In military jargon, a force multiplier is a factor or a combination of factors that gives personnel or weapons the ability to accomplish greater feats than without it.
Last week was dedicated to mounted operations on Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV), and Stryker Combat Vehicles. These can be invaluable assets to infantry soldiers as the mere presence of these vehicles generates a great deal of options for operating in a combat environment.
Last Friday, I was required to present a field Operations Order, or OPORD, outlining my proposed approach to a combat mission utilizing Bradley Fighting Vehicles in addition to the three dismounted infantry squads I had in this scenario.
Once I finished my presentation, I conducted an after-action review with the Non-Commissioned Officer cadre member who had actual combat experience in a BFV. I was riveted by the real life examples he gave of his experiences in Afghanistan, and also of the relationship between these vehicles and the dismounted infantry soldier.
In particular, he talked of the symbiotic relationship between vehicles and soldiers. He said the soldier is terrified of enemy vehicles because of the awesome combat power they can bring to the battlefield, and the vehicle is terrified of the enemy soldier because of the soldier’s ability to cover and conceal him or herself and destroy the vehicle from an unknown fighting position.
Conversely, working together in this environment, they can be mutually supportive, the vehicle protecting the soldier and vice versa. In effect, they can be force multipliers for each other when they cooperate and work toward mutual goals.
This got me thinking of a metaphorical application to the civilian world, who are the force multipliers in our own lives? Who are the people that identify our own blind spots? Who are the people we surround ourselves with that are strong in areas where we are weak?
A failure of utilizing this concept can be seen in sports, where teams go out and simply try to buy championships by signing the "best" individuals with little regard to how they will fit in with the team around them.
Sometimes this works, but as a long list of "Super Teams" will tell you, it’s not a certain recipe for success.
So whether it’s in your personal or professional life, seek out those who make you better. Find the people who push you to be your very best, filling in your gaps, while making the team excel.
In short, go out and find your force multipliers!
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