Gung Ho - the meaning

Gung ho is a Chinese term for 'working together' and the slogan of Carlson's Raiders during World War II.

Led by Lt Col Evans F. Carlson, the men of the Second Marine Raider Division were known for their enthusiasm, teamwork, and outstanding results. The unit was formed seven weeks after Pearl Harbor and its success is documented in the book Gung Ho! by Lt W.S. Le Francois. When the book was turned into a movie starring wartime screen idol Randolph Scott (with Robert Michum in a supporting role), the term "Gung Ho", to describe boundless enthusiasm, energy, and dedication applied to some task, was firmly entrenched into our language.

Self awareness

'The Five Essential Leadership Questions" by R. John Young suggests that before we can truly know others we must know ourself. He suggests that cultivating self-knowledge is critical to becoming a trusted an effective leader.

Self knowledge can increase our self-certainty or our self-confidence. Self-certainty is associated with both higher self-esteem and a greater sense of personal control...

It is often our intuition that guides our thoughts and decisions. Self-knowledge is the cornerstone of intuition. We know either by science, faith, or intuition. But intuition is hard to define. It can be understood as knowing without being able to understand or describe why we know.

People with strong intuition seem to have immediate knowledge about a fact, or truth, as a whole and the awareness of past, present, or future events without the conscious use of such processes as linear reasoning, rationality, or analytics. 

Rationality is a systematic way of thinking that generates a number of linked propositions that can be converted into assumptions and theories about truth.

The greatest value and higher form of logic is the inter-relation between intuition and rationality.

Trust and Transparency

Gung Ho talks about the need to tell the truth and the difference between telling the truth and telling the whole truth. "Managers keep control by pretending information is sensitive and withholding it. It's great for power trips but it doesn't lead to trust. If you want your team to be Gung Ho, you have to tell the whole truth, and that means information belongs to everyone."

My note: I don't think this is a good practice. There are things that a manager has awareness of that would not profit the team and in fact might inflame or scare the team unnecessarily. Other things are simply not appropriate to share. Personnel issues for example are specifically between management, HR and that particular employee.

The book also talks about putting the well-being of team members first and specifically above profit. "Running a business from numbers is like playing basketball while watching the scoreboard instead of the ball. Look after the basics if you want success, and the first basic is the team."

He suggests that the priority is (1) team (2) customers.

My note: I don't disagree that the team is highly important. But I would think that the needs of the team come behind the needs of the business and of doing our best for the customer. Or is it a balance between the needs of the customer, the team and the business? I agree with the statement about playing basketball while watching the scoreboard instead of the ball. But I don't think the first basic is the team.

Worthwhile Work

Gung Ho talks about the need for worthwhile work - that people must see their jobs as worthwhile in order to enjoy doing them and pursue them. The elements of worthwhile work are:

1. Knowing we make the world a better place
2. Everyone works toward a shared goal.
3. Values guide all plans, decisions, and actions.

In order to live our # 3 you must:

• Why are we here
• What we though our long-term and short-term goals should be
• What values we'll honor

Purpose of this blog

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my thoughts on good business practices. I read books and will post comments which relate to things I find important for profit, teambuilding, improvement, etc.

I welcome your comments here also on these topics. You may recommend other sources as well.

This started several years ago when I read Patrick Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions Of a Team. I really think this is a great teambuilding book. Then I read and took the test from Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. Between those two books I began looking at business and teams differently. That has lead me down the path I am on which includes my experience with teams, reading, doing. I am seeking to help people get to the next step in their own journey while producing a profit for whatever business we work for.