Such a big difference for two “Guys” that share roughly the same name. Since I can remember, I’ve been told to not be “That Guy” and watched in awe of his more enlightened counterpart. Each year they find themselves at opposite ends of the bell curve when rankings fall out. To “That Guy” this may not matter, he may just not care. Should he, though, have any level of self respect, actually give a fuck and wish to change his ranking amongst his peers, there are several ways to change it, to become “The Guy”.
“The Guy”:
- Excels at his job, enjoys his work, or at the very least takes pride in what he does.
- Get his Warfare Quals (yes, multiple) in a quick way.
- Does above average work and does it quickly-and usually without being told.
- Gets every Qual available. Quals = quality of life for all. If you can’t compete with Quals, your rank climbing will end there.
- Has collaterals. Grab everything you can. When you get a collateral, run with it! Do it well, and publicize it… Its like the whole, “if a tree falls” theory – no need to flaunt it or be obnoxious about it, just make sure its visible throughout the command.
- Volunteers. This may be one of the most underutilized, most unrealized secret weapons of the Navy quick movers – and happy people in general. Volunteering not only transcends you above those in your peer group, its also incredibly satisfying and enjoyable if you choose wisely and take the time to do a little research. Check out www.volunteermatch.org
“That Guy”:
- Has no pride in his craft. He has no love or passion for what he does. Hell, this guy can’t even fake it.
- Has no initiative. He’s considered a “special case” and has to be hounded to get shit done, and repeatedly told what to do.
- Is “stuck on stupid”. Infamously can’t get right. (unless he reads and heads the above)
- Is a helpless victim. Yes, it is unfortunate that sometimes bad things happen to good people. Life can be unfair, unkind and unjust. However, being stuck in a victim mentality does nobody any good! You’ve got to stand back up, dust yourself off and take positive steps to fix your shit.
- Is a blamer. Either you own your situation or it will own you. You need to take responsibility for your life and actions. Blame is a scapegoat – it’s an easy way out of taking accountability for your own outcome. It’s a lot easier to point the finger at someone or something else instead of looking within and taking it on the chin – the ability to do this is called having character.
Just so we’re clear, not every trait listed above is needed to be classified as one of these guys. Things in life, just as with this post, are rarely black and white. This is merely meant to be a gentle guide on the right path, or a heel-kick-to-the-face wake-up call to pull your head out of your ass. However it speaks to you, if you take away just one thing it would be this: Volunteer!