There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. ~ Colin Powell
Being a professional and owning your craft go hand-in-hand. I retired from the fire service after my last tour in Iraq. I am very passionate about the fire service and public safety. Being a firefighter and serving the men and women who protect our freedom in active combat zones for more than a decade certainly changed my life. We had our good days and our bad days. I often think about all the brave men and women we helped. I pray everyday for the men and women we lost and their families. I thank them for their service and their sacrifices. The people I deployed with and worked with are second to none. I loved the camaraderie and sense of family. We were a team. I can honestly say everyone in that environment, an environment that was austere in comparison to most places in the world, owned their craft. They were the very best at what they did and raised the bar on professional reputation and standards. Now that I have returned home, I have started a career in a new field as a Corrections Officer. The work is challenging and the work force is diverse. We work a lot of hours in a very demanding field. We have officers with a wide variety of skill sets and very different backgrounds. I’m thinking about my ways I can encourage my teammates to “own their craft” and do what they do better than everyone else. I encourage everyone to take pride in what they do. Be the best at what you do. Own your craft and together we will accomplish our mission and claim victory. I posted this message to solicit responses from you. Does anyone have examples of someone owning their craft and being the best at what they do? Who stands out? Why? What is the motivation? How do you teach that or emphasize the importance of taking pride in what you do and not taking shortcuts? Taking initiative… Saying what you are going to do, and doing what you say are two different things.
