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There's a lot written about how as humans we need to build and maintain a social network. The prevailing wisdom warns that if you do not have one, you will die early and unhappy.
When the phone rang at 2:30am, the Army client that I was traveling with quickly said, "I received a call from Washington. We have been ordered to bug out. Be down in the lobby at 6:30am to fly to Japan then back home."
Early in my career, I was put in charge of an international program for the military. I have already written about one adventure in Panama, but there were many around the world.
As BRATs approaches its first anniversary of publication, I've had time to reflect. While it didn't make the New York Times bestseller list, that was never the goal. I set out to challenge myself as a writer, and in that, I succeeded.
Without clearly articulated values, you are in a weak position to deal with what is thrown at you.
I am left with the question: should we be ambitious until we die? After thinking about this question for weeks, my answer is YES.
Everyone has access to ambition. No matter who or what we are.
It is not about grabbing the brass ring. You are the brass ring.
Creativity is not just a born trait, like hair or eye color; nor is it the intelligence you were born with. Creativity is learned.
A few weeks back, a long-ago friend called to tell me that she was separating and getting divorced. In a subsequent chat, she told me others were asking if she was back on the market. She said “yes, I guess”.
Her answer puzzled me. She sensed my confusion and asked what I would have said. “That I was never out of the market,” I said. After some silence, she asked what that meant.
After many years, I came up with my flag: No Hope, No Fear.
It is a line I have used for years to sync my mind before an endeavor—writing, sports, or otherwise.
I have always been searching for the processes, tools and frameworks that SEALs use to carry out their missions and day-to-day activities.
I have always assumed they keep these in a safe somewhere under lock and key. You just never hear about them…
I view the world as a large system with a multitude of subsystems. While it may feel chaotic at times, most of these systems are driving toward order. This is true in science, business and art. Those who do not identify their systems and work within them will likely fail under the weight of disorder.
One program I managed was providing counseling services to military dependents overseas. In the late 80s, I was starting up two such programs in Europe and Panama. Talk about two different environments. And I am not talking just about the weather…
Maybe because I was born in Japan I seem to have one foot in the Western traditions and another in the Asian. I love the parallels in how religion, politics and philosophy developed in each part of the world in near similar time. Asking similar questions but developing different approaches
Recently, the executive director of a nonprofit conservation group resigned, and a new one needed to be recruited. The chairman of the board said she was interested in applying, and the board made her acting executive director while the hiring process was underway…
Business, like life, is a team sport. In a hyper-dynamic and competitive world, one cannot survive without an array of partners to help you succeed. You need to get good at getting good help, and having your own board of directors can assist you with advice, connections, risk, and wisdom.
I was at Ramstein AFB in Germany some time back talking to a colonel about SAIC and how mistakes are handled. “Yeah, it sounds like your company is becoming like the Air Force,” he said. “One person shits their pants, and we all have to wear diapers.”
Be bold, have a clear intent, move quickly, and ignite your career. These are the attributes needed for a successful internship.
One of my mentors died last night at 86. He lived a good life and was very successful. But for over 40 years he was a person that I could talk to about anything. What is interesting in this is that he never declared that he was a mentor. Nor did I ever see him as a mentor while working. I never reported to him.
Ed S. was another person that I worked for at SAIC. Ed was a Ph. D nuclear engineer from Tennessee. If I remember correctly he came from a hard scrabble upbringing. He headed up a Sector of the company, and was on the board of directors. Very smart with great insight.
It’s been two years since I posted to my blog. During that time, I wrote a book, BRATs. It’s 350 pages long (90,000 words) and fiction. I’m in the midst of reading it from front to back for the first time