Jan. 8, 2024

Ep. 46: Nurturing Talent and Embracing Diversity for Future Success with Trevion Jones

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Ep. 46: Nurturing Talent and Embracing Diversity for Future Success with Trevion Jones

Send a text Have you ever pondered the makings of a future military general or what it takes to sculpt the raw potential of the leaders of tomorrow? Trevion Jones, a titan in the military industry, joins us to unpack the complex world of talent management. From his hands-on experience with "I Could Be," mentoring high school students online, to guiding seasoned military personnel, Trevion's insights are a treasure trove for anyone looking to harness the true potential of their team. Not only ...

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Have you ever pondered the makings of a future military general or what it takes to sculpt the raw potential of the leaders of tomorrow? Trevion Jones, a titan in the military industry, joins us to unpack the complex world of talent management. From his hands-on experience with "I Could Be," mentoring high school students online, to guiding seasoned military personnel, Trevion's insights are a treasure trove for anyone looking to harness the true potential of their team. Not only do we delve into the art of nurturing talent, but we also dissect the broader implications of diversity in organizations, advocating for an inclusive approach that embraces all forms of authentic and non-traditional qualities essential for growth and success.

Throughout our conversation, I share stories from my early work experiences that mirror Trevion's philosophy on recognizing and fostering unique abilities. We navigate the intricacies of decision fatigue and its impact on leadership, drawing parallels from the realm of hip-hop to underline the influence of key personalities in any field. The exchange is peppered with anecdotes and shared wisdom, offering a look into the personal beliefs and strategies that have shaped both Trevion's and my own approach to leadership. This engaging dialogue will leave you with an appreciation for the art of asking potent, contextually relevant questions that are vital in evaluating talent and potential within individuals across various walks of life.

Wrapping up this enriching episode, we share a lighter side with personal stories that underscore the importance of building lifelong connections and the enduring value of friendships formed through professional encounters. We even playfully speculate on who might portray me in a biopic, drawing in a sprinkle of pop culture fun. Trevion leaves us on a powerful note, emphasizing the notion that we are precisely where we need to be – a mantra for anyone striving to carve their path in the world. So, tune in for an episode that not only offers a glimpse into the future of leadership but also reinforces the impact we can make by being true to ourselves and our course.

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel


Chapters

00:00 - Talent Management Insights

04:31 - Talent Management and Building Diverse Teams

14:56 - Decision Fatigue and Personal Beliefs

27:35 - Exploring Success

38:23 - Building Lifelong Friendships and Connections

45:09 - Movie Recommendations and Personal Success Messaging

Transcript
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00:00:00.381 --> 00:00:07.623
A person is purely talented if they have the capability to bring out the hidden talent in another person.

00:00:07.623 --> 00:00:23.910
My guest on this episode of Passing the Torch is an effective leader and communicator, trust and mentor and qualified intelligence professional with over 10 years of recognized superior performance across a variety of positions working in the military industry.

00:00:23.910 --> 00:00:31.969
He has also experienced in advising executive leadership on strategic decisions, program management and leading diverse teams to success.

00:00:31.969 --> 00:00:36.450
Lastly, my guest is someone I met in August of 2022.

00:00:36.450 --> 00:00:46.189
Since that initial introduction, I continue to be amazed by his presence, attitude and overall drive to evolve whatever team he is assigned to.

00:00:46.189 --> 00:00:50.743
Without further ado, passing the Torch with Chevion Jones starts now.

00:00:50.743 --> 00:01:04.362
You have a great smile.

00:01:04.362 --> 00:01:06.001
Thank you, man.

00:01:06.001 --> 00:01:08.968
First and foremost, welcome to the show and thank you for joining me.

00:01:08.968 --> 00:01:09.569
This is awesome.

00:01:09.569 --> 00:01:10.230
I'm so excited.

00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:12.706
Thank you for having me and thank you for that introduction.

00:01:12.706 --> 00:01:14.362
I greatly appreciate it.

00:01:14.444 --> 00:01:16.126
Yeah, I think I did everything right.

00:01:16.126 --> 00:01:16.909
Was that pretty good?

00:01:17.129 --> 00:01:20.507
I mean it sounded good to me, so I will thumbs up on my end.

00:01:21.180 --> 00:01:32.986
No, I told you I stayed up till one in the morning researching you and I don't say that for sympathy, I say that just for how much you mean to me and the positive impact you've had on me and just a bit of context.

00:01:32.986 --> 00:01:39.707
I researched you on LinkedIn and so, if you get any notification, this is one anonymous search.

00:01:40.129 --> 00:01:40.588
It's me.

00:01:40.849 --> 00:01:42.111
Perfect, perfect.

00:01:42.111 --> 00:01:48.111
I showed you my book earlier and I've wanted to have you on my show for quite a while now.

00:01:48.111 --> 00:02:00.484
Man, there's just something about you and I'm going to make a prediction that one day you're going to be a general, and when you are, I'm like I told you, I appreciate that.

00:02:00.484 --> 00:02:03.147
So that's the whole context of why I wanted you on.

00:02:03.147 --> 00:02:05.766
And again, there's just something very magnetic and like.

00:02:05.766 --> 00:02:07.510
I can't imagine anyone not liking you.

00:02:07.510 --> 00:02:15.421
But aside from that, I want to talk to you about talent management, because I think that's a conversation we had, I think last week or maybe two weeks ago, and then it was just like man, that's really interesting.

00:02:15.421 --> 00:02:20.530
But before we get into that, I have one random question.

00:02:20.530 --> 00:02:22.108
Sure Is, please discuss.

00:02:22.108 --> 00:02:22.858
I Could Be.

00:02:23.060 --> 00:02:26.969
I Could Be is pretty much a digital mentoring platform.

00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:52.048
So what it is is you go in, you build a profile as a mentor, you set up how many mentees you can accept and what that does is that connects you with students, usually an underprivileged or disenfranchised communities for you to just kind of work through their personal goals and what things that they want to get involved with either a part of a particular program at their school or what they want to do post high school.

00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:53.846
So it was a cool opportunity.

00:02:53.846 --> 00:03:17.813
You don't have face-to-face opportunities because these are high school students typically, but getting to hear what thoughts, perspectives or what dreams a person under the age of 18, typically that high school range might have for themselves or where they see themselves in the world, was very, very important to me and why I decided to step into that particular mentorship program.

00:03:17.813 --> 00:03:28.591
So I've had a lot of successes in terms of connecting with young, brilliant individuals and just like the personal satisfaction of how do I become a better mentor to these folks?

00:03:28.591 --> 00:03:41.365
Right, it's easy, just in my line of work, to say, hey, I can mentor this type of person, whether it's an enlisted person, a junior officer, et cetera but to work with a whole different ballpark of individuals.

00:03:41.365 --> 00:03:45.412
It was definitely a good challenge that I'm happy to be part of.

00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:50.004
That's very interesting to me, because how old were the kids again, so they're typically high school range.

00:03:50.225 --> 00:03:50.406
Right.

00:03:50.406 --> 00:03:58.907
So you know 16, 17, 18, and, like most kids around that age, like there's a lot of potential, but it's a lot of raw potential.

00:03:58.907 --> 00:04:03.770
What did you learn about talent management or how to evaluate talent?

00:04:03.770 --> 00:04:15.169
Because it's easy for us to evaluate talent now, I think, in the military, or at least there's something to go off Absolutely, but back then I mean that's literally as raw as it can get.

00:04:15.169 --> 00:04:20.632
But yeah, what's something that you learned that you didn't expect to learn with regard to talent management?

00:04:20.819 --> 00:04:30.490
I think that's and it's probably what led to our conversation last week and just kind of where my mind has been, especially as I've progressed right in my own personal career.

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Like you said, 16, 17 is a very raw age to kind of understand what you bring, and I say what you bring being the attributes, what things you're naturally good at, what are the innate abilities that you're going to provide to whatever situation.

00:04:44.889 --> 00:05:00.507
So I think, being able to communicate as a mentor, how to acknowledge, how to support and how to help that individual kind of discover those things, because I mean, we were all in their shoes, right.

