I believe in people. I’m always learning and growing, doing my best to communicate with clarity and kindness, and seeking to make my tiny corner of the universe a little better.
When I was four or five years old, I took my first flight and immediately decided that when I grew up, I would be a pilot and see the world. I never thought I’d want to do anything else with my life… 23 years later I began to suspect that the life plan I’d developed as a kid could use some updating as an adult.
With time and some help, I realized I needed a new challenge. Transitioning to a part-time role in the Air Force Reserve allowed me to explore and grow without giving up my childhood dream, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
The next two years were a wild adventure. I backpacked Europe, motorcycled across the United States with my dad, trekked Nepal, SCUBA dove Nicaragua, made some of the best friends I will ever have, and did some deep thinking about what I wanted my life to be. I started considering my career differently, trying all the opportunities that looked most interesting. I worked on water and sanitation projects in Africa, disaster response with the Red Cross (and then integrated this into my Air Force career), and helped take a struggling startup out of crisis and just to the brink of an exit before the deal (and the business) fell apart.
I learned a few things:
- I need to continue learning and growing, and always will.
- Skill sets are shockingly transferable
- Maintaining your composure in the face of chaos and danger is incredibly valuable – and it’s a skill that can be taught!
My journey of exploration and growth didn’t stop there. I had a few “real” jobs… life looks very different from the inside of a vast bureaucracy, and effecting real change can be exceedingly tricky. I’ve led military units from dozens to thousands of people, helped write and rewrite global strategy for the US military, worked on national and international scale disaster responses, wargamed scenarios that were even more chaotic and challenging, and taught and mentored senior leaders in developing strategic perspective and thinking.
I learned a few more things:
- We get to choose how we fail
- Having the humility and courage to ask “dumb” questions brings substantial value, even without special skills.
- Kindness is a manifestation of strength and a powerful way to lead.
Alongside my career growth was an academic journey. I finished undergrad with a dual degree in computer engineering and history and recognized the value of these two very different lenses through which to view the world. I later added masters degrees in business and military studies and was again fascinated by the gaps and overlaps, especially the power of applying a mental model from one discipline to a problem drawn from the other.
I’m still flying, still looking down on the world from 35,000 feet. It changed my perspective forever, and in some of the most important ways, I’m staying true to my four-year-old self.
A common theme across all my experiences is my love of mentoring, instructing, and coaching. My parents are retired educators, and their influence drives me to help the people around me learn and grow – in the classroom, in the field, in executive offices, or on the flight deck of an aircraft.
Of course, I’m as much a student and mentee as I am a teacher or leader. Nobody has all the answers and we should never stop learning and exploring.
It’s an exciting time to be alive. We can design our lives and build businesses more easily than ever. It’s normal to leave ‘safe’ jobs, switch industries, and re-enter the workforce. We have more access to the collective wisdom of mankind than ever before along with tools to help us organize and understand… but do we have the mindsets and strategic perspective to best put that wisdom to use?
Though you cannot go back and make a brand new start my friend, you can start now and make a brand new end.
– John C. Maxwell
