As an officer in the Army I knew that there were going to be times when I need to make a decision without all the information. We few, we happy few, had an obligation to be technically and tactically proficient, as well as exercise judgment and  initiative. As a 2LT we talked about our "velcro butter bar", a wary nod towards the obligation we had to make sure our artillery rounds landed where they were supposed to land. We were told to put velcro under our bar so it was easy for "them" to take off when they took us away to jail. The way we talk describes what we value. Then we valued our bars, our responsibility not to be wrong and our enormous obligation. As a battery commander I rarely had to make "go to jail decisions", (only every time I engaged a target) but I had to enable my young lieutenants to bet their bars. Worse than a "go to jail mistake" was the potential for putting a round on top of friendlies or civilians. I think the Officer Corps kept rolaids in business.

It isn't and wasn't as cavalier as the phraseology makes it sound. I slept with my TFT and prided myself on my ability to mentally gauge deflection and quadrant based on a series of grid coordinates. Rarely was I spot on, but I was ALWAYS close. This gave me confidence in my teams and my procedures.

Today I had the opportunity to chat with a senior director at a prominent connectivity solutions company. It was gratifying to have him nod his head in complete understanding when I was talking about having to "bet my badge". With nary a pause he responded with "We bet our badges every day".

What am I saying? Well, it's simple:

1. Results matter.

2. Leaders make choices and are held accountable to those choices.

3. Make choices. Be right.

Simple. Elegant. I bet my badge on my choices.