00:05:00.507 --> 00:05:05.572
When I look back at my time being 16, 17, I was working part-time job.

00:05:05.572 --> 00:05:07.507
I've been working since I was 15 and a half.

00:05:07.507 --> 00:05:14.367
So my mom likes to joke that I've never been unemployed, not going to wit, but I've been working since I was 16 and a half.

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I had my own personal interest, being part of JROTC, obviously school and so you know the things that you have interesting, you know the things that people might gravitate towards, but you usually can't put that into perspective for yourself, especially at that age.

00:05:30.029 --> 00:05:35.826
So to be able to do that and learn how to communicate that from my perspective or how to cultivate.

00:05:35.826 --> 00:05:39.192
That, from my perspective, is probably the biggest thing I learned.

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Again, in the setting that we're in being in the military.

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It's easy to tie that to a specific task or a specific experience you've given them.

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So, with individuals you've never met or never going to meet in person, and just kind of seeing it all through a digital platform, ie words on a screen, it's a little bit more of a what am I reading between the lines?

00:06:00.565 --> 00:06:02.446
Where does this person really see themselves?

00:06:02.446 --> 00:06:05.567
What questions do I ask, to kind of pull that thread out of them.

00:06:05.567 --> 00:06:08.928
So I'll say that's probably the biggest lesson I learned by partaking in.

00:06:08.928 --> 00:06:09.690
I Could Be program.

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I want to tie that into your education background.

00:06:12.387 --> 00:06:17.110
Yeah, I think there's a common thread between your stuff with I Could Be, you know, identifying.

00:06:17.110 --> 00:06:30.547
There's a lot of lessons learned from that time, right, but you have a master's in organizational leadership, a bachelor's in psychology, and so you're probably like, oh my God, no, it works.

00:06:30.547 --> 00:06:34.107
By the way, before I forget, did you ever meet Kawhi Leonard?

00:06:34.528 --> 00:06:34.970
I'm not.

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Because he went to San Diego State the same time as you.

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I'm not.

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I was a terrible student.

00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:42.608
I was trying to focus and be involved in ROTC.

00:06:42.608 --> 00:06:47.490
I know I just saw him graduating the same year or whatever at the same time.

00:06:48.220 --> 00:06:53.622
That's not a hearing or there, but again master's in organizational leadership, bachelor's in psychology.

00:06:53.622 --> 00:07:00.692
How can talent management affect organizational change and promote growth and others to achieve common goals?

00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:11.024
I think, when I look in talent management and I look at your question of how does it help people kind of achieve organizational goals, is people have to see what their purpose is in the workplace.

00:07:11.024 --> 00:07:17.851
People can come, get a paycheck and just kind of produce the widget, right, that's easy, absolutely.

00:07:17.851 --> 00:07:20.827
I can give you a solid paycheck just if you want to come and produce a widget.

00:07:20.827 --> 00:07:46.548
But for you to come into the place and be encouraged or supported to say, hey, you're bringing this specific attribute to this problem set, or I need you on my team because you're looking at it through this lens which may be a lens I'm not familiar with or a lens that I'm necessarily strong in myself that brings a new purpose, right, and that's where people can see themselves in the organization and that seeing themselves in the organization provides longevity to the organization.

00:07:46.548 --> 00:07:55.877
Right, because you're going to want to find a place where you can be your authentic self and I know authenticity is thrown around a lot nowadays, but it really does drive.

00:07:56.740 --> 00:07:59.810
Do I feel like I belong in the organization that we're in?

00:07:59.810 --> 00:08:08.490
Right, being the Air Force, you can make the most of your experience, whether it's the four, eight, 10, 20 years that you're in, but that experience is yours.

00:08:08.490 --> 00:08:31.050
So how long you stay in, how far you will go, what connections you will have, the impact you will make really drives from you saying, hey, this is what I know, I am going to bring part of this big pot of smart brains and brilliant people, this is what I'm going to bring uniquely and this is how I'm going to apply that to whatever problem set you're getting after.

00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:46.320
So I say change can happen from those perspectives and saying hey, there's room for that conversation, there's room for that way of thinking, there's room for that way of action to build a path forward.

00:08:46.320 --> 00:09:04.059
So I think that's where my mind has gone when it comes to talent management excuse me, supporting different attributes of the diverse teams I've had and how I've seen some of the better change management processes take place in the organizations I've been in.

00:09:06.264 --> 00:09:18.750
No, and I want to explore a little bit deeper on that, because we talked about diverse teams and typically, when we say diverse, we're thinking like, hey, you know, we have to have certain races and like a mix of races and genders and ethnic ethnicities.

00:09:18.750 --> 00:09:25.028
But I always think, and that's, that's great, because people are going to have different mindsets and how they different feel or how they feel.

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But I always want to take it a step further.

00:09:27.346 --> 00:09:38.086
Right, so, aside from you know, race and gender, because those are attributes that people look for, right, when building diverse teams, how important?

00:09:38.086 --> 00:09:49.701
Or do you think people shy away from authenticity and I can't, maybe outliers or someone who's for lack of a better term and outcast?

00:09:49.701 --> 00:09:50.264
They're like you know what?

00:09:50.264 --> 00:10:08.796
They don't really fit them, they're not traditional in terms of going with the flow or yeah, but yeah, just yeah again, just to kind of summarize that Do you think people shy away from those attributes when they see, when building a team from people who are authentic and outliers or outcast?

00:10:08.796 --> 00:10:08.965
I?

00:10:08.985 --> 00:10:10.269
can definitely see that right.

00:10:10.269 --> 00:10:12.711
I think a lot of pressure.

00:10:12.711 --> 00:10:29.278
Whatever rank, whatever uniform you're wearing, whether you're part of our civilian contractor or military personnel, there's a certain pressure to perform to that rank or a preconceived notion of what that title, role, rank, position should look like.

00:10:29.278 --> 00:10:43.494
I know when I was young and I tell my junior officer today I remember when I came in and I thought, hey, Lieutenant Jones has to perform like this because this is what a lieutenant should do and this is how a lieutenant should act, should be, etc.

00:10:43.494 --> 00:10:49.390
And to some degree there are going to be some standards right of what we expect of just folks within the service.

00:10:49.390 --> 00:10:57.917
But then there also comes a piece to say, well, I'm going to have this rank and I'm going to do good work and I'm going to have these certain roles.

00:10:57.917 --> 00:11:08.230
So I'm going to make whatever Lieutenant Captain Major Jones be is, whatever I'm going to bring to the table Right, because that's where I'm going to find success at, that's what's going to be natural to me.

00:11:08.945 --> 00:11:14.096
So I think when I look at that and say, do those outliers fit in?

00:11:14.096 --> 00:11:18.855
I can absolutely see those outliers feeling like they don't have a place in.

00:11:18.855 --> 00:11:22.052
But then that comes the piece of mentorship that comes.

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Sponsors come into play.

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Someone's going to kind of look at them and say, hey, like you have something.

00:11:26.254 --> 00:11:50.955
I know you don't think that this is providing value to this, but this is where I can see this bringing success to the team, or this is that missing piece that we might not have, and I think that's why it's important to on both ends right, whether it's the junior person or the more senior person, to both come to a mutual agreement and say, hey, like I'm going to tap into those and I'm going to bring those into the spaces that you feel like they typically would not be accepted.

00:11:51.054 --> 00:11:55.120
In what patterns have you noticed in the successful talent you have ended up selecting?

00:11:55.120 --> 00:12:00.015
Or what patterns, if you were selected as part of like a high performing team, like hey, this is.

00:12:00.015 --> 00:12:04.756
I could see like we look different or may seem different, but I could see like why we're all in the.

00:12:05.004 --> 00:12:06.772
I think a lot of it comes with the self awareness right.

00:12:06.772 --> 00:12:09.427
So that's good, I think, in the.

00:12:09.427 --> 00:12:18.436
So now I'm at a point where I'm leading small teams right To have large impacts, I have to be self aware of myself to kind of say, hey, these are things I'm bringing to his table.

00:12:18.436 --> 00:12:26.174
But to use myself as an example, I know I'm not a task person Like I can do small tasks, but I know that's just not where I'm comfortable.

