Yesterday I mentioned the duty of senior NCO's to teach young officers the way of the Army.  Let me tell you of my own experience.

I was in my first duty assignment as a platoon leader in B Co, 10th Engineer Battalion, 3d Infantry Division (the Rock of the Marne Division) at Ft. Benning, GA.  Our company first sergeant was MSG (E-7) Ludwig Kraus (E-7 was the top enlisted grade at the time and the senior E-7 in a company became its first sergeant).  1SG Kraus was tall, broad shouldered, blond crew cut and blue eyes.  He looked like he should have been in the French Foreign Legion after WW2 after escaping from Germany with the fall of the 3d Reich.  But I digress.
As a hot-shot (in my own mind) lieutenant, I was full of ideas.  Every time I had one I thought had merit and which would make the Army much more efficient, I would go to the first sergeant and explain the idea and try to get him to help implement the idea.  Now the Army's divisions in those days (1956) were organized into the Pentomic Division, organized to fight on the nuclear battlefield, and there were no administrative functions beyond the daily Morning Report or any Army Regulations (AR) at the company level; they were all at battalion headquarters. 
Anyway.  When I would present an idea to the first sergeant, he would listen carefully and, when I was finished, he would usually say that it was a terrific idea, BUT....and he would cite some AR which he said specifically forbade what I was proposing.  I would mutter some mild obscenity and leave.  MSG Kraus would stick my idea in his desk drawer and life would go on.  Naturally, a few days later I would have another inspired (ha!) idea that I would work up and show to the first sergeant.  Again, he would listen, tell me why it could not be done and the same scenario would follow. 

Finally, I had an idea regarding training and I thought this idea was the best of the lot.  I went to Kraus and when he said that AR such-and-such forbade it, I said, "Bullshit, Top.  What was that AR you cited?  I am going to battalion and see for myself what it says."  He leaned back in his chair and said, "Finally.  It's about time you challenged my so-called reasons why you couldn't do something.  Lieutenant, you have to learn that there is ALWAYS someone who will try to block anything that upsets their routine or the status quo.  ALWAYS check for yourself.  Now, let's look at those idea again."  With that, he pulled out all of the ideas I had previously suggested and we went over them again.  A couple were good enough to try out and they worked.  But, more importantly, I learned that there are always obstructionists who will block any progress or change.  It is up to me (you) to decide how important is what you are suggesting.  Remember, it is often easier to obtain forgiveness than permission.
I'm just sayin'.