The Note is me reflecting... click reply, let me know what you're thinkin' 'bout these days.

*Please do share "The Note" with friends: https://sendfox.com/jw/campaigns 

Monday, August 8th... two #Gatherings

5 pm-6:15/:30 "The Gift of Attention, the Power of Connection."

Register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqcuCsqTsvHNLa2GUnto4oAikgW-vHTPQp

7 pm-8 pm "The Earned Life" (based on Marshall Goldsmith's book).

Register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIpcO6gpjIoGtPBcw1eJNHk_U8t0hnHKykj

* NO recordings, gotta be up on video. See you soon!

2022 - Y.4 N.12 Pick a Scope to Look Through

Dear ,

When you change how you see something - or what you see - how do you do that? And, is it a surprise, or do you do it on purpose?

I wrote the word -scope in my Moleskine a while back, and over the past few weeks, I've been adding "scopes" as I've seen things...and then seen them differently. Every day, every activity, in fact, is designed to help leaders develop their lenses. I know there are many ways to look at this "Human Domain" thing; here are some of the scopes I see through these days. (By the way, search the Internet for "words that end in scope," and you'll see a lot more than these six!)

In 15 days, the team I get to teach with will welcome our students to Building 803 (IFKYK), and we'll have eight days with them in Seminar.

• Microscope
• Telescope
• kaleidoscope
• Periscope
• Gyroscope

And, I can't help myself:

• Horoscope

As I look for things - is it 'inspect'? - that are too small to be seen directly, I feel it comes across as "nit-picky," or even obsessive. Meeting the new people to LDC just three weeks ago and knowing that I'll work with them as we prepare to welcome our students to LDC, it is more evident than ever that the details matter. Whether writing a thank you card or marking up an HBR article before sharing it with team members, I know that I am looking for the most minor pieces of the puzzle. It makes me reflect on meeting Wayne Hodgins way back when; he was the one who taught me about packet switch data transfer. It made - and makes - complete sense to me.

Then, I look further out... in terms of time and space. Making distant objects (or subjects) appear larger and closer is a gift, and while sometimes it can come across as "worry" or even "catastrophizing," I know that I revel in the thought experiments that Richard Feynman - and Albert Einstein - might consider "Second-Order Effects." You know, the if-this-then-that mental gymnastics that force us to collect, process, and organize as much information as we can access. As I look out into the future, I often wonder who I could call that would help me think about one more aspect of that goal/issue/circumstance. 

(As I typed that last sentence, I had an idea: I might share the "things I'm thinkin' about" list in a common place and start a MarcoPolo channel for any who want to join THAT discussion. Stay tuned...)

Next up... a "continually shifting pattern or scene." , when was the last time you looked through a kaleidoscope? Me? I dunno; it has probably been years. As I consider the work I've been doing over the past 20+ years, I can easily say that while the tools (processes, skills, materials) always change, the intention or goal has - and remains - been the same. 

I'm working on updating my mission statement for the next 3-5 years. The one I had has gotten me this far, yet looking out into the future, I anticipate I will uplevel what I do, what I believe is possible, and what projects and teams I help build. Currently (and this is WAYYYY too wordy, so if you wanna hit reply and edit, please do!), I'm working at my desk with the following written on a 3X5 note card taped to my computer monitor:

"I implement and fight for the ideals and ideas by which the people in my organization thrive."

Ok, the next -scope helps see above, below, or around the level of direct sight. This might be the one that I like - and use - the most; and even more now that I'm here at Air University. Whether it's a course designed to explore one's leader/ship philosophy, or a session created to define goals and objectives for their unit, I like to come from above, below, or around as people (or feel) what they may have missed before. And, the craziest part is that THEY find it if I give them a challenge and a little time. Participants in my sessions often say later, "I didn't see that comin'."

Meanwhile, things seem to spin. I won't say "out" of control, but just on the edge. And, while they are spinning - gyroscope - I feel like they are maintaining an absolute direction, almost despite what's happening. Sure, I might take a single step backward or even go off course a degree or two, but there are two things I know:

1. I have margin enough to take a step back because I know I'll take two steps (or more) forward shortly, and 
2. I'm ok going a degree or two off-course because (again) I'll make up for the deviation and eventually land the plan where we'd intended. 

And, finally, I couldn't help but put in that last one: horoscope. Acc. to "the" Google, a horoscope is a forecast of one's future, based on where the stars and planets were when they were born. While I'm sure there is more to my future than where Mars or Jupiter was back in the early '70s, I am 100% sure that the past we've all experienced is leading us to the future we're meeting for the very first time.

To me, that's the exciting part.

I'm workin' hard to see as much as possible when I look out, up, down, and in. If I'm missing a vista that you've got, will you share what you see? I think that could be cool...

Have a great week out there, and please come to either/both events on Monday night if you can!

Much love from Montgomery,

Dr. JW

How did The Note* from MGM (Montgomery, AL) begin?

Jodi and I moved to Alabama in 2019. After being here for just less than a week, I opened up my email to send a note to my family in friends in California and beyond. Jodi was on her way to join me here, so I took some time to reflect on this significant life decision/change I had initiated. That Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019, I sent an email at 9:38 pm (or, as I was beginning to learn: 2138). Here's how it started:

Today was my first day as an employee of the United States Air Force. And, I am bold enough to say I've never been prouder or more excited to serve a community.

Though I "moved" to Alabama last Wednesday [Jodi plans to be here Monday], I went to my New Employee Orientation just today. The 90-minute briefing culminated in me taking the Oath:

"I, Jason Womack, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well; and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

All at the same time, I felt pride, Honor, and a hefty dose of responsibility. I'm helping leaders on a grand scale.

*The following Sunday, and many subsequent Sundays!, I've sent a note to my family and friends. Thanks for reading, and gratitude (more!) for clicking reply and letting me know what YOU'RE reflecting on!