00:12:26.174 --> 00:12:34.597
I can think big thoughts, I can have pine sky dreams, I can whiteboard all day, but I'm not the person to be able to sit down and work on the smaller task.

00:12:35.067 --> 00:12:43.916
I'm not that that's a bad thing, but having the ability to have that self awareness and also look at, okay, who in the room does that, is that naturally coming to?

00:12:43.916 --> 00:12:54.495
Do I have someone in the room where we're able to just meld, mesh and meld minds and I'm able to have them kind of execute some of what I'm thinking right, or vice versa.

00:12:54.495 --> 00:12:58.251
Hey, ma'am, I know that you are very task oriented.

00:12:58.251 --> 00:13:05.094
I want to be your height man, I want to go out, I want to champion this, I want to take this the full 10 yards or a hundred yards right.

00:13:05.094 --> 00:13:26.859
I think, having that self awareness to say, okay, like what is missing in the room, what are the things I bring and what are the things that are going to compliment me or this team for us to find success I think that's what I've seen in successful teams is that perfect blend, or close to perfect blend, of the different skill sets that people are bringing to that fold?

00:13:26.999 --> 00:13:27.479
Who would be your?

00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:27.879
height man.

00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:28.860
Who would be my height man?

00:13:28.860 --> 00:13:29.942
Oh, that's a great question.

00:13:30.085 --> 00:13:31.451
I have a recommendation in case you don't.

00:13:32.044 --> 00:13:33.328
I would love to hear your recommendation.

00:13:36.289 --> 00:13:38.971
Mo love Absolutely.

00:13:38.971 --> 00:13:55.232
I like him a lot and he just cracks me up like he's, because he says what needs to be said and but it hits, it's like, and he's not shy about it, but it's one of the things no pun intended, because he's like six, seven, but I do look up to him Absolutely.

00:13:55.705 --> 00:14:02.926
And I think I think it's funny that you bring up Mo love, because that's one of the folks who I look closely to as a mentor, right, I think?

00:14:02.966 --> 00:14:11.115
Because you know, both of us our personalities are different, right, we just look at leadership very, not very differently, but differently in how we operate from.

00:14:11.115 --> 00:14:35.774
But to have Mo love, and what I'm very thankful for is I'm able to come to him and bounce off my ideas and able to kind of put a frame around some of the pine disguise ideas of like, hey, this isn't just going to be a large goal that's not obtainable, but you're able to give me that realistic perspective and be the hype person, say, ok, tj, this is what, how it can look, or what it can look like.

00:14:35.774 --> 00:14:41.731
I want to help support you but, like, let's put a frame around that so it can actually become an executable thing.

00:14:41.731 --> 00:14:44.553
So that just is a perfect case study, right?

00:14:44.553 --> 00:14:54.836
I don't know if it led to your next question of how that diverse train of thought can lead to success from a mentee perspective in my shoes to a mentor perspective.

00:14:54.975 --> 00:14:55.638
So same for me.

00:14:55.638 --> 00:15:02.298
I got the chance to know him over the past year before he left, and at some point he and I are going to do a podcast about.

00:15:02.298 --> 00:15:09.610
He has this thing about a topic called decision fatigue, oh yeah, and so that's going to be a good one, so I'm super excited.

00:15:09.610 --> 00:15:12.272
By the way, haley Hartstein would be mine.

00:15:12.272 --> 00:15:12.712
I feel like she.

00:15:13.505 --> 00:15:14.570
That would be awesome.

00:15:14.570 --> 00:15:23.875
And it's funny you mentioned decision fatigue because I was a lesson made then major love taught young Captain Jones when I was exec at the group level.

00:15:23.875 --> 00:15:29.355
He taught me how to take care of my commander's time through, because decision fatigue is a thing.

00:15:29.355 --> 00:15:35.418
Right, I think we think to just throw a bunch of things on our bosses calendar and say you have to accomplish all these things, but we're human.

00:15:35.418 --> 00:15:37.565
So I'm very excited for that taping.

00:15:37.625 --> 00:15:44.365
I'm going to go back to your the last question and he talked about like, hey, recognizing I'm not good at this or I'm not, you know, I'm good at it, I'm.

00:15:44.365 --> 00:15:48.530
You know it's not my strongest suit, right, and I'm best here, so I need to put my energy and focus here.

00:15:48.530 --> 00:15:55.533
Let's pick someone who's ideal for this role but we do all have, whether it's an unconscious bias or whatever.

00:15:55.533 --> 00:16:03.178
But what's what's an example of when your personal grip has been a bit too tight around your own beliefs.

00:16:03.826 --> 00:16:04.811
Oh, that's a great question.

00:16:05.065 --> 00:16:08.793
Thanks, by the way, like I, that was a 1245 question.

00:16:10.384 --> 00:16:11.669
Personal grip around my own beliefs.

00:16:12.184 --> 00:16:30.025
I would say, probably the times where I feel crunch for time and I feel like I I'm not making this space or the room for people to offer their insight, and I feel like, hey, this is the idea of where we need to go and we're just going to execute.

00:16:30.046 --> 00:16:46.811
And I understand, as a leader, sometimes that's pertinent and that's necessary, but I, in a normal situation, I should understand, hey, I'm not getting all the information, so why am I not taking the step back and saying like, hey, I need to actually console other people and say let's execute this.

00:16:46.811 --> 00:17:12.510
That's where I would probably say what comes to mind when I think of like my own personal grip around my beliefs, whether it is if I feel like I've already come to the decision from an emotional standpoint or from an information standpoint and that I don't need other avenues or other injects into that, which obviously you can probably imagine what the result that came to right.

00:17:12.510 --> 00:17:23.618
Or even if it was excess, there were the secondary and tertiary effects that aren't things that I would have today version me would have said, yeah, this is how I would have wanted that to go.

00:17:23.618 --> 00:17:25.244
I have a great interviewer.

00:17:27.291 --> 00:17:29.037
No, again I was joking around about.

00:17:29.037 --> 00:17:30.442
I say I research you.

00:17:30.442 --> 00:17:32.911
That's the professional way of saying I stalked you these days.

00:17:32.911 --> 00:17:34.950
I was researching for my podcast.

00:17:34.950 --> 00:17:37.991
It's like wife is like what are you doing?

00:17:37.991 --> 00:17:44.277
Like at two o'clock in the morning, like here's this random picture, right Exactly.

00:17:46.188 --> 00:17:54.651
When you said talent management, like that, just I knew I've wanted to have you in my podcast but I couldn't quite find like there's so many things I want to talk about and in my mind I think TJ, right.

00:17:54.651 --> 00:17:57.554
But I was like I want to talk to the TJ about this, that, but there's so many different things.

00:17:57.554 --> 00:18:01.535
But when you said talent management, I was like that's it right there.

00:18:01.535 --> 00:18:08.039
I was like to me you're someone I'd want on the team because you're like if there's a room full of 100 people, you're one of those 10.

00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:10.291
That's a key stakeholder or a key influencer, right.

00:18:10.291 --> 00:18:12.691
Like people are going to follow, so I love that.

00:18:12.691 --> 00:18:22.630
So that's why I was like when you said talent management, and then when I saw that your education background and then your volunteer mentorship background, I'm like oh man, this stuff is flowing.

00:18:23.325 --> 00:18:26.051
It's like Dr Dre just writing down the lyrics and stuff.

00:18:26.051 --> 00:18:32.372
That's a perfect and timely happy 50 years to hip hop.

00:18:32.953 --> 00:18:33.375
Is it really?

00:18:33.375 --> 00:18:37.969
Yeah, it is, it is man, because it's still.

00:18:37.969 --> 00:18:39.531
It doesn't seem like it's 50 years.

00:18:39.652 --> 00:18:41.476
Exactly Because music is timeless.

00:18:41.756 --> 00:18:42.396
That's great.

00:18:42.396 --> 00:18:46.803
Yeah, you're right, maybe talent management is timeless, but I, you know, listening to all that stuff.

