When In Command, COMMAND!
Ray Spruence spoke these words to Chester Nimitz as cadets at the Naval Academy. Later, Nimitz reminded Spruence of them while handing him command of the Pacific fleet in WW2. These words carry great power and utility. As a young Chess tournament director, I was running an event at a school. One player was going to have to leave after lunch, leaving an odd number of players. I talked to the "odd man out" and gave him a choice. He could have the bye...a free point but with no tiebreak value.....or they could play during lunch before the other player left. He chose to play. He lost. As soon as the after lunch round started, I was cornered by his patents in the hall. "It wasn't fair. It was not the kids decision. He only agreed because you're in charge. You cheated us out of watching him play. We demand the free point WITH tiebreak value. We demand you give the other kid a loss." They were relentless. Finally, after 20 minutes, a teacher came and got me. Players have questions, and you have to go inside! I learned a valuable lesson that day. When in command, COMMAND. Nothing I could have said or done, except all they wanted, would have made any difference. After that, when I made rulings, I explained them once and let it go. It served me well for decades. This applies to all our daily lives as well. We have decisions that are ours to make. Often others (or even parts of ourselves) want to control our decision. They only want us to decide as THEY want us to decide. We can waste a lot of energy in such debates. However, if it is your decision remember: When in command, COMMAND!