I sincerely enjoy writing, sharing, and experimenting. In all honesty that is the reason this forum even exists. In 2013, I did all three in this very space. The examples of writing and sharing are both obvious and abundant, while the experimenting might not have been. During calendar year 2013, there were only two purposeful tweaks of note. One was the monthly guest post and the other was the inclusion of social networks as a means of sharing.
In late 2012, I decided that the wisdom contained amongst the leaders with whom I serve needed to be shared with a larger audience. I was benefitting from having them in my life, but keeping them to myself seemed irresponsible. As a result, I decided to share this platform on the 15th of each month with someone who I personally admired and was equally committed to leading, inspiring, communicating, and family. Over the course of 2013, I picked the following people (with a link to their post):
- LTjg Jason Pawlak: Operate Forward
- LT Jim Legg: Has the Term Shipmate Shipwrecked?
- PO2 Mike Willoughby: Flattening Your Tree of Monkeys
- ENS Lukas Dwelly: Culture Clash
- PO2 David Hennessy: Subject to Change
- ENS Kyle Hunter: Shared Values
- LTjg Kelly Ryan: The Vortex
- Mr. Mario Vulcano: Pirates, Passion, Professionals
- LT Matt Caylor: Realizing Expectations
- LTjg Josh Jordan: The Political Principle
- LCDR Adrian Arvizo: Why an MBA?
- LTjg Kevin Schmidt: When People Impede Progress
Each post served as a mechanism of mentorship for me and those who chose to read. And it is that derivative of the word choose that tells me what needs to change in 2014. I chose these 12 people on purpose. They did not necessarily choose themselves (though each often does which is the reason I wanted to share them with a wider audience). Some of you might also notice that each is not only a member of the U.S. Navy, but a member of the Information Warfare Community. In 2014, I will most certainly continue with the guest post on the 15th of each month, but I won’t choose anyone and I won’t limit participation to those affiliated with the Navy. You will choose yourself. If you are interested in sharing your ideas as a way of contributing to the conversation and making us better, please let me know (via e-mail seanheritage@gmail.com) and we will find a way for you to do just that. If you don’t see a post on the 15th of a given month, please know that it wasn’t because I couldn’t find greatness around me to share (that is plentiful) with each of you; just that no one chose themselves that month.
The other experiment about which I am still on the fence is the use of my twitter, facebook, and LinkedIn feeds. Commencing in 2013, I chose to pose a question, share a post, or offer an inspirational quote each and every weekday. I scheduled the update weeks in advance so that when I saw it posted on my screen, it’s as if I was reading it for the first time. In a way, I was writing to my future self and allowing others to look over my shoulder or even get inside my head. Comments continue to be infrequent, but that is not the measure. The metric of choice is the number of people who stop and ponder what is shared and we all know that is nearly impossible to measure. I will experiment with that for a little while longer and see what conversations it may inspire. If it fades away in favor of a new experiment, you’ll know what my assessment was.
Thanks to all with whom I continue to share this growing experiment. The more we share, the more we write, and the more we experiment, the better we become. The relationships both initiated and strengthened through this forum continue to inspire me and for that I am grateful. In fact, that is the primary reason I remain committed to making time and continually pick myself in favor of waiting to be chosen.
- Why weren’t you picked?
- Are you waiting for someone else to pick you?
- Why not pick yourself?