00:18:46.803 --> 00:18:54.355
We were talking beforehand about what I listened to in the 90s growing up and it was still fresh, and we're not here to talk about my music preference or my failed boy bands.

00:18:54.355 --> 00:18:56.088
That's dreams.

00:18:56.088 --> 00:19:18.554
So something I heard in a podcast earlier this year and I've had, and I started saying it in some staff meetings and I know we're in a lot of meetings together, so maybe you heard me say this, but you know I'm always talking about the importance of critical thinking and the significance of like that should be part of when we say culture, like hey, we need to build a culture, and like critical thinking has to be a part of that.

00:19:20.221 --> 00:19:25.674
Part of the good thinking is how we think and ask questions.

00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:42.448
So, specifically earlier this year in another podcast that I listened to and it was a podcast about finances, but it was something that stuck with me but he said the quality of our lives depends so much on the questions that we ask right and more than that, not just the quality of the questions.

00:19:42.539 --> 00:19:55.924
Like you have to ask the right question to the right person at the right time in the right order, because you can have great questions, but if it's not pertinent to the subject or in the context, or no one asked that follow-up question how to ask a question?

00:19:55.924 --> 00:20:05.528
Sometimes people blurt out questions in a random meeting and I'm like cool, that's a great question, it has nothing to do, like there's a whole separate meeting on Thursday for that.

00:20:05.528 --> 00:20:16.807
But what's one high signal question that you have found particularly useful when trying to determine the quality of anyone, from a salesperson to an athlete or as just as generic things, right?

00:20:16.807 --> 00:20:27.486
But yeah, what's one high quality question when you're evaluating someone like that, you like to ask and for me just to kind of show you my example what leads to your happiest times and best performance at work.

00:20:27.486 --> 00:20:30.288
What's something that you found like your go-to?

00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:49.548
I think typically and it's an interesting question I don't know if it's my high level questions, I'll probably have to get back to you on this but in my feedbacks that I have and I've done this for a couple of years I asked my team like describe to me your perfect Saturday If you had nothing on your calendar and you were able to just spend time from 8 am to 8 pm.

00:20:49.548 --> 00:20:50.403
Like, what would you do?

00:20:50.403 --> 00:20:54.465
Cause I think that gets into the person of where they spend their time.

00:20:54.465 --> 00:20:56.106
What things do they prioritize?

00:20:56.106 --> 00:21:05.007
How do they look at life, the pace at which they operate, right, cause if someone has a GMPAC schedule in that day, they're probably gonna be a fast-paced person.

00:21:05.007 --> 00:21:14.527
But if someone likes leisure, or if someone likes to sit and read or relax or take in the day, they're probably gonna operate at slower pace.

00:21:14.527 --> 00:21:20.365
And for me as a leader, that kind of that helps me understand how I should engage with them, how I should approach them right.

00:21:21.503 --> 00:21:33.429
I know, just because of my energy I can come very big, but if you're a person who likes a slower pace or you like to relax or leisure, you probably don't want that high-level 10 energy coming to you with a question.

00:21:33.429 --> 00:21:43.066
So I have to meet you at a different place and I think the responses I've gotten to that has been fairly interesting, because we don't ever sit and think about what we would do with just a free day.

00:21:43.066 --> 00:21:46.467
I know we typically say, hey, I'm happy that we get Friday off.

00:21:46.467 --> 00:21:49.586
Okay, here are all the tasks I have to do, here are all the things I have to catch up on.

00:21:49.586 --> 00:21:57.306
But like if no one gave you any sort of calendar or plans for that day, how would you spend that time throughout the day?

00:21:57.306 --> 00:22:03.405
I think has been probably the high-level question, at least from my level, that found the most interesting.

00:22:03.940 --> 00:22:13.923
Following up with your going back to your education background, your experiences in the military, and then absent the systems and the frameworks you have honed over time.

00:22:13.923 --> 00:22:25.165
What has made you a good talent hunter and a talent evaluator at such a young age and you are young, I know how old you are More than that you look younger than you are.

00:22:25.165 --> 00:22:29.645
Thank you, you look like you're in grad school at Southern New Hampshire.

00:22:29.665 --> 00:22:33.784
This is You've done your research.

00:22:33.844 --> 00:22:34.244
I love it.

00:22:34.244 --> 00:22:34.948
I love it.

00:22:36.403 --> 00:22:54.528
Yes and H-U, I was saying I'm still developing it, right, I'm still developing the teams and I think the and I say I'm still developing it because I feel like you move into a phase where you're good at identifying the talent, but then it forces you to grow as a leader, officer, mentor of how do you continue to cultivate that talent?

00:22:54.528 --> 00:22:58.945
Right, because the skills that work for our captain Jones are not what works for major Jones.

00:22:58.945 --> 00:23:00.685
So how do I continue?

00:23:00.685 --> 00:23:02.306
Okay, I'm bringing in this good talent.

00:23:02.306 --> 00:23:04.026
How do I give them feedback?

00:23:04.026 --> 00:23:07.986
How do I continue to support that in a more elevated way?

00:23:07.986 --> 00:23:10.528
So I would say I'm still developing it.

00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:35.847
I would say a lot of my mentors that I've gotten through life and just through my career have really encouraged a lot of that within myself, and I think that's why I've taken such a like, I guess, love for it in terms of, hey, your first line supervisor right from my officers, which is me, the major, is not giving me feedback or not giving you like that mentorship.

00:23:35.847 --> 00:23:37.144
I'm not worth my salt, right?

00:23:37.144 --> 00:23:45.367
It's nice to have the squadron commander be able to provide that as well, but if you're a captain, you're not gonna be a lieutenant colonel for quite some time.

00:23:45.367 --> 00:23:48.182
The first boat you're gonna hit is being a major and being a DO.

00:23:48.182 --> 00:23:51.009
So how do I give you feedback from my perspective?

00:23:51.009 --> 00:24:10.703
Introduce you to the spaces I'm in so you have that exposure and that understanding and that's why I've gotten throughout my career and through my life so it's kind of like the payback is why I feel like I'm good at understanding that talent, but also that I want to continue to develop that as I bring these highly talented individuals within my circle.

00:24:11.059 --> 00:24:23.944
Okay, so you just mentioned about bringing highly talented people within your circle, and what ways have others helped you surface your hidden assumptions and what's your advice on how a coach or a leader can do the same for other people?

00:24:24.299 --> 00:24:25.506
Offering that transparency right.

00:24:25.506 --> 00:24:33.747
So I have made my office, the people's office, essentially right.

00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:39.443
So a lot of the picture of the rock in there Exactly exactly Nice reference.

00:24:40.099 --> 00:24:41.886
A lot of people will say they have an open door policy.

00:24:41.886 --> 00:24:50.601
Sure right, especially when you move into, like a professional setting, that open door policy may not always be what you want it to be Before.

00:24:50.601 --> 00:24:57.963
At least the folks I directly supervise, right, and even a layer below that is coming to my office and we can talk about anything.

00:24:57.963 --> 00:25:04.066
I also give the transparency to the fact of I'm not tied to it.

00:25:04.066 --> 00:25:10.119
Obviously, if it's a concept or idea that must be executed absolutely, but I'm not tied to anything.

00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:17.007
I'm always open to feedback and if you want to come in the office and, behind closed doors, say, hey, sorry, I don't think we're moving in the right direction.

00:25:17.007 --> 00:25:34.806
I don't think this is applicable because of X, y and Z, we can absolutely have that conversation and I think more people, at least in some of the spaces, right, that you had mentioned, have to be open to that, to saying, hey, your idea is just not the greatest idea for where we're at in time right now.

00:25:34.806 --> 00:25:45.749
Hopefully you're doing that research as a leader, but you have to be open to hearing hey, sir, hey, ma'am, like this is just not where we're going, this is not where we're at or the people are not moving in this mindset.

00:25:45.749 --> 00:25:55.744
Maybe we need to communicate more, build more foundational elements for them to operate in, or just take a step back and say, okay, let me put this on the back burner and pass it on to someone else.

00:25:56.819 --> 00:26:11.108
I was listening to a podcast a couple days ago and the advice that the individual I gave into the students in the room was hey, just as much as you want a mentor or senior leader's attention, they want your attention.

