I recently attended Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) training and can confidently state that much like the training received for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, it was both extremely well thought out and presented. There were many great takeaways from the session related to the primary topic, […]
Category: Leadership
Making Personal Recommendation Meaningful
Note: I am repeatedly reminded of how fortunate I am to be surrounded by such great people. The below post (my second guest posting) comes from a Shipmate whom I have known since 2005. A leader, a critical thinker, and outspoken thought leader, LCDR Kevin Ernest is now serving as […]
Player Development
Most of the time I consider the insights I choose to share as doing little more than playing the role of “Master of the Obvious”. I also find it enjoyable to have someone share with me that which should be blatantly obvious but isn’t. I recently had an experience that […]
360 Degree Hiring
I like learning about new ideas, thoroughly enjoy formulating good ideas, and absolutely love executing great ideas. In a previous post summarizing a short visit at the Google complex, I mentioned five key attributes that were commonplace there that I wanted to weave into the largely traditional military culture at our command. […]
Leading Even From Your Desk
Throughout my career, I have heard many people profess that you can’t lead from behind your desk. I’ve thought that to be true, but I must admit that I became less and less convinced each year and now I see how shortsighted such a philosophy truly is. Yes, technology allows us […]
Collective Ownership
Collective Ownership is a rather simple concept founded on the philosophy of a shared commitment to making decisions (and following through on them) based upon the benefit for the greater good. This is not necessarily a democratic model where majority rules, but a model whereby all angles are considered, empathy […]
Dr. Maxwell, I Respectfully Disagree
Last week, a little more than 20 of us from the Command were fortunate enough to attend a speaking engagement featuring John Maxwell (Leadership Author) and Chris Gardner (Pursuit of Happyness). Making the time to attend this event was important to me because I have a strong desire to both […]
High-Fives
I must admit that I enjoy “giving high-fives”. That is to say that I enjoy recognizing others for a job well done, and I feel comfortable admitting that doing so is far more satisfying than being on the receiving end. As I reflect upon the recognition I choose to give […]
Deciding: To Kill or Create
I must admit that I enjoy making decisions. I enjoy committing to a way ahead. I enjoy turning idle chatter into deliberate action. As much as I enjoy doing those things, I enjoy empowering and observing others doing the same. In fact, one of the characteristics I respect most in […]
Team AND Family
Often times, I refer to my family as “Team Heritage” and the team with whom I work as “The NIOC Pensacola Family.” Recently, I spent some time with one of my best friends who happens to be a CEO of a multi-national company. As we spoke of leadership, he told […]
Waiting to Lead
Note: I am repeatedly reminded of how fortunate I am to be surrounded by such great people. The below post (my first guest posting) comes from a Shipmate whom I have yet to meet in person. Though we haven’t met, we have created a few side projects and have plans […]
Mine, Mine, Mine
At work, my computer sits on my desk next to my phone in my Office. When I am not there, no one uses in my office, no one dials out on my phone, no one sits at my desk, and no one types on my computer. It’s not because I […]
Willy Wonka’s Mentorship Factory
It happened again. This time it was my birthday outing to see the live musical Willy Wonka. I’ve seen the movie many times, and yes the Gene Wilder version still scares me. I’ve always enjoyed the story, but just like my most recent experience watching my son’s play, The Pied […]
Please Say "Rats!"
Over the last two months, my son has been preparing for his roles as both a rat and a child in the Pensacola Little Theater’s production of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. The production has since ended, but before it did, I had the pleasure of watching it on three […]
Succession Planning
As I just about reach the midway point in my current tour of duty, I acknowledge I am having a “Mid-tour Crisis”. I assess the progress we have made over the last year and my immediate response is that there is not enough time to fully develop some of the […]
Opportunity, Mentorship and…
Each week we welcome new Sailors to our command, and I am impressed by each addition. Monthly, I get the opportunity to meet with the newest Information Warfare Officers to join our community. The high quality of person we continue to attract to our specific line of work within the […]
Experimenting Without Positional Authority
One of the fallacies that too many people believe is that one must have positional authority to lead. I have heard it too often when speaking to protégés, “What do I need to do to set myself up for a leadership opportunity?” When asking that question, nearly all are quick […]
Experimenting with 360 Degree Feedback
Life is an adventure and WE have every opportunity to both succeed and fail as WE try new things, experiment with new ideas and create opportunities to both improve ourselves and those around us. Life is easier if WE stay inside our comfort zone, do the things WE are told […]
Implementation: We’re Getting Better
Though spending a few days in Orlando (to include “The Happiest Place on Earth”) celebrating my son’s birthday was clearly the highlight of the week, the most surprising was the two hours I spent on Monday before the drive attending Navy Tier 2 Training regarding Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) […]
True Vacation Requires Delegation
I write this as we fly from Sacramento back to Pensacola after a wonderful time spent with Family and Friends. It was a special adventure for many reasons and the greatest was that it was a true vacation, far more than “Taking Leave” or “Visiting Family”. One of my many […]