There are a few words used in today’s work-world that just make me cringe. Five years ago, the default combination of effective and efficient began to really bother me. Our quest for efficiency continues to undermine our effectiveness, as many don’t understand that more often than not, an or is what […]
Category: Leadership
Recruiting Culture
I am a big college football fan. I don’t identify with a specific team or school in part because I enjoy the pageantry and traditions that span campuses across the nation. I’ve had the good fortune of seeing big games in big venues, with my most recent being an amazing […]
(Never)Mind the Gap
Each of us has tried out for teams (sports or otherwise), applied for jobs, and/or extended an invitation to another. There are and always will be times when the result is not to our liking. We don’t always make the final roster or get hired, and our invitations are sometimes […]
Best Athlete
When a professional sports team drafts athletes to join their team, there are multiple strategies. Some choose to draft the “best athlete” available, others draft a player based on perceived potential, others draft individuals that have a specific talent that will fill a specific need, and still, others make character a deliberate […]
Just Passing Through
I like to think that there is a reason behind everything we do. It is true that sometimes I try harder than I should to identify the reason, and sometimes we aren’t able to see the reason until long after the activity. There is a reason why we get up in […]
Scaffolding
Over Memorial Day Weekend, we went on a rather spontaneous trip to Niagara Falls and a few other places. It was so spontaneous that I did not bring my passport and therefore, could not go across the border to visit Canada (note: Why I did not have mine is neither interesting […]
Loyalty Down
Loyalty is among the most valued characteristics between friends, family, teammates, and co-workers. In fact, I submit that a relationship is virtually meaningless without it. Each of us wants to know that we can count on others when we need them…and even when we don’t. I have the pleasure of […]
Awards Worth Having
Whether it be a simple thank you, a trophy, monetary compensation, or something else, we all appreciate being recognized for a job well done. Personally, a simple thank you or congratulations is more than ample for me. After all, the boost of serotonin that accompanies a sense of accomplishment feels […]
The Cooperative Leadership Model
Life continues to be busy in the most pleasant of ways. Lots of WANT TOs and very few HAVE TOs…the way time should be spent. One of the things I did of late that falls squarely into the WANT TO category is the completion of my third e-book in the […]
Force of Enthusiasm (Guest Post)
LT Austin Henry Rutkowski studied International Security at Stanford and Oregon State University. He received his commission as a Naval Officer in 2007 and has served in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Japan and the Persian Gulf. He is currently stationed at Navy Information Operations Command, Fort Meade, MD. “To improve is […]
Profiling Normal
Having recently taken a computer network security course, the idea of anomaly detection is fresh in my mind. Security professionals, whether it be in the physical or virtual world are hyper-aware of suspicious behavior. Suspicious behavior by definition is abnormal activity. So it stands that in order to identify the […]
Push and Pull
As leaders, we are charged with inspiring the team with whom we lead to create value, accomplish the mission, and continually improve as both individuals and a team. Many of us attempt to do that by pulling the team along. We are so committed to effectively delivering on our mandate […]
Boundaries
Early this month I had the pleasure of sharing lunch with a prized friend and mentor. We talked of many things including family, our individual efforts focused on inspiring others, the future of our ongoing personal experiments, updates on some of our respective proteges, and finished with a philosophical conversation […]
Leaders and Doers
I recently had the privilege of hosting a mentorship session for a few dozen junior officers here in Maryland. We talked about many things ranging from their specific questions to my books, to different philosophies shared across the group. It was a very enjoyable two hours and served as the […]
When People Impede Progress (Guest Post)
LTjg Kevin J. Schmidt is a Senior Manager of Software Engineering and a thought leader in the cyber and threat analysis space. He drills at NIOC GA in Augusta. Kevin is co-author of Essential SNMP, second edition (O’Reilly and Associates, ISBN: 978-0-596-00840-6) and also Logging and Log Management: The Authoritative Guide […]
Loss of Confidence
In the Navy we see it all too often, a Commanding Officer relieved for cause. For those not in the military, that is merely a kind way of saying, “You’re fired!”. Whether it is misconduct, a lack of personal integrity, incompetence, or blatant disregard of direction from senior Commanders if […]
The Political Principle (Guest Post)
Josh Jordan spent 6 years in the Navy as Cryptologic Technician (Collection). Following his Navy career, he joined the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center to work as an Information Operations Specialist. Mr. Jordan received a commission in 2011 and serves as a reserve Information Warfare Officer at NIOC Georgia. […]
Realizing Expectations (Guest Post)
LT Matt Caylor began his Navy career as a nuclear-field Electrician’s Mate. Following four years of enlisted service, he was accepted to the United States Naval Academy where he graduated in 2004 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. After serving more than 7 years as a Submarine Warfare Officer, he […]
Potential Principle
I recently witnessed one of my mentors promote another to the rank of Admiral. It was a wonderful celebration of the shipmates, family, and friends who helped the individual being promoted contribute in ways that so few have. This new Admiral was selected for promotion based upon his documented performance […]
Pirates, Passion, Professionals (Guest Post)
Mario Vulcano is a retired Chief Warrant Officer after 23 years and is currently serving as Course Manager and instructor for the Information Warfare Basic Course (IWBC) at Corry Station in Pensacola Florida. He has served a total of 10 years as an instructor while on active duty and as […]