What Is The Most Important Quality Of A Good Soldier?

So, what is the most important quality of a good soldier? What type of people with what characteristics and traits excel at being the “perfect” soldier?

What type of people should avoid the military? Is the military truly for you? If you want to know the answers to these very questions, stick around!

Who Not To Be

So, how do you know if the military isn’t for you? That is a very tough question, which I plan on attempting to answer by listing a few characteristics. If those apply to you, you might want to consider a different career path.

1) “Me Over We”

If you are a “me over we” guy, it means you are not a team player, and neither do you want to be. You prefer to get the job done alone, and will not work efficiently with others. You get the job done alone, end of the deal.

2) Undisciplined

Discipline comes from an extreme desire to succeed. If you truly want bad enough, you will get your shit together and do everything that needs to be done to achieve your goal. If you are undisciplined — you do not really want it. You only have one life, do something which you are truly passionate about.

3) Stubborn

If you are stubborn and do not like being told what to do, when and how exactly to do it — the military is definitely not for you. When you join the military, leave your ego out the door, or you will suffer the consequences of disobedience.

Now, if those things mentioned above do not apply to you, and you believe joining the military is your true calling, continue reading!

Fighter Mentality

It is crucial for you to have a fighters mentality. You need to be able to force yourself to go one more step, to do that extra pushup and to never give up in the process. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how many times you get punched in the face — you need to move forward!

It is crucial to be of resilient nature, and be willing to fight every single second for your future, your team of brothers and your country. Be a fighter, and never back down!

Tim Kennedy

You might have heard about this specimen of a man before. A mixed martial arts fighter, a green beret, and an overall beast. This man won 30 out of his 31 amateur fights, before going pro from 2001.

Saying that this guy knows what he is talking about, isn’t giving Tim any justice. I believe none of us will believe it necessary to challenge the credibility of the things that this guy says. He has gone through all of it, therefore he knows best.

He has been on the Jocko Willink podcast several times, and on one of the episodes which came out on the 9th of November 2020, he was asked the following question: What is the most important quality for a soldier and a fighter?

Here is what he had to say.

Most Important Quality

He believes that the qualities you need for being a great fighter complement the qualities for being a great soldier and vice versa. That the most important thing that the military teaches is discipline. Discipline is needed to achieve anything that you want in life, whether it becoming a fighter, or an military service member.

He stated several times that it is the little things that count. Whether you are on time to trainings, or even sensible and rational about the decisions that you make. All those things add up. They either make or break you.

Some things about being a good soldier can make you a better fighter, and some things about being a good fighter can make you a better soldier. But nobody can ever change your attitude towards life and the time and effort you are willing to put in to achieve your goals.

Jocko Willinks Opinion

Humility. He believes that the most important thing is indeed humility. Do not get cocky and do not overestimate your abilities. It is crucial to be sensible and hard working.

If you believe that you are better than the rest and do not need to do those extra things, you don’t need that extra weekend training — their lies the problem. Do not make any excuses, because if you do, you will lose.

Jocko made it quite clear in his podcast that you need to be humble, resilient and have an open mind. Never stop learning!

My Opinion

These guys know best. All I can say is I completely agree with their explanations and reasonings as to what the core characteristic of a soldier might be.

I would like to add one more word to the table -confident. You have to be confident in your ability to succeed. Confident in your ability to face your fears and stride forward, taking one step closer to your goal. Confidence is built forged by your commitment and discipline. The more comfortable you get with being uncomfortable, the easier it’ll be for you in uneasy times!

Conclusion

There are a lot of characteristics that make up an impecable soldier. Tons of them. But the ones you truly have to look out for, are your ability to be open minded and learn, as well as be resilient.

Never make any excuses, and strive to be the man/woman you needed when you were a child. If you want to check out Jocko Willink’ video regarding this topic ( from which my blog was initially inspired ), please head over here.

If you would like to read more, please head here.