I became a reluctant member of the FaceBook revolution in the early summer of 2008 with the sole intent of using it as a tool to plan our 20th High School Reunion. I had every intention of deleting my account as soon as the reunion was over and needless to […]
Leadership Musings
Waterpark, Educational Development and A Wake-up Call
It was snowing just about everywhere this week of our visit to Ohio. I know because I watched the weather channel a bit and I could see the snow pile up outside of our hotel. Yes, we had the good fortune of being snowed in at Kalahari, “America’s Largest Indoor […]
Big Team, Little Me
“We can accomplish anything provided no one cares who gets the credit.” – (then) CDR Joseph Rochefort In my current job as Information Dominance Corps and Information Warfare Officer Community Manager (OCM), I serve on a team of four uniformed peers and one civilian assistant. Our charter is to collectively […]
Uniforms…Earned not Purchased
Throughout my youth athletic career and up through college, I thoroughly enjoyed wearing the uniform of the sports team to which I was a member. In fact, uniform issue day was one of my favorite days of the season, as it marked an accomplishment. It meant I made the team. […]
AN vs IN Authority
I like to think that each and every one of is an authority on something. Whether it be baseball statistics of yesteryear, automobile repair, medicine, knot tying, 5th-grade trivia, sewing, baking, computers, or you name it, each of us is AN authority on something. Likewise, we all enjoy varying levels […]
WHO Begets WHAT
Over the last month, I have spent much time evaluating where I am and where I would like to ultimately go in my professional life. Though the self-evaluation initially focused on the WHAT I want to do with the remainder of my career, something interesting happened. As I discussed my […]
There is no Status Quo!
It’s the New Year and for many with it comes the annual tradition of establishing New Year’s Resolutions. Being that I am a chronic list maker and goal setter, one might think that I am a fan of resolutions. The truth is, I am not. The reason? Our (society’s) collective […]
Why? I Say Why Not?
As more people stumble across this forum, I am increasingly asked “Why are you doing this?” I am not one to self-promote and though I do not lobby for the spotlight, I am not necessarily one to hide from it. Additionally, I give consideration to how my actions are perceived, […]
Salaries, Value and Welfare
There are many types of employees, but for the sake of argument let’s bin all of us into three categories…hourly, salaried and commission. Without question, those of us who fall into the hourly employee category recognize that in the most simplistic of terms, we are compensated for our time. Clearly, […]
Walking the Walk…
As a college football fan and a Notre Dame supporter (I remain a sucker for tradition), today is a sad day. It is a sad day because a college football program that once stood for so much has become just like the rest of them. Until today, Notre Dame had […]
Trail of Gratitude
There are many things in life for which I am extremely grateful. When I consider each and every blessing, I see a trail of gratitude lined by others who continue to contribute to my good fortune whether they know it or not. Because my wife and I celebrate our wedding […]
Choosing Happiness
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to participate in the retirement ceremony of a friend, mentor, and shipmate by the name of Commander Scott Fields. Scott is a wonderful man who is generous, sincere and caring among many other positive attributes. Yesterday, he demonstrated his eloquence, humility, and love for those of us […]
Well Liked and Average…Really?
It’s Parent-Teacher Conference time again, which means both parties get to share positive and constructive feedback (neither of which is mutually exclusive, mind you). After such a conference earlier today, a friend of mine lauded her friend for telling the 2nd Grade Teacher, “Oh, I just don’t care if she […]
Making the Time or Taking the Time…It’s Our Call
After a recent meeting, I was thanked for TAKING the time to participate. This was not the first time I have heard someone use that phrase to express such gratitude, though each time I hear it, I leave the conversation a bit confused. The verb TAKE is defined as “To […]
All Stop or Full Speed Ahead?
As an avid reader of blogs (so much to learn from so many), there are a dozen that I monitor regularly. Chris Brogan’s is one of them and he recently described a decision point in life as an intersection on the road. It’s not a unique analogy and it wasn’t […]
“Wait Till Your Father Gets Home”
As a child, I rarely heard my mother make the statement, “Wait till your father gets home.” When she did, it was a request for us to demonstrate some patience before doing something we were eager to do. It was not used as the warning or threat it was in […]
Firefighters
As a native of California, fires were a constant on the evening news during the summer season. I remember on many occasions local firefighters traveling long distances to help the cause well outside their assigned jurisdiction. Though neither lives nor property were at risk in the following instance, a small […]
Leadership Versus Power
Regardless of our current employment status (executive, individual contributor, stay-at-home spouse, etc.), each of us is presented with opportunities in both our personal and professional lives to lead on a daily basis. Those of us who take such responsibility seriously create opportunities to lead vice waiting for them to be […]
“Building LEGOs”
When I came home from work today, my 6-year-old son had a friend over and they were making planes out of LEGOs, or as he calls it “Building LEGOs.” By the look on my son’s face, it was clear that something was up and that he was not having the […]
Fourth Quarter
Another week of the football season is behind us, and as always there was plenty of drama in the fourth quarter of more than a couple of games. As a football fan, I enjoy the last-minute comeback as much as the next. However, dramatic fourth quarters are usually a byproduct […]