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 […]
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Compelled to Believe
I heard it yet again last week at the tail end of a conversation, “You make a very compelling point.” I did not think the information shared was overly insightful, nor did I believe the argument that sound. Regardless, I had compelled another to believe the point I was making…or […]
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 […]
Walking Mentorship
I am continually looking for opportunities to learn from others, put ideas into action, and experiment with things that may not work. One of the many ideas I have explored of late is that of the walking meeting, or in my case walking mentorship. Many high profile leaders, thinkers, and […]
Questions
“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” – Eugene Ionesco Many of us like solving problems, pride ourselves in finding the “right” answers and are quick to share our insights with others. I say “us” because I enjoy doing all three. What I enjoy doing, even more, […]
Risk and Responsibility (Guest Post)
LT Will Spears is an active duty submarine officer. After a brief stint as an enlisted Electrician’s Mate, he attended the Naval Academy where he graduated in 2008 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He deployed to the Western Pacific aboard the Fast-Attack submarine City of Corpus Christi, and is […]
From Chosen by Others to Choosing Ourselves
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, […]
It’s Too Hard
I hear it just about every day, “It’s too hard.” The phrase remains the same, yet the context and sentiment varies. One day it’s my son trying to convince himself that his most recent challenge is insurmountable (e.g. “It’s too hard, I’ll never be able to swim 500 yards.”), 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 […]
Why an MBA? (Guest Post)
LCDR Adrian Arvizo received his commission as a Cryptologic Officer through Officer Candidate School (OCS) in 2002 via the Baccalaureate Degree Completion Program (BDCP). In 2010 he lateral transferred to Information Professional. He currently serves at the Naval Satellite Operations Center as a member of the Space Cadre and is […]
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. […]
The “M” Word
I am often careful of the words I choose to use and one of the many words that I dislike hearing as much as saying is the word “Mandatory”. In fact, I just call it “The “M” Word”. In the military it is used daily and I must admit that […]
Shipped It
Those who follow this forum or know me personally can attest to the fact that I am a big fan of Seth Godin. In fact, it was his book Linchpin and the coaching of a few of my mentors that helped me to acknowledge the importance of “Shipping”. The premise […]
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 […]
The Middle
I like Oreos as much as the next person, maybe more. Those of us who indulge in such junk food have likely experimented with eating them in various ways. We might dip them in milk, we might smash them before mixing in with ice cream, we might enjoy them one […]
Solution Providers
I have heard it said before that there are two kinds of people in this world…Those who believe there are two kinds of people in this world and those who are smart enough to know better. I fall into the camp that knows better. Personally, I believe there are three […]
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 […]
“TED-like” Talk
It was late December of 2012 and I had just finished my list of goals for 2013, or so I thought. The week prior to finalizing my list, a mentor had lent me the book How to Deliver A TED Talk. He had known how much I enjoy watching TED Talks […]