Blogs for your consideration...
Over 20 years' worth of observations, recommendations, and considerations on life, family, and the military lie within these narratives. Cheers!
“It’s lonely at the top” is a common sentiment across many facets of leadership. Humans aren’t meant to be alone—we thrive in community. It’s one of the traits that allows us to make progress. When we are lonely, we feel disconnected, sad, or insecure. As leaders—more specifically officers—progress ...
If you’re lucky, you have parents, teachers, and guidance counselors guiding you through high school and helping you prepare for a relatively smooth transition into adulthood. Adulthood itself comes in many forms—entering the civilian workforce, attending college, or raising your right hand and join...
At the tactical and operational levels, today’s military force lives in a constant state of tension. The best-laid plans—innovation sprints, professional development goals, modernization roadmaps—can evaporate the moment a new problem drops from above. Strategic leaders pass down challenges (or, mor...
In the early stages of a military career, promotions tend to feel straightforward. Whether enlisted or officer, the first few advancements often follow a fairly predictable path. As long as a service member stays out of serious trouble—avoiding the obvious career killers like lying, cheating, or ste...
I was recently asked to take on yet another project. As I mentally reviewed the growing list of additional duties, taskers, meetings, and “quick favors” already filling my calendar, I kept my inner monologue to myself. Surely there were others with more capacity—fewer collateral duties, lighter work...
Just because something has been a certain way for some time doesn’t make it the best way. At every turn, the environment, political scene, or latest innovation impacts the variables surrounding the relativity of “best.” This conundrum doubles down when personalities, budgets, and adversarial changes...
“Readiness” is a buzzword heard across every branch of the U.S. military. As the nation’s ultimate line of defense, service members are expected to be fit, trained, and ready to serve at the will of the President—or, for the National Guard, their governor. In practice, readiness is measured through ...
No one likes to be threatened—physically, emotionally, or professionally. It’s bad leadership and bad business. Ultimatums are often disguised as choices, but in reality they present a single outcome at the expense of something significant. Do this or else.
If you report this safety violation, I’ll...
The military is full of change. Rarely are two days ever the same. There are three states in which the military often finds itself: gearing up for major change, recovering from a major change, or managing the current state of ongoing thrash. There are high-highs and low-lows. And although military s...
