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Aug 2009

 

What do puzzle pieces, Black Hawk Down, and YOU have in common? 

 

 

You Are The Piece of the Puzzle

Lessons of Teamwork and Training from the Battle of Mogadishu

By Beverly Floyd

 

“You are the piece of the puzzle that makes everything around you work,” was the opening and closing statement of the highly engaged performance by Mr. Keni Thomas (google or bing him) at the recent Returning Warrior Workshop (RWW) in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Without fancy slides to dictate his pace, nor the podium to hide behind, Keni Thomas delivered the performance of the day.  The only thing standing between him and his audience was the vivid picture he painted about his combat experience in what most of us recognize through the best-selling novel and movie, Black Hawk Down.

Yes, on Sunday, October 3, 1993 Sergeant Keni Thomas, an Army Task Force Ranger was there – fighting the Battle of Mogadishu (warning:  this video contains graphic footage) as part of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.  And on July 25, 2009 at the RWW in Atlanta he took his audience there, as he recounted the 18-hours that resonates in his mind every day.

Through Keni’s illuminating story, we met and admired the team he served and trusted – the soldiers to the left of him and the soldiers to his right:  Platoon Sergeant Watson, Squad Leader Doug, Specialist De Jesus, and Privates Floyd and Suranskey.  Each soldier admirable and trustworthy because they knew they were a piece of the puzzle that made everything around them work.  And the medic who always had his face in a book - looking for a better way to save a life because he also knew he was a piece of the puzzle.

By the end of the hour, it was apparent that Keni was imparting more than his version of a war story.  He left us a lesson in leadership, teamwork, character, preparation, resilience, recovery, and discovery of purpose. As I listened to his message, I thought how eloquently and powerfully God is using him to heal the invisible wounds of combat, not only through speaking engagements but also through the gift of music as a country star sensation. 

A trainer at heart, I saw an opportunity to share Mr. Thomas’ insights to my corporate audience who often find themselves fighting a war on the battlefield of business.  So, for your learning pleasure, I bring you this montage … Enjoy!

You are the piece of the puzzle that makes everything around you work . . .

Everyone has a job to do . . . Never take “routine” for granted . . . Better to have and not need then to need and not have . . . You’re only as good as your weakest link . . . Set your standards high and bring people up to meet that standard . . .  No one wants to be a part of a mediocre team . . .  Don’t mistake the short “huddle time” as being poorly prepared . . .  Proper planning, outstanding leadership, and training is what makes the difference between success and failure . . .  Training is about improving to get better at what you do . . .  Training keeps you focused . . .  Train, plan and execute . . .  Plan for casualties – if a man’s down what will we do? . . .  If you make it out of somewhere, where someone else did not, it will change your life forever . . .  Everyone in here has a ton of gifts . . .  Train as you fight and fight as you train . . .  You’re in charge! . . . Be the man/woman that you would want to follow . . .    . . .  In combat, you learn to deal and find your character . . .  Foundation is built on countless hours of training – day after day . . .  If you don’t have character you’re going to crumble . . .  It’s about having confidence in the guy to the left of you and the guy to the right of you – and you can’t let them down . . .  Resources are needed to do realistic training . . .  It’s how well that you prepare for “the moment,” in advance, that makes the difference  . . .  You’re only as good as you prepare yourself to be . . .  Don’t sell yourself short and say you are ordinary – it’s the day in/day out of doing the ordinary that makes you extraordinary . . .  You don’t want the bad times, but here they are – what you gonna do about it? . . . Use your gift to the best of your ability (Romans 12:5-8) . . .   “Send Me!” (Isaiah 6:8) . . .  Best word of encouragement ever received:  “Congratulations on choosing something for yourself; it’s an honorable and noble profession” . . . 

You are the piece of the puzzle that makes everything around you work.