No Need for 'Please' on the Training Ground—Commands Admit Not the Slightest Ambiguity

No Need for 'Please' on the Training Ground

■ Mu Yujie, Zhao Minggang

One afternoon in April, on the training ground of a certain Navy unit, Liu Guoyu—just reassigned as assistant squad leader—stood before the formation for the first time in his capacity as a commander, excited yet apprehensive. At that moment, his mind was filled with anticipation about making his mark in his new position.

In the formation, Senior Sergeant First Class Wang Yunfei stepped out to perform a demonstration movement—crisp and clean. When Wang returned to the formation, Liu Guoyu, wanting to show "respect," deliberately softened his voice and blurted out: "Please fall in!"

At those words, Wang Yunfei's movement visibly faltered before he completed the movement and rejoined the formation. Political Instructor Zhu Denghui, standing to the side, glanced at Liu Guoyu but said nothing. Liu Guoyu was quietly pleased with himself—his little calculation had worked. Be polite and courteous to the veterans, and wouldn't squad work be easy to carry out going forward?

In the days that followed, he carried this "courtesy" even further. Every time he issued a command to a veteran, he deliberately added "please": "Please stand at ease," "Please fall in" … Liu Guoyu felt quite pleased with himself, thinking this approach both demonstrated his respect for senior comrades and brought him closer to his fellow soldiers—two birds with one stone.

But this self-satisfaction did not last long.

During a break in one training session, the political instructor pulled Liu Guoyu aside: "Liu Guoyu, are you ever going to stop with the 'please'? Who authorized you to add 'please' to your commands?"

Liu Guoyu was suddenly at a loss. Only then did he realize that the political instructor's earlier glance had not been tacit approval—it had been disappointment at his "ingratiating style of leadership (讨好式管理)."

"Political Instructor, I just wanted to get along well with everyone, to make it easier to carry out work going forward …" Liu Guoyu lowered his head, his voice growing smaller with each word.

The political instructor did not continue to reproach him. Instead, he said to him, word by deliberate word: "On the training ground, there is no need for 'please.'"

He then spoke of his own experience when he had first taken command of a squad: "I was the same way back then—easygoing with the veterans during training, thinking it would make everyone like me. Then came an evaluation, and our squad finished last. That was when I understood: a real commander must look the part of a commander. A command is an order—it admits not the slightest ambiguity." The political instructor's words landed on Liu Guoyu one by one like hammer blows.

Thinking back on how he had been ingratiating himself with the veterans on the training ground, Liu Guoyu suddenly felt his face flush. The political instructor, seeing him lost in thought, clapped him on the shoulder: "Go back and think it over carefully. Leading soldiers is not hosting a dinner party. You have to be tough—only then will the soldiers respect you."

The next day at formation drill, he arrived early and practiced his commands more than ten times. When training began, he stood ramrod straight, his voice loud and clear: "Attention! Stand at ease! Eyes right—dress!" When veterans in the formation needed their movements corrected, he called them out directly by name: "Wang Yunfei, raise your arm higher!"

During a training break, Wang Yunfei said to him with a smile: "Assistant Squad Leader, that's quite a voice you've got today." Liu Guoyu was about to explain himself when Wang Yunfei raised a thumb: "Now that's what an assistant squad leader looks like. That day when you were shouting 'please,' it felt off to me too. Leading soldiers means looking like you lead soldiers. No matter how many years I've been in, on the training ground, when it's time to listen to you, we listen to you. Rest assured—we old-timers respect the formation regulations, not 'courtesy.'"

Liu Guoyu was first taken aback, then felt a warmth rise in his chest … Today, "please" is gone from the training ground—but in the eyes of his fellow soldiers looking at Liu Guoyu, there is now a measure more of trust and respect.