It's the PEOPLE...

I'm now down to hours (about 48 to be exact) left in uniform before I "final out" and leave behind a 31 year career that was supposed to only be a six year enlistment. So many thoughts have been flooding my mind this past week that I thought worth sharing in the hopes that my struggles and lessons learned might be of value to others.

#1. It's all about PEOPLE. I grew up wanting to be a football coach. I pursued that career and decided to join the Army, graduating basic training at the age of 28. Why? Well, we told people it was the "tuition repayment program" which was an enlistment incentive that paid off most of what was still left from my 6 years of college. But for me, I saw the Army as an opportunity to learn leadership and mentoring skills that would make me a better coach. What was intended to be a six year learning experience turned into a 31 year study of humanity, human interaction, and what it takes to be successful. For all of the Army's great programs, weapon systems, capabilities, and what have you, none of it, and I mean NONE of it compares to its most precious resource, its PEOPLE. I joined for the tuition repayment program, but I stayed because of all the truly incredible people that I served with, for, and around. My 31 years have taught me to truly appreciate the individual value that EVERYONE brings to the table. I believe that everyone gets up every day wanting to do their best, and that as I leader, my primary purpose is to prepare people and put them in positions and situations where they can succeed.

#2. The MISSION never truly ends. It's a long story, but although I knew my retirement would be some time this year, I found out last Thursday I was approved for retirement and that I needed to "final out" this Friday... that came as a bit of an unexpected surprise. Over the weekend and into this week my mind raced with all the projects I had going and things I wanted to see to completion, after all, "people are depending on me to complete these tasks." The MISSION isn't over yet!! Then I realized. It has been like this at every job I've left in the Army. We NEVER get it all done. There's always more to do. We say the MISSION is to accomplish a particular objective, but then when we are standing on that ground or indeed even before we get there, we are already working on achieving the next mission. And on and on again it goes. Over my career, I've taken a certain pride in the fact that things with my team seem to work even better when I'm gone. That's because I've always focused on empowering and developing my team to be successful on their own. By developing them, the team gets better and I become, well, not quite so important or valuable in comparison to them. We are all replaceable and indeed will be replaced. I always tried to set my team up for success to flourish in my absence.

#3. Planning is important, but the imperatives are remaining ADAPTIVE and AGILE. I spent more than 30 years planning to be a professional football coach. Even 10 years into my Army career I still honestly believed I would get out, find a graduate assistantship, then an internship, and ultimately make it into the NFL as a coach. That was my plan. Along the way however, I encountered a number of obstacles and opportunities that always seemed to distract me or interfere with my plans. Some might conclude, "you just didn't want it bad enough," or that "well, it just wasn't that important to you." Anyone who knows me well, knows that was never the case. My pursuit of a career in coaching has been a microcosm of nearly every task, mission, challenge, problem, project I've encountered in the Army. As soldiers and leaders we constantly emphasis the need to plan, but as we often say, those plans never survive contact with the enemy. I have learned to value my experiences, successes, and accomplishments in the Army, which have come not at the expense of a career in football, rather as a benefit from remaining adaptive and agile and seizing the opportunities in front of me.

#4. I realize I'm breaking the Nakasone rule by adding a fourth lesson, but it is really an extension of #1 and is really the most important one. The most important PEOPLE in your life are your FAMILY... When I was younger I took a lot of odd jobs across a variety of professions and justified working all hours of every day because as a young man with limited experience everything I could do "would look good on a resume." I was a farmer, graphic artist, sportscaster, maintenance worker, concrete pipe maker, recreation department supervisor, teacher, newspaper reporter, and funeral director. None of those things are on my resume today of course. All that time working I spent away from my young family can never be recovered. I justified it by saying I needed to do that for us to survive and so I could take care of my family. Over the course of my career we decided that instead of pursuing jobs that would keep me on the command and promotion track, I would only pursue jobs that would ensure that my family would be by my side at my retirement - the same family that has been by my side throughout my career. I know I've disappointed some leaders over the years by adhering to this philosophy. I know because they told me in no uncertain terms. It cost me jobs along the way that are indicators of a truly successful military career. We've measured our successes differently and I think we're better for it. I have absolutely no regrets and believe that at every job I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

I'm not sure what the future holds in this next chapter, but what I am certain of is that whatever path we follow, we will be together as a family and enjoy that journey side by side.