It is said that we are the company we keep. Recent events have given me the opportunity to truly evaluate who that makes me. My […]
Leadership Musings
Documenting Reality
It is said that perception is reality. I believe it is more accurate to say that my perception is my reality, your perception is your […]
Too Busy for Me
The last few months at work have been a whirlwind of activity. Some of the activity has generated progress, much of the activity is setting […]
It’s Not About the Board
Two weeks ago, we took our first real family adventure since moving to California last August. I am not proud of the fact that it […]
Defining Ourselves
Last month, I shared a post about an experiment that I had undertaken to crowdsource the development of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental Strategic Guidance. […]
Big Rocks, Little Rocks, and Broken Windows
Odds are that if you are reading this, you are familiar with the term Big Rocks. If you are not, I recommend you watch this video from […]
Crowdsourcing Strategy
There are many definitions of strategy. Having served in the military for 25 years and counting, I have seen strategy take many shapes. Of late, […]
Bread Sunday
Our military housing community enjoys a tradition that is called Bread Sunday. Each week the same gracious volunteer gets up early Sunday morning and makes […]
It’s Not an Act
Very few things in life go according to the script we wrote. Sometimes a reality that deviates from a plan is extremely disappointing and sometimes lady […]
Process
Many a coach is known to have said, “Trust the Process.” The utterance of such a phrase is heard with greater frequency when the outcomes […]
Defaulting to Dissent
The best teams I have been on have been teams where dissent was invited, opportunities to dissent were created, and gratitude was expressed to those […]
(It’s The) Work That Matters
I’ve had many jobs over the course of my career. I may not have enjoyed them all, but I am glad to have had the […]
Can’t Do Lists
Our military was founded on a “Can Do” spirit. Heck, our Nation was founded on the same. We proudly find ways to do more with […]
The Worrier
Last week, my wife and I took advantage of the free time created by a lack swim practice since our son was at the Olympic […]
Thanks for the Lessons…
I am far from fanatical about Christmas and I have never been overly excited about ringing in the New Year at the strike of midnight. […]
Valued and Dispensable
I have found that the best leaders with whom I serve find a way to make themselves simultaneously valued and dispensable. A dichotomy indeed. The […]
(Un)Comfortably Falling Short
It was about this time (beginning of 4th month on the team) in my last tour when I had a couple of teammates make it […]
Drawing Inspiration
Today is the 30th of the month and as part of my commitment to myself, it marks one of the three days each month I […]
Empathetic Advice
I enjoy learning from others and at the same time I enjoy sharing what I learn with others. Most of the time this transaction is […]
Sharing a Profession
Earlier this week I had the privilege of presenting at Steelcase’s Curious Minds guest speaker series. A longtime friend of mine (We served together as […]