[.ca] A Message to Garcia (ISBN 159986942X)

Timeless message:
This book was handed to me when I signed in to the 82d Airborne Division, 12 years ago. I plan to give it out to my junior personnel. A comment: my grandfather, a Cuban who lived through the events described, said that finding Garcia was no big deal, because he was well known. Doesn't matter, the message still holds. Enough said.

Timeless essay on getting the job done:
This timeless essay describes the rare individual who has the ability to get a job done, rather than think about reasons why he can't or question his instructions...

The virtue of submission--:
In Hubbard's booklet lies the secret of service. It sounds simple, but so few people are able to swallow their giant egos to do it. Using the true story of a messenger in the Spanish-American War as an example, Hubbard teaches this lesson: when a superior asks you to do something -- no matter how difficult or crazy or impossible it may sound -- just go get it done. Don't say anything; don't make any funny faces; don't look to others for help -- just go and do it. In a society where authority is too often degraded, Hubbard's old-fashioned-radio-editorial-style essay reminds us that conformity can be good. I would qualify this by saying that any conformity should be conscientious conformity (you must not do something that goes against ethical principles). To anyone really considering buying this really, really short, really, really over-priced book: you can find it online for really, really free.

Loyalty Pays:
Reading and discussing Hubbard's small classic, "A Message To Garcia" should be a pre-requisite for anyone about to work anywhere for a boss. Much is written about leaders, and this book helps to fill the huge gap in what is written for and about followers. The few minutes it takes to read this book could change the rest of your life. I first read it back in 1985 and I re-read it frequently. Hubbard's inspiration for his "preachment" was an obscure but important event in the 1898 Spanish-American War. President McKinley needed someone to quickly deliver a message to an insurgent general somewhere in the jungles of Cuba. An army officer was recommended and McKinley personally handed the message to this officer with the mission to deliver the "message to Garcia." This officer's unhesitating acceptance of his mission with no superfluous questions and his subsequent completion of the mission is Hubbard's definition of an invaluable subordinate. Hubbard's lessons of initiative (doing the right thing without being told) and loyalty to yourself, your boss, and your organization (doing the right thing when told only once) are timeless and well told. Hubbard spoke to all leaders and subordinates when he wrote, "It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing -- "Carry a message to Garcia.""

Interesting but outdated:
This is an interesting story, but times have changed since it was written. My manager at work gave this to all his employees a few years ago. As soon as I finished reading it, I decided to start looking for another job. When that manager gave us that book, whether he realized it or not, he was sending the message that he wanted us to just do what we were told and to stop thinking about what we were doing. That's not why I went to school. Any reputable company should hire people who think for themselves, who ask questions and try to find ways to do more than what is expected of them. There are too many mindless automatons in this world already. Doing only what you're told without thinking about what you're doing is not the way to achieve success in life.