I am a proud US Air Force veteran. I served between Gulf Wars in the late ’90s. I was deployed to the Persian Gulf twice and spent my last year in the Republic of Korea.
And I am always embarrassed when someone thanks me for my service.
Tag Archives: military
Make Sense: Leadership From The End Of The Leash
Over the last two months, I was privileged to create and deliver a seminar called “Survive – and THRIVE! – Through Change” to my organization’s front line leaders. It was well-received and confirmed to me that there’s something for me to build on as I start expanding from writing to speaking. Delivering my program – I was the actualized Todd.
In the program, I used lessons learned during my time as a Military Working Dog Handler in the Air Force to explore some factors that drive effectiveness in moving through change for people, teams, and organizations. I’m building on this concept to create a larger program focusing on the foundations of effective leadership. I’ve named it “Leadership From The End Of The Leash”. Today I want to share one concept from that program:
Make Sense
Filed under Essays
Total Internet Domination, One Post At A Time
My digital world has expanded — ever so slightly — again. I will occasionally post pieces from this blog over to the blog at RallyPoint. I’ve often referenced my time on active duty in the US Air Force. No surprise — my military service was a key experience in my life. It certainly shaped my perspective on leadership. I’ve leveraged many lessons learned in the service into success in my post-military career.
Filed under Open Notebook
When Is An Open Door Not An Open Door?
Six months after I left active duty with the US Air Force, I was thrilled to be hired by Wal-Mart into a leadership role in their Logistics division. I had operated as a leader in smaller groups in the USAF and could not wait to apply my military experience into a civilian career. Everything looked good – except for that pesky Open Door policy that Wal-Mart was committed to…
Filed under Essays
“Saving Private Ryan” Changed My Life
We are halfway through a beautiful Memorial Day weekend here at Casa di Panek. My father, who lives with us, worked hard all week on the various outdoor tasks culminating in the boys being able to swim in the pool Friday night. It was the perfect start to a long weekend.
Later that evening, after the boys were in bed, I was flipping channels on TV and found AMC starting their War Heroes Weekend by playing a favorite- The Dirty Dozen. It’s the kind of movie that will stop my channel surfing regardless of what point the movie is at. Friday evening I picked it up just as Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) gambles on the Dozen’s tenacity to beat the stiff-necked Colonel Breed’s unit.
Doctor in the soon-to-be hijacked ambulance: “But you’re wearing red force insignia!”
Jim Brown’s deadpan menace: “That’s right- we’re traitors!”
Love it!
I got to pondering, as I often do, about the movies and my love of film. Keeping in the spirit of the War Heroes Weekend, I thought that a story about another great WWII movie, Saving Private Ryan, would be appropriate.
Filed under Essays
TMPinSYR 