Category: Leadership
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Allow Others to Struggle
As a kid I was into martial arts. After every class, I would find the head instructor and ask him a question. Apparently, it became annoying because he started limiting how many questions I could ask. He wasn’t being a jerk, he realized I was asking questions to problems I could solve on my own.…
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Everyone Has a Story
When I was 18 I married my high school sweetheart…happy to report we are still married today! At that time I was stocking shelves at Food Lion. At 19, my first son was born. Over the next 6 years we had another son, I had moved my way up to a manager at Food Lion,…
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Working Scrum in Jira
Scrum projects are very collaborative by design. Starting a new project and planning the next sprint bring all the necessary people together who will be doing the work and ideas really get to flowing. Traditionally, the team is in the same room and there are sticky notes all over the place. Jira is a digital…
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It is More Work to Ignore Problems
I remember when recycling first gained momentum in the Air Force. I was an instructor at the time and the recycling bin was in the break room. The students (and instructors) would have their sodas in the classroom and then be expected to drop the empty can in the break room bin. However, I can’t…
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Build Momentum
When things are going great in our lives, we struggle to see the areas where things are not quite up to par. However, the exact opposite is also true. When we are in a bad place, it is very tough to see the positive things. If we only sought out the bad things in good…
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Look for the Gray
This is so true these days. We are more concerned with our own opinions or the binary logic of those we follow, that we miss so much. I have been clouded (and often still am) by my personal views that I have actually tuned out or ignored those with differing views. However, when I force…
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Find the Solution
When I was a kid, I wanted the Trapper-Keepers and cool pencil boxes the other kids had. However, this was not in the cards for me as we were living on a pretty strict budget and every penny mattered. I did not understand it at the time, but I certainly remember the lessons today. In…
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Everyone is Not the Same
I’ve stated in previous a post that when I was a squadron commander I spent 95% of my time dealing with 5% of the people…typically discipline issues. If you’ve been in a similar role, especially in the military, you could probably echo that statement. Think about that statement though…5%…that meant that the other 95% kept…
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Be True to Your Word
“If nothing else, be a man of your word.” These are the words I try to instill into my son and continue to reinforce within myself daily. My father did the same with me and taught me what integrity was long before I ever donned the uniform. Even though this may sound a bit sexist,…
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Lasting Impressions
As a squadron commander, one of my favorite times of the month was our monthly Maverick’s Calls (most might call it a Commander’s Call). This was the time where we recognized our promotees for the month, award winners and if I could find a reason to recognize someone for something they did, I would, and…
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