00:26:11.108 --> 00:26:14.189
So I speak now, even though I'm fairly young.

00:26:14.189 --> 00:26:19.467
I speak to the folks that I lead because they're typically younger than myself, like I also want to learn from them.

00:26:19.467 --> 00:26:25.647
So I don't want it to feel like, hey, major Jones's thought is the only thought, or that's the thought that we're all present for with.

00:26:25.647 --> 00:26:34.046
I want to hear your feedback and I want to have that transparency to say, okay, I'm looking at it through a different lens or through a different perspective.

00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:35.284
What's the name of the podcast?

00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:38.148
So it was actually Rethinking by Adam Grant.

00:26:38.148 --> 00:26:39.799
So he, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:26:39.799 --> 00:26:44.008
So he interviewed Carla Harris, who is vice chairman of Morgan Stanley.

00:26:44.008 --> 00:26:53.865
I think she might've moved from that position, but their interview was from a live session they had at the Wharton School of Business, so you can find it on YouTube as well.

00:26:53.865 --> 00:27:06.566
But that was just kind of one of her elements of like hey, like when you're looking at mentorship, sponsorship, which is the theme of that particular episode, she was like as much as you want their attention, they want your attention because they want you part of their team.

00:27:06.566 --> 00:27:09.827
Being senior leaders to junior leaders, they want you part of their team.

00:27:09.827 --> 00:27:16.873
They want your ideas, they want your loyalty right to the concept, to the organization.

00:27:16.873 --> 00:27:18.445
So that works in a mutual way.

00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:21.749
That's a fantastic point, because I never thought I was.

00:27:21.749 --> 00:27:25.286
You know, we thought we think about two way mentorship and like, hey, mentorship is two ways.

00:27:25.286 --> 00:27:33.249
But to actually be more specific, like that's it right there, like we do want people's attention because it's how we can help better serve people.

00:27:33.249 --> 00:27:34.051
That's a great point.

00:27:34.051 --> 00:27:34.864
I have to check that out.

00:27:34.864 --> 00:27:37.086
I have one last serious question.

00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:38.806
I'm getting some fun questions Okay.

00:27:41.059 --> 00:27:43.288
I think you know you've been in for 10 plus years.

00:27:43.288 --> 00:28:03.483
But sometimes it's not so much People look at I see this a lot of when people hit a certain rank you know, especially like senior and COs or maybe some high officer ranks they lead with, like their, how long they've been in, right, like that's what makes them qualified.

00:28:03.483 --> 00:28:09.729
Sure, in some cases I don't think just how long someone's been in automatically gives them experiences.

00:28:09.729 --> 00:28:14.366
It just gives them to have had more opportunities to have experiences, right.

00:28:14.366 --> 00:28:23.003
So when people are like I've been in for 20 years, cool, you get to experience nothing during that time, but you know you've been in for, you know, 10 years or 10 plus.

00:28:23.003 --> 00:28:36.428
But I think just from talking we know a lot of the same people and I mean you've been around some talent right and some cool missions and everything, but what do you think is the difference between successful individuals, teams and larger organizations?

00:28:36.969 --> 00:28:37.891
Oh, great question.

00:28:38.673 --> 00:28:39.976
I'll say successful individuals.

00:28:39.976 --> 00:28:41.365
Is that self-awareness right?

00:28:41.365 --> 00:28:46.531
So I bring that back to self-awareness understanding what you bring to the table, because then you can come to your authentic self.

00:28:46.531 --> 00:28:58.272
For teams, it's cultivating all of that diversity and, like you say, it doesn't have to be race, gender, it's diversity of thought, it's diversity of perspective and diversity of just experience.

00:28:58.272 --> 00:29:11.057
Like you said, someone could have been in 20 years and they might not have experienced everything that could have happened where I could have an airman who has been in for four years, deployed three times, worked in this special unit 100% and they're going to bring a whole different perspective.

00:29:11.337 --> 00:29:15.054
So that should not exclude them just based off rank or age from the table.

00:29:15.054 --> 00:29:20.334
And then for the team, it's really the culture, right, like what is the culture that you're trying to cultivate?

00:29:20.334 --> 00:29:28.038
What is the brand and I appreciate that's kind of where our organization is right now is what is the brand that we're trying to push out?

00:29:28.038 --> 00:29:39.436
And people look at brand as a negative thing, right, but I appreciate the concept of brand and marketing, your marketing yourself coming into our individual lives, but also just our organization lives.

00:29:39.436 --> 00:29:43.794
Like for me to say, hey, I was part of this particular team.

00:29:43.794 --> 00:29:54.628
You can probably think of certain organizations within the Air Force where you're like that's a pretty elite team, but for me to look at myself and say I was part of this organization, that's huge.

00:29:54.628 --> 00:30:06.032
And for people to think, oh well, that's a highly regarded organization, this is the quality of work, the caliber of people that they hire onto the team and you were a leader within that organization, that's a huge thing.

00:30:06.032 --> 00:30:21.296
So, individuals, the self awareness team is cultivating the different concepts, ideas and perspectives that are brought through that self awareness and then the organization is a culture and building that brand and that brand should translate to the individual brands.

00:30:21.296 --> 00:30:24.846
But also, what is the organization as a brand want to put out there?

00:30:26.410 --> 00:30:38.461
I think again, when you look at like the public sector and where people are looking for jobs right, we joined the Air Force because of a certain brand that it has and people may make a lot of that oh, it's the chair force, or whatever the case may be.

00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:40.593
But there are certain reasons why we joined the Air Force.

00:30:40.593 --> 00:30:50.589
There are certain attributes that come to mind when people say the Air Force over the other services and just like our other brothers and sisters and arms whenever, whichever branch you're in.

00:30:50.589 --> 00:30:55.415
But when you look outside, in the public sector, there's a reason why people want to work at Apple.

00:30:55.415 --> 00:31:16.335
There's a reason why people want to work at Google, why they want to work at Starbucks, because they have brands and they know if I'm part of that, this is what I'm doing, this is what I'm getting after, and that translates because they can say my personal brand fits into that organizational brand and in between there's a culture and cultivation of what I'm going to bring to the table that can fit into that larger puzzle.

00:31:16.335 --> 00:31:18.510
So that's what I will offer to that.

00:31:18.672 --> 00:31:19.194
Oh, that's good.

00:31:19.194 --> 00:31:28.954
Yeah, I'm very much about branding and all that stuff and Michelle Mars and I talk about communication's major, but you know, communications marketing, to me it all kind of blends together.

00:31:29.236 --> 00:31:29.577
It does.

00:31:29.577 --> 00:31:37.614
Harvard Business Review did a really good article I think it was last month or the previous month that covers the self branding and it was really thought out and just a good read.

00:31:37.614 --> 00:31:39.621
So if you have some time, check it out.

00:31:39.765 --> 00:31:41.590
All right, I have some miscellaneous questions.

00:31:41.590 --> 00:31:42.895
There's no rhyme or reason.

00:31:43.527 --> 00:31:44.578
These are all over the place.

00:31:44.578 --> 00:31:46.108
Oh gosh, all right Questions.

00:31:46.108 --> 00:31:46.570
Are you ready?

00:31:47.006 --> 00:31:47.448
I'm ready.

00:31:47.448 --> 00:31:48.009
Are you nervous?

00:31:48.009 --> 00:31:49.145
Uh, I don't know.

00:31:49.145 --> 00:32:01.298
You should be, I should have asked at the beginning like hey, have you done a podcast before I've not that's so crazy, because I you know there's certain people I'm like you can just tell like we were talking about the real world earlier.

00:32:01.357 --> 00:32:06.915
If you were on that show like you'd be the breakout star of Jersey Shore real world or road rolls or whatever.

00:32:06.915 --> 00:32:11.696
But Wait, mtv was good, right, yeah, but there's certain people with personalities.

00:32:12.445 --> 00:32:18.888
You know I've mentioned hard scene a couple of times even Mo Love and some other people but I'm surprised.

00:32:18.888 --> 00:32:21.494
I suspect that you will now be a frequent guest.

