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) […]
Leadership Musings
Heirarchy of Needs
In the wake of a recent post about Loving What You Do, I have enjoyed a few off-line discussions on the topic. What I found interesting about those who chose to engage me in conversation on this particular subject was that each of them did, in fact, love what they […]
A Second Grader’s Vantage Point
Though I spend a good portion of my days with a second grader, I don’t find myself in a room full of them very often. Over the last two weeks, I have had two opportunities to do just that. Earlier today, I was one of a handful of chaperones for […]
Football Fans and Product Loyalty
The Super Bowl will soon be over and with it the beginning of far more productive weekends for me. Admittedly, I spend more time watching football than I should. I consider myself a college football fan and fantasy football has given me reason to pay at least some attention to […]
Loving What You Do
Most of us go to work at least five days a week with varied levels of interest and each of us for different reasons. Some people work to live, while others live to work. Some people work for love of money or power, while others go simply to make a […]
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 […]
Please Don’t Focus on the Retention Rate
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of re-enlisting another valued member of our team. In this case, the venue was just as unique as the Sailor…we were on the roof of our building. As unique as the venue was, this Sailor’s willingness to repeatedly ask “Why?” and live his […]
Respect and Gratitude
Undoubtedly, the best part of my job is interacting, sharing ideas and learning with fellow members of the NIOC Pensacola Team. One of many mechanisms to ensure we get the opportunity to exchange ideas, perceptions and experiences is by requiring everyone who joins or leaves our team to individually converse […]
Turning The Tables
Just as with any holiday season, I have made the time for thoughtful reflection as I both appreciate the past and consider the future. This year is a little different in that as much as I am enjoying every day of the present, the thought of nearing the 20-year milestone […]
The Delete Button
Last Friday, a great time was had by all at our Command Holiday Party. Our Holiday Party Committee did a great job creating an opportunity for all of us to have some good fun with some great people! It was especially gratifying to be able to meet so many of […]
Giving Ourselves Permission
I grew up the son of a (now retired) police officer and, as you might imagine, he and my Mom created a rather specific environment in which to nurture my brother and me. As children, my brother and I would often times contrast the specific rules under which we lived […]
Pace Matters
Two weeks ago, I enjoyed a nice telephone conversation with a colleague where I pitched him on how we (OUR Command) were going to create additional value for our existing customers and at the same time posture ourselves to significantly grow our customer base. He and I had a constructive […]
Finish Strong
During a recent command physical training session, I had the pleasure of running with one of our many talented young Sailors. As I grow older my definition of young changes and in this case I mean 19 years old (he has since turned 20). We conversed as he pulled me […]
The Means is the End
Like so many others, I have spent too much time in my life chasing what I interpreted to be the end goal. It might have been a sports trophy, a diploma or a specific qualification. No matter what it was, my eyes were fixated on the prize and view along […]
Where are Your Blockers?
Those of you who know me are well aware that I waste far too much time each fall watching college football. I make no apologies…I love it. Like any sports fan, I enjoy sports analogies. So, couple that with my passion to share insights and help others navigate their careers, […]
Focus on Shortcomings and Watch Strengths Atrophy
Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending my second-grade son’s parent-teacher conference. When considering the standards of measure our school has chosen, I left the hour-long session feeling very good about the school, the teacher and my son’s performance. I use the preceding caveat because I recognize that […]
The Diversity Box
Earlier this week a colleague was kind enough to share some very insightful feedback on a selection process in which few have meaningful visibility. Within his feedback, I was struck by a statement regarding the role of diversity in the selection process. Though he was very careful to clarify diversity […]
Workplace Culture: Google and the Military
It is no secret that Google enjoys a unique corporate culture. Last week, as part of the Information Dominance Corps Senior Leadership Seminar, I had the privilege of witnessing it first hand. The uniqueness is in the extremity with which the underlying principles were adopted and not in the cultural […]
Mentorship, Sponsorship and Favoritism
Mentorship – A personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The focus of mentorship is on the personal and professional development of the individual, and just about anything that helps that individual to improve is time well […]
Teams Failing Leaders?
As I look forward to witnessing another good friend realize the career milestone that is Command, I am reminded that it has been less than two weeks since the Navy relieved our 13th Commanding Officer (CO) this year. It stings whenever any CO gives the Navy reason to fire him/her, […]