Coyote's Rules

A friend recently sent me a reminder of Gen. Peter Schoomaker's rules and since they are so good (and make a lot of sense), I decided to post them here.

Gen. Schoomaker is a retired four star general of the United States Army who served as a leader of some of the best special operations units in the U.S. military. A leader that, according to sources, "knows who he is and what he believes", and "is perfectly willing to speak his mind, and if he doesn’t agree with you, he’ll look you in the eye and tell you", the General was a straight leader that commanded a lot of respect. You can read more about the General here (the link will open a PDF from socom.mil), or on Wikipedia.

The General had a collection of rules that he was quick to share, rules that would set the characteristics of special operations mindset. These rules are so good they can be applied to a lot of other places outside the military.

The Rules

1. Take the initiative • don't wait for the answer from the top • it's rarely available.
2. Things are rarely fair • don't count on the exception!
3. Truth changes • the first report is suspect.
4. Shit happens • anticipate and prepare.
5. Plan and prepare as if there are no rules.

Think about each rule, understand why they make sense, and then apply them. They are pure gold.