the company stopped, made my way to the front. As I passed one of the platoons, one of the noncommissioned officers (NC0s) remarked loudly, "I guess we can just wear our gear any old sloppy way we want to, huh?" His comment combined with my being tired, sweaty, and disappointed caused my anger to erupt. I hurled a few expletives, loud enough for the entire company to hear, telling him what he could do with his opinion. Moments later, when his platoon commander told me that the NCO had been addressing one of the Marines in his squad, my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to find the courage to apologize to that NCO—immediately and in front of his platoon—because I remained in that company throughout the war and for several months after we returned home.
Mistakes will occur, and the worst thing leaders can do is to try to cover them up. A mistake usually is apparent to both the troops and superiors, and an attempted cover-up destroys their trust and confidence in their leaders. Retired Lieutenant General Louis Metzger, writing in the Marine Corps Gazette, said:
Be assured that as a commander, sooner or later, something is going to go wrong.... The two worst things you can do [are to] try to hide the problem and to surprise your immediate superior.2
I recall being a member of a Marine rifle company that became so lost on a field exercise that we could not be found for water or food resupply. The company commander later remarked that he had meant to push the troops in terms of water and chow discipline and to test their mental toughness in unfamiliar terrain. Because of his unwillingness to face up to his mistake, he lost the respect and confidence of his men. A simple statement that the exercise had gotten out of control and that he would work to ensure that it didn’t happen again at least would have earned him a second chance.
Our troops realize that we are human and sometimes will make mistakes. The leader who can admit his mistakes reaps many benefits. The courage required to stand up in front of our Marines and admit a mistake will be recognized and respected. Subordinates will see that their commander has respect for them if he feels it is important to give them an explanation or an apology for a foul- up. It also demonstrates that the commander is honest with himself and the troops he leads. All of these elements help establish a solid reputation for a leader of Marines. As General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during World War II, stated:
When you are commanding, leading men under conditions where physical exhaustion and privations must be ignored; where the lives of men may be sacrificed ... the efficiency of your leadership will depend only to a minor degree on your tactical or technical ability. It will primarily be determined by your character, your reputation.3
A leader’s reputation with his superiors will be enhanced as they recognize his honesty and courage. There initially may be some upset because of the mistake, but most are understanding and forgiving of the Marine who shows the moral strength to admit he was wrong.
Everyone will make mistakes, and to do so does not mean that you are less than the best, less than a Marine. Those who overcome their pride and face their mistakes will attain personal growth and increased unit effectiveness that far outweigh a few moments of pain in having to swallow their pride.
1 Marshal de Belle Isle, in Leadership Quotations from The Military Tradition, ed. Robert A. Fitton (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994), p. 194.
2 Gen. L. Metzger, USMC (Ret.), “Some Thoughts on Leadership,” Marine Corps Gazette, January 1991, p. 60.
3 "Leadership in Perspective,” Marine Corps Gazette, February 1991, p. 14.
Captain Mundy currently is deployed with Weapons Company, 3d Battalion, 1st Marines