STOP, Look, Listen, Smell (SLLS): Fine Tune Your Senses

Pine needles were softly crunching under our feet in an unfamiliar portion of “Pineland” (the fictional training environment used by the U.S. Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School). This recon was no different than previous missions. I “knew” where we were, but had no idea what or who was around. The experienced Green Beret Team Leader took a knee in the silence. He turned his internal spider-sense receptors on full-power – Stop, Look, Listen, and Smell (SLLS). We all imitated, and continued to do so every few hundred meters. We secretly hoped to be the first to detect the enemy. Armies and hunting parties have used versions of SLLS for centuries. They use it to gain a better understanding and awareness of their surroundings before making their next decisions. I had no idea at the time how profoundly SLLS could transfer to my daily life at work and at home.

Maj. Raymond Hanson is a graduate of the University of Kansas ROTC class of 2007. He is a Medical Service Officer and Aeromedical Evacuation Pilot currently commanding C/ 2-3 GSAB, Marne DUSTOFF. Maj. Hanson enjoys rugby, flying helicopters, the great outdoors, and spending time with his wife, daughter, and golden retrievers. He can be reached at raymond.w.hanson2.mil@mail.mil

Fast forward to a six pack of beer with a retired Army experimental test pilot. “You’re about to commission,” he says. “You have two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and one mouth. Use them proportionately.”

Respect the Gap

How many times have you witnessed the sharing of assumptions or unconfirmed information as if it were gospel? How many times have you witnessed someone brief something they knew nothing about as if they were an expert witness? Have you ever been too quick to provide information without seeing the full picture? What were the outcomes? We, as humans, have the advantage of a inserting a gap between a stimulus and our response, but we don’t always use it. Respect the gap and take a pause.

Use them Proportionately

We don’t learn with our mouths. We don’t assess our surroundings with our mouths. Our mouths do not make decisions. Supervision doesn’t come from the mouth. Use your other senses proportionately more than your mouth for every room you walk into, and during every mission you plan, walk, drive, or fly. Assess your surroundings and uncover the unknown; Stop, Look, Listen, and Smell.

Successful junior leaders use their senses proportionately to soak up everything around them. Gaining knowledge through doctrine, experiences, study, and from the people in close company. They report the truth, and speak facts when they have something to contribute. Being able to contribute the most factual information about the situation increases effective decision making. Timely and accurate information aids battle planners and commanders in completing the mission. Factual information can only be obtained through one or more senses.

Receive Before You Transmit

Similarly, masterful senior leaders use highly tuned receptors proportionately so they can better understand their people, their mission, and their enemy. Ultimately, through use of their receptors, they become more effective motivators, leaders, and winners of battles.

Regardless of rank, we can use our senses to gain an upper-hand before opening our mouths. Using and trusting our senses often will result in the ability to more rapidly gather information from our audience, our troops, our bosses, our systems, the weather, the terrain, and our enemy. Wherever you go and whatever you do, take a reasonable amount of time to assess the situation, gather the necessary facts, make a decision, and then communicate.