The 4 Rights

Standing on parade with about 150 other people, a wise Sergeant Major walked out to brief the troops about the days activities. He liked the sound of his own voice and went on much longer than he needed to, but he left us with a final thought that has stuck with me for many years. The four rights are the foundation of army training.

Right Place

Know where you are meant to be, and how to get there!

Do the rest of your team know where they are meant to be?

Right Time

Know what time you have to be there, how long it is going to take you to get there, and be there five minutes early!

“5 minutes before a parade” is the golden rule…

Right Equipment

Are you dressed correctly? Right boots for the task? The right order of dress?

Are you carrying the right equipment?

Is all of your equipment clean and serviceable? Have you checked it?

Do you have a notebook and pen? Never leave home without them!

Right Attitude

Turning up to a meeting, class or just for work, do you have the right attitude?

Are you prepared for the lesson?

Are you ready to learn?

Positive Mental Attitude?

Are you focused on the activity at hand?

Civilian Perspective

When I took a break from the Army a few years back, I ended up as a manger in a big IT company. I had to attend a big meeting at a conference centre, that was due to start at 0900 hrs. I was not certain exactly where I needed to be, so made sure I turned up with plenty of time to find the exact room.

I arrived about 30 minutes early to the massive lecture theatre, that could hold about 500 people. The main presenter was there, and we chatted for about ten minutes or so, usual small talk. But eventually people started to turn up. Exactly as the presentation was due to start, the presenter threw up this big view of a sum of US Dollars, and each second it increased.

Due to people being late, wondering in on mobile phones, and chatting with their colleagues, etc, the presentation started about 20 minutes late. At which time the presenter stopped the timer, and the value stopped increasing. He stood in the middle of the stage, and stood quietly for a while. The cost of the delay, was over $600,000.

People turning up late and not following the 4 rights costs businesses billions every year. Just one delay costing a company that much money, shocked everyone in the room.

Summary

I know that the lovey dovies of this world has taken the right attitude and sucked the life out of it, turning it into thinking about what you are grateful for, and a lot of other “feelings” related nonessential rubbish, but the basic premise is still there. Your attitude to training will directly affect your enjoyment, ability and involvement. Turning up at the right place, at the right time and with the right equipment will make the training smoother and your life a lot easier, especially during a tight training schedule, or a busy work day.