Psychometric Test and my Thinking

Early in 1996 I was in the process of leaving the army, and as part of that I attended a trainee management college as a guinea pig for human resource managers. I saw it as a way of getting an idea of what I needed to do to prepare myself for civvie street and I got paid a small amount for the pleasure, so it was a case of adapt, modify and overcome.

On my first day there I was required to complete a psychometric test, I had never even heard of one let a lone know what to do with it, anyway I sat down to answer the questions some of which were based on managing budgets. I had never managed a budget before so I really had no idea what to do, and in terms of maths I am pretty thick, so I decided to change the rules instead of money I inserted people instead for example. I took fifty guys to the gulf came back with fifty, I am in profit.

The following week, when I went back for the next lot of scenarios they had planned for their trainee managers, the lady in charge of that course came up to me and said “Mr McMullan I need you to change five of your answers, because the computer could not profile you” I looked at her and smile with the reply “Sweetheart the army have been trying to profile me for the last twenty two years without success why should you computer be any different”.

I did as she asked, and over the course of the next few weeks the trainee managers became interested in my style of man management and during the breaks they would be asking me about my experiences. Then on one of these days the same lady came to me again and asked me why was I there, I said it was a way of understanding what would be required of me when it came time to look for a job myself. She told me to leave and to never come back.

I guess she was unhappy because I used my initiative and was adapting, modifying and overcoming. I thought at the time, is this not what employers are looking for, people you can think through problems and deal with them by using their initiative?

Ah well it was fun while it lasted.

The Drum Stalk – By Wanting to Help Me, You are not Helping Me.

I was running a Drum Stalk session during one of our courses. There was young girl who was trying to locate her tree but was having difficulty not because she was doing anything wrong, more because she was overwhelmed both physically and energetically.

So many people were stopping her from finding her tree, the camera person (the session was being filmed), her mother who was worried that she might hurt herself because she was blindfolded and the rest of the group gathered around her to help her along as she was the last from the group to complete the game. It is worth remembering that the Drum Stalk is not a race, it is not about who is first in, it is about connecting with yourself through nature.

I had to stop the game which does not happen very often to ask everyone to move away from her as they were affecting her progress by preventing her with their energy from connecting with the trees. I said to her once you are settled and have reconnected with your tree, I would like you to go and find it. When she was ready, she moved off walking with confidence around a bush without touching it she then walked straight up to her tree, to every ones amazement.

I explained to everyone how about their behaviour and concerns had affected the girls outcome, the mother being over protective which is understandable, but she could see that by letting go and trusting that her daughter could do it, her daughter was quite able to negotiate the trees with out any difficulty. Her mother had learnt something about her relationship with her daughter that day.

When things like that are presented I cease the opportunity to illustrate to people how they can affect other people’s outcomes without even speaking and the power of nature and our inter connectedness with it.

To all my fiends Past, PRESENT and Future even to those who Push all my buttons. Thank you for the gift of who you are.

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?

He must really be a nerd.'

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him.

He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes my heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.' They really should get lives.

He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!' There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends.

He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday! He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.

He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found him self during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous!

Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!' He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.

'Thanks,' he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began.

'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach but mostly your friends.

I am here to tell all of you, that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.' I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met.

He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.

He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable'

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way.

Look for God in others.

Why not pass this onto your friends by copying and pasting it.

I chose to put up here for all to see.

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.' There is no beginning or end. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.

Tales from the Desert

1) A friend of mine shared a story with me after the war. During the training phase just before going into Iraq he was attached to an American unit. They had just completed a joint operation when he heard an American Officer say. "Gee no wonder you Brits win so many God Dam Wars, you guys practise chaos everyday."


2) Looking out over the gun position one day and surrounded by nothing but flat desert as far as the eye could see. I saw a hazy image in the distance it was getting closer, unsure what it might be I kept a keen eye on it. Then he came into full view like something out of Lawrence of Arabia.

He was alone on his camel he stopped by the nearest gun to him. They shared some words unknown to me, except for perhaps AsSalam-u-Alaikum which means may peace be upon you.

They also shared a cup of tea, and off he went into the distance fading into the haze, no Compass, no GPS and no Map, looking very much at home in his environment.

3) We had to stop because there was a tank battle five kilometres to our front, our chaps were taking care of it, and we went into all round defence. I made a mug of tea and lit a cigarette and I then walked around the guys, giving them a sip of tea and a drag of the fag.

As I came up on our left flank there was a single column of American Abraham tanks waiting for their next set of orders.

I shouted up to one of the tank commanders "would you like a cup of tea mate" he looked down at me with disbelief on his face, and said "there is a tank battle going on over there”. I responded by saying "I know, it’s five K's away and our guys are taking care of it, would you like a drink of tea" he responded with "you limeys are crazy, drinking tea in the desert" I answered him by saying "I will take that as a no then" and returned to my vehicle.

I now have this image in my mind. This guy is now back in the states, his grandson is sat on his knee asking him "what did you do in the war grandpa" and he answers "well son, I met some crazy limeys drinking tea in the middle of the desert during a tank battle".

Which was five K's away and our boys had taken care of it.



4) I heard a story, that one of the American units had T-shirts made with the following printed on the front, 2nd Armoured Cavalry Regiment – Second to None.

A small unit of British Royal Engineers attached to them had their own T-shirts made up, which read. NONE (think about it).



5) We were receiving a briefing from American and British commanders one day, and they had decided instead of using a map, that they would use the desert floor instead, with various objects from the ration boxes to represent the different units and objectives to explain the plan of action.

So, a tin of sausages became 3 RRF (Royal Regiment of Fusiliers) and a tin of corned beef was 127 (Dragon) Battery and so on, they used just about everything from the ration box they could to illustrate their point.

Then came that magic moment. You know the one, right time, right place, you had to be there to believe it. Well believe me when I say to you it was all we could do to maintain some sense of order.

Dick Gardner our survey Sergeant turned and whispered to us behind him, we need to watch out for the BRG.

Someone said what’s that then? Dick replied the “Bean Reinforcement Group.”

I nearly wet myself.