When I am without orders and unexpected occurrences arrive I shall always act as I think the honour and glory of my King and Country demand. But in case signals can neither be seen or perfectly understood, no captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy. — Lord Nelson
My Take – Your boss can’t always be there, and they can’t know about every circumstance you may encounter. You have to have the initiative, skills, and nerve to figure things out on your own, preferably in a way that gets you closer to your goal. Being able to find your own way not only achieves your immediate goals, but also shows your superiors that you are capable of much more.
DaddyBear’s Den 
Old NFO
/ November 21, 2012OR it gets you ass deep in trouble… BTDT
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daddybear71
/ November 21, 2012Me too.
I guess it comes down to management versus leadership. A manager discourages initiative and expects zero defects. A leader encourages people to figure it out on their own and forgives mistakes made in good faith.
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Bob S.
/ November 21, 2012My take; it isn’t about reading your bosses mind or knowing his every thought. It is about focusing on getting the job done.
You might not do it as he would have or even as he would have preferred; but if you do the job, you are usually doing right.
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Drang
/ November 22, 2012I notice he doesn’t come right out and say “…and sometimes you should hold the telescope up to your bad eye and deny having seen the signal…”
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daddybear71
/ November 23, 2012Well, yes, sometimes that comes into play.
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