00:32:21.494 --> 00:32:26.492
I appreciate it All right, these are just random.

00:32:26.492 --> 00:32:31.759
This may be a laugh and I was kind of giddy at like 1230 or whatever.

00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:34.893
What is something people would be surprised to learn?

00:32:34.932 --> 00:32:35.294
about you.

00:32:35.294 --> 00:32:46.654
Oh, I don't know if I should put this, I guess so when I was young I guess it leaves my personality when I was young there was a PBS show it was called like bloopy and it was like a kids like exercise show.

00:32:46.654 --> 00:32:49.102
Anyways, my mom put me on that when I was young.

00:32:49.102 --> 00:32:55.661
So there's like a couple episodes, I think, out there in the world where you can see a smaller version of me on the show.

00:32:55.661 --> 00:32:57.809
So that's probably what people would be surprised.

00:32:57.809 --> 00:33:03.835
I don't know if people would be surprised, but yeah, you don't have to search it, but I'm going to.

00:33:03.894 --> 00:33:06.522
We'll see what happens.

00:33:06.522 --> 00:33:07.224
What's it called again?

00:33:08.426 --> 00:33:09.489
Bloopy, bloopy.

00:33:09.489 --> 00:33:12.673
Yeah, it's very kid puppy like.

00:33:12.974 --> 00:33:14.017
Thank you for sharing that.

00:33:14.017 --> 00:33:15.700
That's, that's goals.

00:33:18.506 --> 00:33:21.275
I don't know what I just signed myself up for, but it's out there now.

00:33:23.766 --> 00:33:30.439
If you were to host a dinner party with five guests, past or present, who would you invite and why?

00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:37.739
And it can't be family members, oh, that's a great question, a problem by a couple of presidents to that table.

00:33:37.739 --> 00:33:40.194
At least have two seats for presidents.

00:33:40.295 --> 00:33:41.782
I'll count presidents as one.

00:33:41.884 --> 00:33:42.566
Okay, but who are?

00:33:42.586 --> 00:33:43.749
the two or three.

00:33:44.451 --> 00:33:47.156
Oh, probably more recent presidents, right?

00:33:47.156 --> 00:33:50.887
So probably President Obama.

00:33:50.887 --> 00:33:56.554
President Bush, I'd just like to hear, right like, how you think about you have the highest office in the land.

00:33:56.554 --> 00:33:58.762
What are the decisions you go through?

00:33:58.762 --> 00:33:59.787
How do you pick things up?

00:33:59.787 --> 00:34:00.209
How do you?

00:34:00.470 --> 00:34:11.130
That's great because to me, I love the fact that they what appears to be a good relationship to the public and I think that's so important because two opposite ends of the political parties or whatever.

00:34:11.130 --> 00:34:19.081
But you know, we see the stuff with Michelle like George Bush flirting with, but I think, whether you know who knows that they truly hate it, whatever.

00:34:19.081 --> 00:34:25.585
But I think it's so important just for people to see, whereas, like there's some banter and all that stuff.

00:34:25.585 --> 00:34:33.347
You know, and I've heard President Bush like I saw like maybe in 2008 or something, 2009, I guess it had been 2009.

00:34:33.347 --> 00:34:44.987
Shortly after Obama took office, where it was a news clip, but like Obama walked in and like Bush stood like upright and stuff, hey, mr, like I just thought that was so good.

00:34:44.987 --> 00:34:48.097
Yeah, anyway, I think there's a lesson there to be taught.

00:34:48.257 --> 00:34:56.418
It is humility and ego, and sorry we're going on a rabbit hole, but all right, bush and Obama count is one.

00:34:56.885 --> 00:34:57.527
Probably Oprah.

00:34:57.527 --> 00:34:59.311
I feel like everyone wants Oprah right.

00:34:59.371 --> 00:35:02.088
Because she wanted to pay for dinner A little bit right.

00:35:02.489 --> 00:35:18.085
But when you think about a person who started in journalism right, and just the height of her breakout into journalism and getting a syndicated show that's been on TV for years and just building an empire from that right, try and think of what else.

00:35:18.085 --> 00:35:23.295
In a brand, in a brand, right, bob Iger, who's the CEO of Disney.

00:35:23.295 --> 00:35:25.940
So his book, what is it called?

00:35:25.940 --> 00:35:34.206
It is the cover of his coming to mind, but he writes not a autobiography, but it's something along those lines.

00:35:34.206 --> 00:35:51.929
I mean it starts off with the shooting, the Pulse Club shooting, and he was about to give a presentation and how the armed gunman was actually planning to go to Disneyland and partake in that accident.

00:35:51.929 --> 00:35:57.686
So it talks about his career from then to now and how he retired as CEO of Disney.

00:35:57.686 --> 00:36:07.693
Then he stepped away for a couple of years and they recently brought him back to lead the organization as they get a new CEO.

00:36:07.693 --> 00:36:13.239
So very fascinating but just different approach to how someone's journey can manifest through life.

00:36:13.239 --> 00:36:14.865
So I think that would be interesting conversation.

00:36:14.885 --> 00:36:16.349
So that's three.

00:36:16.349 --> 00:36:23.007
Oh gosh, I'll probably have Michelle Obama, just for personal interest.

00:36:23.007 --> 00:36:25.356
And then who will be my fifth one?

00:36:25.356 --> 00:36:35.605
I will still have to think on the fifth one, but I will love to hear from, and I will say, a creative right Either an artist or a author.

00:36:35.605 --> 00:36:40.956
So many come to my right now, so that's why it takes some time for me to sit and think.

00:36:40.956 --> 00:36:50.829
But someone who is able to translate the world in the current state that it is, at the time that they are producing work, right.

00:36:50.829 --> 00:36:52.251
How do you translate that into words?

00:36:52.251 --> 00:36:56.447
How do you translate that into artwork?

00:36:56.447 --> 00:37:09.927
How do you, like your mind, look at that and say this is the paying, the emotion, the happiness the world is filling, and put that into words or through on a framework?

00:37:09.927 --> 00:37:10.329
Right?

00:37:10.329 --> 00:37:12.518
So many come to my side.

00:37:12.518 --> 00:37:15.809
I'll have to do a little bit of that list down, but I'll say at least have four solid.

00:37:15.809 --> 00:37:17.333
I'll take someone for you who.

00:37:17.956 --> 00:37:18.697
Malcolm Gladwell.

00:37:19.445 --> 00:37:20.369
Oh yeah, okay.

00:37:20.489 --> 00:37:20.992
And then his.

00:37:20.992 --> 00:37:25.847
I've read two of his books, but Outliers is the one that is really, that's such a good one.

00:37:26.027 --> 00:37:27.351
Yeah, and it really helped me.

00:37:27.351 --> 00:37:29.746
I just read that, maybe three years or three years ago.

00:37:29.746 --> 00:37:32.920
Either way, it's helped me become think about things differently.

00:37:32.920 --> 00:37:48.753
All right, just wrapping up, what two to three books do you recommend, specifically Because we talked about talent management, but even talking about talent management, you used the word branding and self-awareness a couple of different times.

00:37:48.753 --> 00:37:55.481
So what two to three books regarding talent management, branding and self-awareness do you recommend or would you recommend to people?

00:37:55.621 --> 00:37:56.974
I would say Outliers is a good one.

00:37:56.974 --> 00:38:02.487
I read that when I was a young officer, many, many years back, and that is a great one to always start with.

00:38:02.487 --> 00:38:12.938
I'm currently reading range, which is how generalists, how generalists exist and kind of like a specialized world.

00:38:12.938 --> 00:38:22.224
Right, because we're always taught, especially when you look at tired wisdom stuff hey, like, focus on this one thing, get really good at this one thing, but in reality we need a broad range of skills to look at a problem differently.

00:38:22.224 --> 00:38:25.210
And then what would my third one be?

00:38:25.210 --> 00:38:29.557
There is another one that I read.

00:38:29.739 --> 00:38:41.161
It is how to connect in a digital world, and I don't know if it falls within the talent management branding perspective, but it is.

