I have come to believe the best way to determine that which is truly important to an individual is by taking a hard look at how he allocates time and what activities she chooses to put on her calendar. While paying personal attention to the same, I have witnessed changes in […]
Category: Inspiration
Because We Can
There are some things we as human beings can’t do, many that we won’t do, and even more that we don’t do. Rather than focus on those lists, I like to concentrate on what we can do, should do, and want to do. In fact, in partnership with my family, I have […]
Personal Validation
When I go to bed each night and reflect whether or not it was a day well-spent, I merely ask myself if I did my best to make legitimate progress toward a goal of mine or to help someone else make progress toward one of theirs. A simple “yes” to either or both is the only […]
Enjoy the Taper…
It’s less than two weeks until the big event. I say “event” and not “race” because my upcoming half Ironman is far from a race for me. It’s an “event” and more than that, it is an “experience”. I’ve only done one other Ironman event and that was Ironman Austria […]
The Coalition of the Doing
In a recent post, I made mention of the fact that I have a list of people that I refer to as “The Coalition of the Doing”. It evidently struck a chord with at least a few of you who sent me a note, so I wanted to amplify. I have […]
Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda, Did…
As information continues to become more easily accessible, two very different things begin to happen. The Indecisive Leader quickly becomes more overwhelmed and finds it even more difficult to commit to a decision, while the Decisive Leader is just as quick to make a decision as he was a decade ago, […]
Apologize? Only If You Care
There are many personal attributes I value in my friends and Shipmates and there are a few that are absolutely non-negotiable. I won’t share the entire list and will instead focus on one characteristic that I cannot overlook…a willingness to take personal responsibility. Now, there are many ways we can […]
Bunting For Singles
I played my fair share of baseball as a child, but I am not a big fan. Each spring, as many of my friends get excited about spring training, I am left scratching my head. That said, I have a few interests that may perplex others, so I am not […]
It’s The Network, Stupid
I just finished watching “The Social Network” for the second time. I don’t know how much of it is true, but what an amazing story! Makes me think of many things. The first time I watched it, the main takeaway was the reminder that good ideas are nothing without execution […]
Luxury Items No Longer
It was a long time ago, but Plebe Year at the Naval Academy is an experience I will never forget. As time goes on, the memories may become a little exaggerated, as we recall “The last real Plebe Year” just as any graduating class, but certain experiences will remain crystal […]
Fulfillment
The team with whom I currently serve is made up of Sailors and civilians. We have far more Sailors than civilians, but our civilians are equally valued and critical to our success. Civilians bring much specialized expertise to the team and the continuity they provide is vital to our ability […]
Warmth
As the end of 2011 draws near, my annual ritual of assessing the year in review is here. As it turns out, I, along with my wife and son, are on a plane flying to California to visit my parents and brother. As my wife sleeps and my son plays […]
Well-Rounded Mediocrity
As a father, I am interested in doing my part to help my son find his path. As a Navy leader, I take great pride in mentoring others toward realizing their potential. Clearly, there are many similarities between the two roles and the driving force behind both is a shared […]
Quitters and Winners
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” -Coach Lombardi Coach Lombardi’s quote about quitters is one that has stuck with me since my childhood. My parents made it clear to us that the merits of seeing things through to the end was considered a family virtue. To this day, the […]
Everything is a Choice
We hear it repeatedly and see it daily across our respective Facebook news feeds, too many people mentioning all of the things that they “Have to do.” Very little about what it is we want to do, or need to do, but a heck of a lot about what we […]
Creating Experiences, Accumulating Memories
The last couple of weeks have been filled with phenomenal experiences that leave me with wonderful memories. In fact, I might go so far as to say that the memories that remain are far better than the experiences themselves. That might sound odd, but it is a sentiment that seems […]
Mistakes, Yes; Accidents, Never
Of the many life lessons I was taught as a child, there is one that keeps coming back to me. That simple lesson is… NOTHING HAPPENS BY ACCIDENT I am not speaking in the spiritual sense of “Everything Happens for a Reason”. Though I also believe that to be true, […]
Authentic Followership
I have heard the term “authentic leadership” used frequently of late, and each time it is used in such a way as to describe one of the many people I have come to admire. So, it must be a positive behavioral trait, right? what does it really mean to be […]
Biographies – WHO not WHAT
For those of us serving in or directly affiliated with the military, the summer months are filled with retirement and change of command ceremonies. At each, we receive a nice program that includes the schedule of events, some background on the traditions we will witness during the ceremony and biographies […]
Seeking Inefficiencies
We see it all of the time and last week I read and heard it repeatedly, the terms “effective” and “efficient” used as if they were synonyms with the assumption that an efficient process is a de facto effective process. Yes, they sound pretty when used together and they roll […]