Elbert Hubbard’s A Message to Garcia was first written in 1899. At the core of the piece are certain very fundamental truths, which not only made it an instant success at the time, but also partly explains why it has remained a relevant resource till date.
A Message to Garcia was set against the backdrop of the Cuban war, and its key character is a U. S Army officer by the name of Lieutenant Rowan. With the Spanish forces closing in, President McKinley needed to enlist the cooperation of a certain leader of Cuban insurgents named Garcia. The challenge with this was that despite its sophisticated communication gears, the US Army couldn’t get in contact with Garcia because he was hiding on an island where no form of telecommunication existed. If he had to be reached, it had to be in person, and it had to be a covert operation of the highest order.
When President McKinley asked one of his Senior Military advisers to recommend an officer to carry out such a delicate task, only one name popped up; an officer by the name of Rowan.
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‘’ When President McKinley gave the letter to Rowan in Washington DC the officer didn’t ask where is he at? How do I get there? What do you want me to do to when I am there? How will I get back? He just took the message and figured out how to get to Garcia. He took a train to New York, a ship to Jamaica, broke the Spanish blockade to get to Cuba in a cell boat, then wild carriage rides, marching and riding through the Cuba jungle. 9 days of travelling later, Rowan got the message to Garcia at 9 in the morning, that same afternoon at 5, he started his return journey to the United States.’’1
Lieutenant Andrew Rowan showed up, executed on the task assigned, and as such helped his country gain an edge on winning the war, by delivering a message to Garcia against all odds.
Although Hubbard’s essay has come some criticism as regards its relevance in the current dispensation, the fact is that: A message to Garcia will forever remain evergreen as it treats core issues that bears fundamental relevance to work and life. Particularly in today’s distracted world, the core thrust of the message to Garcia needs to be taken to heart again.
STRONG WORK ETHICS
A strong work ethic is an attitude an employee applies to their work that indicates a high level of passion for any work they do.2 Strong work ethics cannot be overemphasized. It is highly valuable and still very much in demand. Employers of the 21st century will give an arm and a leg to keep employees who possess viable work ethic.
Great organizations are made by the quality of result they deliver; great results are only possible by employees who have a strong work ethic, and apply themselves to their work optimally.
Individuals with strong work ethics are self-driven towards their goals, and in delivering on tasks, which may make them come across as competitive to their less driven colleagues. However, it is an important quality to have regardless. Cultivating a strong work ethic is a surefire way to set yourself apart and be distinctive in your organization.
It is instructive that of the thousands of professional and highly dedicated officers of the US Army, only one name came up as a good fit for the task of undertaking a very risky and almost impossible expedition. There is no doubt that his work ethic had set him apart in the ranks, and eventually gave him the opportunity to take orders directly from the President of the United States of America.
Every organization needs the kind of people who will take a train when the need calls for it, jump on a ship where necessary, hop on a carriage, hobble through a jungle and do whatever else it may take till they get their work done. It is on the back of such dedication that the organization achieves greatness.
INITIATIVE
Initiative is a very important character trait for success. The first side of initiative is knowing the next course of action to take without any prompt. A lot of times, we wait to be told what to do before making the effort. For some people, it has to be repeated severally before they make the move to execute, this is not the attitude that excels.
The other side to initiative is problem solving. Reverting back to a superior every time a challenge is encountered in the course of a task is very limiting. It distracts the focus of the superior, and undermine productivity.
A Rowan kind of employee learns to work with resources at their disposal; they don’t rely on the management to cross all T’s and dot all I’s rather they take it upon themselves to deliver the task with utmost care, and with little supervision.
PLACING THE RIGHT PEG IN THE RIGHT HOLE
This is another important point from the essay which should be paid some attention because it is easy to overlook. When the president and by extension, the entire nation ran into a precarious situation, and there was need for someone to broker the process that will turn the tide around for good for the nation, the president turns to ask for recommendation. Lieutenant rowan’s name came up.
Given the gravity of the task at hand, there is no doubt that the Colonel could not have put forth anyone whose character or capacity to execute the task raised even the slightest doubt in their minds. This would have turned out to be a great gamble which the nation couldn’t afford.
The message here is for managers and employers to fit the right peg in the right hole. A lot of error and loss to the organization can be avoided when the tasks are delegated to the right candidate with the right level of skill, competence and the needed work ethic to get it done.
The twenty-first century world and the work place need men like Rowan, more than any other time who in the words of Elbert Hubbard ‘’does his work when his boss is away as well as when he is at home. The man when given a letter to Garcia, quietly takes the missive, without asking any idiotic questions and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest suer or of doing odd else but deliver it.
Civilization is just one long anxious search for such individuals. Anything such a man asks will be granted, his kind is so rare, that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village. In every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such. He is needed and needed badly, the man who can carry a message to Garcia’’.
REFERENCES
1. https://gpswealth.com.au/online-newsletter/assets/message-garcia.pdf]
2. https://www.valamis.com/hub/work-ethic]
https://mwi.usma.edu/outdated-message-garcia-hubbards-essay-needs-shelved-good/