An experience that completed shifted my perspective

Today, I’m speaking to a group of U.S. Navy public affairs officers (PAOs) in Norfolk, VA.

The person in charge of this event, Rear Admiral and US Chief of Information Charlie Brown (yes, that’s his real name!), was also the PAO for my aircraft carrier trip in 2019.

Back then, I distinctly remember being hesitant to go because I was against military action. I was also afraid the content would be censored, too – I wanted the freedom to ask anyone anything, record everything, and publish without censorship.

Charlie put me and the other 15 bloggers on the trip at ease, saying “You can ask anything, publish anything. After all, it’s your Navy!”

I spent 24 hours on the USS Nimitz. The whole time, I had to actively remind myself to be open-minded and willing to see things differently.

I’m glad I did. Because, after that trip, I gained a newfound appreciation for our military.

The service members were open and transparent, and game to have difficult conversations. The ship’s leadership trusted them to know their mission, speak honestly, and engage in a thoughtful dialogue with the people interviewing them.

(How many companies would be willing to let a group of 16 bloggers come in and talk to any employee and ask them anything?!)

I remember the ship’s admiral telling me, “As people in the military, we never want to go to war. It’s a last resort. We’re always prepared, but we never want to go.”

That stuck with me.

Today, as I think about Ukraine, I can’t even begin to imagine how terrible it must be for the citizens, the Ukraine military, and the Russian soldiers.

War is terrible. There are no easy answers. I certainly don’t have them.

But as the conflict in Ukraine continues to unfold, I’ll reflect on a very telling conversation I had with U.S. Navy Pilot Lieutenant Luis Delgardo aboard the USS Nimitz.

He told me, “Every flight is almost as if you die a little death.”

Luis was strong, competent, confident, and full of bravado - the epitome of the Top Gun fighter pilot. But he was also vulnerable. He was honest about the range of human emotions he experienced before, during, and after every flight.

These are human lives. Whether you support military action or not, I hope this story gives you a bit of a different perspective.

I’m curious — what’s an experience you’ve had recently that changed your point of view?

My Latest:

• Change is hard and a LOT to process. How do some companies do it so well? That’s what I shared in my livestream yesterday!

• How to Lead Non-Profit Digital Transformation: I’ll be live tomorrow (Thursday) with Beth Kanter and Allison Fine, co-authors of "The Smart Non-Profit." Join us at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET right here!

• We work and feel best when we turn down the “WIIFM” station. In #LeadingDisruption, I share a simple yet profound practice I use to turn up the volume on gratitude.

• Upcoming Livestream – April 5 topic TBD
  

Good Things:

• Reads: Sharing Lieutenant Luis Delgardo’s story from the USS Nimitz has me reflecting on my book Open Leadership (where I quote him). I wrote it in 2010, and people thought I was crazy to talk about openness back then!

• Referrals: I started a new job and am hiring a research team, starting with the research director role. If you or someone you know is interested in doing research into “wicked problems”, please get in touch. And in the meantime, check out my new company, PA Consulting where we “bring ingenuity to life”.

• Resource: I’ve been fascinated by companies like Grove for a while now. The concept of zero waste replenishment is so interesting! I haven’t used them yet — have you? I think I’ll give them a try!