00:38:41.161 --> 00:38:44.023
I'll get the author, but it's pretty much.

00:38:44.023 --> 00:38:52.137
We're moving in a digital space, right, whether it's how we communicate via email or teams or Zoom, but it's how to connect via that means.

00:38:52.137 --> 00:38:58.987
And I think when we talk about that talent management piece, right, like it's through connection, people are able to see who you are and what you bring.

00:38:58.987 --> 00:39:08.570
Through that connection, and because our world is moving digitally and we look at Gen Z and understanding how they view the world, which is probably going to be through a digital platform.

00:39:08.570 --> 00:39:16.554
I think it takes a lot from me as a leader to kind of understand that and how to do better and kind of sharpen that iron from my end.

00:39:16.894 --> 00:39:18.117
I have a couple bonus questions.

00:39:18.117 --> 00:39:21.449
Sure, let's go, and I think you'll enjoy this.

00:39:21.449 --> 00:39:29.748
Okay, what are some new friendships you developed over the past two to three years that you know are going to be a lifelong bond?

00:39:30.108 --> 00:39:30.929
Oh, that's a great one.

00:39:30.929 --> 00:39:36.161
I will definitely say so.

00:39:36.161 --> 00:39:41.637
I have a couple of peers right now and it's partly right coming just through the job.

00:39:41.637 --> 00:39:50.215
But then I think when you work day to day with some of these people and you have that ability to look at like, hey, this organization, how are you doing?

00:39:50.215 --> 00:39:55.242
And checking in beyond the job, so can I call out a specific name?

00:39:55.242 --> 00:39:56.936
Yes, oh, so, yeah.

00:39:56.936 --> 00:40:04.619
Well, I mean, I knew Shwe from forever ago, but definitely Vader and then Louis Ho, like good friends.

00:40:04.619 --> 00:40:05.443
I'll probably carry on.

00:40:05.934 --> 00:40:10.364
I think my original like DO team right coming in, will probably be friends at last.

00:40:10.364 --> 00:40:10.784
Beyond.

00:40:10.784 --> 00:40:28.965
I would say I have been very blessed and fortunate because this is two or three years Very blessed and fortunate to have just really good supervisors, and it's really good supervisors in the sense of, I guess, to frame it right, like feedback sessions.

00:40:28.965 --> 00:40:31.322
Feedback sessions can be very like generic, right.

00:40:31.322 --> 00:40:46.358
Let me just jot out some notes and paper, but both my previous and current supervisor have both just been fantastic in the let's sit down, let's just like talk about live and let's talk about who you are as a human and kind of accepting my whole being outside, of just being like their DO.

00:40:46.358 --> 00:40:50.342
Those are friendships that I hope and I think will last, probably beyond.

00:40:51.184 --> 00:40:55.585
And then there is one for my previous assignment.

00:40:55.585 --> 00:41:02.766
There was a captain I worked with he's out now Kekei Noaheva, and so we joined the team right.

00:41:02.766 --> 00:41:04.811
So we're being an ROTC.

00:41:04.811 --> 00:41:08.766
We're a small team, so it's typically three officers and two enlisted personnel.

00:41:08.766 --> 00:41:24.760
So him and I are like the action officers essentially and like he was younger than me because I had rank and just like different experience to me, grew up in Hawaii, went to the academy, works in finance and then I, obviously like different places, grew up in San Diego.

00:41:25.581 --> 00:41:45.898
But just like the connection and the bond that we were able to build in the two years of knowing each other and like we think about the first year of that was primarily over zoom because covid, but then coming together and just kind of like being tied at the hip and and the cadets actually make fun of it, because I was like, oh, if we see major channels, we're going to see Captain Noaheva as well, and so we got they got a shirt.

00:41:45.898 --> 00:41:46.880
When am I going away?

00:41:46.880 --> 00:41:58.123
That says thing one and thing two, but it's while kind of connecting with him nowadays and even though he's out now, and just kind of seeing how happy is and just like the different avenues he's pursuing.

00:41:58.123 --> 00:42:05.347
But that's a relationship that I really cherish because it's not even someone who was like same rank, same age.

00:42:05.347 --> 00:42:12.081
Parallel is someone who's younger than me, but just like the ability of like a natural easiness, that kind of came with that relationship.

00:42:12.280 --> 00:42:12.842
That's awesome.

00:42:13.034 --> 00:42:20.764
So I would say those are probably the relationships in the two to three years timeframe that are probably and hopefully going to be lifelong relationships.

00:42:21.054 --> 00:42:25.126
And I just started asking that and because I've developed a couple over the past two years.

00:42:25.126 --> 00:42:29.094
I love that question and it's just something I'm going to keep asking and podcast.

00:42:29.596 --> 00:42:30.398
No, it's a great one.

00:42:30.798 --> 00:42:31.440
Yeah, thanks for that.

00:42:31.440 --> 00:42:32.342
Thanks for that feedback.

00:42:32.702 --> 00:42:37.344
Yeah, and it just, and sometimes you just know, like you just hit it off with someone.

00:42:37.344 --> 00:42:39.675
Yeah, yeah, this is my person.

00:42:39.675 --> 00:42:43.025
Yeah, and there's many people like that are on that list that I did or that I didn't mention.

00:42:43.025 --> 00:42:44.340
So I hope no one like listen.

00:42:45.034 --> 00:42:56.465
That's why I say the past three years, right, it's got to be cut off right, because there's even some people I had to cut out of my, cut out of my life that need to think like, oh man, now I don't have any, but it also makes room for new people.

00:42:56.625 --> 00:42:56.766
Yes.

00:42:57.474 --> 00:42:59.101
It's like you know what, I was friends with that person.

00:42:59.101 --> 00:43:02.431
That was the old chapter of my life and we're still acquaintances, but it's not.

00:43:02.431 --> 00:43:04.521
You know, I'm going in a different direction now.

00:43:04.954 --> 00:43:06.260
And I think I think that's important.

00:43:06.260 --> 00:43:14.847
So I love it to say that, right like I think what I've gotten older, as I've gotten older people always think like for friendships to and it has to be a huge event like no.

00:43:14.847 --> 00:43:18.625
People just like grow differently or they have different priorities or different focus items.

00:43:18.625 --> 00:43:22.485
So everything doesn't have to be a huge catastrophe as to why we fall out.

00:43:22.485 --> 00:43:30.503
It's just I'm just in a different path in my life, or a different chapter, and I have, like you said, open up the door for different people to kind of come in.

00:43:30.755 --> 00:43:36.909
And there's even some other friends that my friendships, like people I was, you know, always been friends with, but the bond is even I've known for a long time.

00:43:36.909 --> 00:43:45.987
It's growing even stronger because, you know, I like having conversations now about hey, like what's a cool business we can do or what's a cool, you know, and you know?

00:43:45.987 --> 00:43:48.541
Or what if we were, if we could run a business on a Saturday?

00:43:48.782 --> 00:43:51.617
oh, yeah, like hey, like what's talking, like how cool, like what are some cool.

00:43:51.617 --> 00:43:56.561
Let's talk investing or real estate, or you know where do you want to travel to next and stuff like that.

00:43:56.561 --> 00:43:59.985
Do you know Brianna McQueen by chance yes, or formerly Applebee.

00:44:00.155 --> 00:44:11.331
Yeah, she's got a very sad I don't look McQueen, so she's one of my favorite people on on on earth, but she's someone I have like I will fight someone for her, like she's.

00:44:11.331 --> 00:44:12.394
She's incredible.

00:44:12.394 --> 00:44:14.568
She's another person I can't imagine anyone not liking.

00:44:14.568 --> 00:44:16.317
She's just such an incredible human being.

00:44:16.317 --> 00:44:24.351
So I was a flight chief in Hawaii and she was the sister flight commander yeah but her and I just and this is in like 2016 but her to this day.

00:44:24.972 --> 00:44:28.806
It's been a while since I've talked to her, but but anyway, like every time I talk to her, we'll.

00:44:28.806 --> 00:44:37.240
We'll talk for like two hours not necessarily about work, but like, hey, what's a cool opportunity because she was doing something at the White House and then.

