LOTS of BIG things going on, I’ll give you the sections here:

1.   I facilitated three sessions at the West Coast First Sergeant Conference.

2.   I will (probably) stop by the ATD Conference Expo early tomorrow morning in San Diego; will you be there? Look for me around 0830. 

3.   I’m speaking at the “Coaching Culture Facilitators Course” (CCFC) graduation hosted by J.R. Flatter. You are invited; add the info below to your calendar and you can attend the graduation:

0900 Central on Thursday, 25 May

Go to www.Zoomgov.com  

enter Meeting ID: 160 687 8975  

and then type the Passcode: 853715

I should go "on stage" around 0930 Central ... again, you're invited!

Now, on with “The Note.”

Hi there!

I started week three as a Guardian in the United States Space Force today.

Since I have had some friends ask about the USSF, here are two links to find out what we do. Please take a couple of minutes to watch; we’ll talk about them next time we connect!

1. https://www.spaceforce.com/about
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x619VW65l1Y 

I am still learning a lot, meeting team members every day, and practicing the four (4) values of the Space Force: Character, Connection, Community, and Courage.

Anyone who knows me knows that there is ONE of those values that is my own personal Polaris. If you asked me what gets me up before the alarm clock...and what worries me as I wind each day to a close, I would answer in a single word:

Connection

But what I know is that there is more to connection than "just" bringing people together. (I’m writing about “The Six Weak Connections: How to Strengthen them in Six Weeks” next…)

There's more to it all than simply reserving a room or scheduling a Zoom. I can no longer hope that merely coordinating a group of people to show up in the same place at the same time is enough.

We need to be doing more.

I Read a Children's Book

On a flight from Montgomery, AL, to Dallas, TX, on Sunday, I met my seatmate, Reza. The conversation started as they always do when sitting next to someone on a plane: “Where are you heading to today?” But, very quickly, we went deeper.

The next thing I knew, he said, "Let me get a copy." And he handed me a children’s book that he wrote in 1997. He told me, "...and it is about resilience, leadership, nutrition..."

I read it cover to cover, taking notes on my phone:

·     Promote (or is it prompt?) Engagement & Connection

·     There is a before, a during, and an after

·     Care for, and care full

·     Look up the opposite of "defend"

That last one got me.

Often, in my work, I hear about the importance of defending...heck, I work for the Department of Defense! So, when I look up the word "defend" in the thesaurus and scrolled to the antonyms, here's what I see:

I'm not sure what those words do for you, but boy, am I interested. I want to explore them more and more.

Welcome Cards

You know I like to write cards; I got that from my mama. On the second flight yesterday, I spent about 5 minutes thinking about each of the leaders I would work for today. While I knew some of them, I didn’t know them all. So, choosing a triangle was definitely a “gut” thing more than a knowing thing.

Here are the 8 I chose (if you’re on the book of faces):

https://www.facebook.com/713141668/videos/261503353079834/

Why triangles?

For a while now, I’ve thought (and taught) in triangles. I repeat myself when I say, “There are only three points – or sides – to a triangle. If I think of a model and can portray it in three sections…I’m going to draw a triangle. One day, I’m sure I’ll find an old notebook with the FIRST one, but for now let’s just say, “I have a LOT of them!”

I arrived at the venue today at 0610 and drove away at 1645…that’s a full day. I could sit in on one USSF meeting – a big one – but for the bulk of those 10 hours, I spent with my Airmen. The audience comprised 1^st Sergeants, arguably some of the hardest-working folks I’ve met in the 4-plus years I’ve been here. I won’t go deep into the details, but over the sessions, I had to work with them; I did give them everything I’ve got.

What did we do? In a hat tip to the great Jimmy Valvano:

We laughed. We thought. And we cried.

It was a full day. A heckuva day.

Sending much love and aloha from California!

JW

If you wanna share "The Note" just send this link to your friends: https://sendfox.com/jw

* Why do I write? I write to reflect, to think, to image-in, and to forecast.