If he does not form the habit of so talking, he forfeits his power of leadership. For what good is an intelligent or inventive officer, if he cannot put his intelligence or invention out through his lips? The military profession is one which depends upon quick instruction by word of mouth. The officer who does his own work and the work of his sergeants too, is plainly inefficient. He has avoided the harder task—that of teaching others how to carry on the work. He has done worse. He has lessened the value of his organization as an automatic machine. When he leaves it, it will either fall to pieces or place a weighty burden on the officer relieving him.[24]
There is one caution which a military man should observe in his speech on the drill ground, in barracks, or in the field. He should not repeat unnecessarily. He should not allow his men to gain the idea that if they do not listen at once he will tell them later. It should be an understood fact that his Explanation, once stated, stands. Of course he may reiterate during his talk for the sake of emphasis. But he should by practice be so capable of telling everything so unmistakably the first time over that no reasonable question can be asked.
Good explanations make for attention on the part of his men, and attention makes for an increase of good work. Sooner or later the achievements of his organization contrast it favorably with other organizations and his brother officers say, “He has made a success.” Much of that success has come to him because he has set for himself, and followed these simple rules:
(1) “I will try today not to say anything which is not exactly expressive of what I mean.”
(2) “I will try whenever I write to make myself unmistakable.”
(3) “I will try whenever I speak to make every word distinct from every other word.”
(4) “I will try whenever I read to see how others express themselves so that I may at the next opportunity imitate that part of their style which says most in the simplest way.”
(5) “I will make every good new word my own, because the vocabulary of my present life is limited.”
(6) “I will do all this because by so doing I shall develop myself in my profession, and because I may some day fail that profession if I neglect that development now.”