00:44:37.240 --> 00:44:40.577
But we talk about traveling and food and it's just.

00:44:40.677 --> 00:44:47.494
I think that's great because, like you said, it's coming back together and being able to connect right, even if you have that gap in time where you're communicating.

00:44:47.494 --> 00:44:54.422
Yeah, it's just like we come back together and it's like all the times we can just engage and laugh and like talk about life food center or it was a focus of art.

00:44:54.523 --> 00:45:08.989
Your nice early conversations and yep I guess I, like last year, we're talking about restaurants and stuff yes, sitting at the eye table that's right.

00:45:08.989 --> 00:45:16.648
Last two questions okay, if there was a movie made about your life, oh, I would play, you don't worry, I have a recommendation.

00:45:16.648 --> 00:45:19.056
And what would the name of your movie be?

00:45:19.659 --> 00:45:22.688
oh gosh, okay, I have no idea.

00:45:22.688 --> 00:45:25.295
I feel like I'm gonna glamour, like over glamourized this.

00:45:25.295 --> 00:45:34.485
I'll give the flowers like Michael be Jordan, right, because it could play like a just beefier, like more, I guess, attractive version myself.

00:45:34.485 --> 00:45:35.969
You know what I mean.

00:45:35.969 --> 00:45:48.322
And then I've been watching snowfall lately and was it Damon Idris who plays the titular care or not titular, because it's not bad, but the lead character?

00:45:48.322 --> 00:45:54.101
He will probably be my other person who will play me so that shows on my must.

00:45:54.141 --> 00:45:59.545
Like it, I've walked, I'll watch soon it's a good friends who are into it, but that's great.

00:45:59.545 --> 00:46:00.429
You said Michael be Jordan.

00:46:00.449 --> 00:46:02.297
That's someone else in mind who did you have a mind?

00:46:03.097 --> 00:46:03.539
but it tight.

00:46:03.539 --> 00:46:07.795
It's funny because it ties up on, it links on to I swear I had this.

00:46:07.795 --> 00:46:16.478
It ties in on to two fronts, so one of my favorite actors is Idris Alba and he was on the wire with.

00:46:16.880 --> 00:46:20.913
Michael be, yes, obviously, Idris, right, yeah, I don't know.

00:46:20.972 --> 00:46:24.606
I distinct and I hope he becomes like a future James Bond.

00:46:24.606 --> 00:46:26.074
Like to me, he's obvious choice.

00:46:26.074 --> 00:46:29.503
That is like the goal British and there's this whole thing like we can't like.

00:46:29.503 --> 00:46:30.666
Who cares if they like?

00:46:30.666 --> 00:46:38.297
I don't care if James Bond is blacked but yeah, they got to be British or yes, but he would be phenomenal, I think.

00:46:39.521 --> 00:46:52.490
Last question if there was a giant billboard with your picture on it and your message on it for the world to see, where would you want that billboard to be anywhere in the world and what would you want that message to say?

00:46:52.490 --> 00:46:57.586
For and everyone has to read it oh, that that is a solid question.

00:46:58.168 --> 00:47:13.003
It will definitely be something along the lines of like you're at where you need to be or something along the lines of that, right like you're exactly where you need to be.

00:47:13.003 --> 00:47:31.076
Because I feel like people need that reminder sometimes of like either putting too much pressure on themselves or like, oh, I'm trying to do this and I just don't feel like I'm getting there, and it's like, no, you're where you need to be, like you're on the path, you're doing what, what needs to get done where would be a great question.

00:47:31.076 --> 00:47:31.858
I don't know why.

00:47:31.858 --> 00:47:46.561
The first, first thought that comes to my mind is probably like, probably near university or something like that, right near university or just an institute of like learning, and that could be a trade school, whatever the case may be.

00:47:46.561 --> 00:48:00.659
Because I feel like when people usually take those opportunities to learn a trade, to go to university, a community college because I'm a byproduct of community college or just school in general, right to like further themselves no mirror.

00:48:00.679 --> 00:48:04.626
Mesa, you're close, you're close.

00:48:04.626 --> 00:48:11.077
I feel like that's just like, hey, like you're at where you need to be, like you're doing the right thing, take your time, get to where you need to go.

00:48:11.077 --> 00:48:17.617
Your chapter, like it's your book, you, you make your book like a story that you are proud of.

00:48:17.617 --> 00:48:22.009
There's no report card for like what success is right.

00:48:22.009 --> 00:48:40.139
So so you kind of define what that report card is right, like, and I know you can probably resonate with this chief right, like as you're getting to like that closer to retirement point, even me being what seven this year's from that retirement point at the end of the day, right, we got, we've gotten the award.

00:48:40.179 --> 00:48:43.077
So kind of accolades, you've won the quarterlies, angles, whatever, it's case to me.

00:48:43.077 --> 00:49:00.306
But like, whatever success is, it's not going to be like oh, like you won chief of the quarter, it's going to be truly what your legacy is through here or just through the people you've encountered right, so that's probably your report, report card from me, knowing you, and so that's what success looks like.

00:49:00.306 --> 00:49:04.820
So, yeah, that would be like my, my, my give in.

00:49:04.820 --> 00:49:07.346
Yeah, I was like hopefully I can close with like a good one.

00:49:07.346 --> 00:49:10.322
I appreciate it.

00:49:10.322 --> 00:49:14.340
No, I appreciate it.

00:49:14.675 --> 00:49:15.356
I appreciate you.

00:49:15.356 --> 00:49:17.382
Thank you so much for being a guest in my podcast.

00:49:17.382 --> 00:49:27.652
As you know, I mentioned a couple times before I end during the show, like you've, you've been on my guest list, so those good, just like it's so good to check that off, right thank you.

00:49:27.652 --> 00:49:39.697
I wanted to have this conversation with you because you bring so much to the table and it is not just like one thing, like you bring you know if this is Thanksgiving, like you're bringing like three dishes that are all on point, right.

00:49:39.697 --> 00:49:41.702
So I appreciate that yeah.

00:49:41.722 --> 00:49:45.443
So just thanks for who you are, like I'm proud to serve with you and I'm proud who you are.

00:49:45.443 --> 00:49:53.418
It's like a young leader and like I want to follow you, I want to be around you, I want to hear what you have to say and I know I'm not alone in this.

00:49:53.418 --> 00:49:53.639
I'm.

00:49:53.639 --> 00:49:56.773
I know there are many out, many others out there as well.

00:49:56.773 --> 00:50:07.943
Like you, I don't know like there's just, there's a, there's a lot of like shining stars, but yours has like this, like this different, brighter tent.

00:50:07.943 --> 00:50:10.976
That's just like who's like, who's that guy you know.

00:50:10.976 --> 00:50:14.695
Like you know, like I mean I like the way he presents himself in meetings and stuff.

00:50:14.695 --> 00:50:16.880
So again, this is, this is an honor.

00:50:17.822 --> 00:50:19.626
Thank you so much no, it was my pleasure.

00:50:19.626 --> 00:50:25.626
Thank you for having me yeah, of course thank you that concludes another episode of passing the torch.

00:50:26.735 --> 00:50:28.722
Big thanks to my guest, trevian Jones.

00:50:28.722 --> 00:50:33.159
If this is your first time listening to my show, here's a quick bio about me.

00:50:33.159 --> 00:50:37.210
I am active duty military and have served for 21 years.

00:50:37.210 --> 00:50:43.710
I started this podcast in January of 2018 because I've met so many wonderful people in my life.

00:50:43.710 --> 00:50:50.132
I love meeting new people, having conversations, learning their history and sharing their story.

00:50:50.132 --> 00:51:00.431
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00:51:00.431 --> 00:51:05.889
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00:51:05.889 --> 00:51:15.985
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00:51:15.985 --> 00:51:20.588
When you share, you can text episode to a friend and tag me on social media.

00:51:20.588 --> 00:51:22.735
Let me know what you're able to take away.

00:51:22.735 --> 00:51:25.342
Thank you so much for spending time with me today.

00:51:25.342 --> 00:51:30.938
And finally, remember vision, relate, develop, take care everyone, foster out.