John O'Grady

🚀 Unlocking Organizational Improvement with After Action Reviews (AAR) 🚀 In our latest episode of Peak Performance Leadership, we dive deep into the power of the After Action Review (AAR) for driving organizational improvement. Based on my military leadership experience, the AAR is a simple yet highly effective tool for assessing and enhancing team performance. Here are three key takeaways from this episode: 🔹 Comprehensive Perspective Gathering: AAR involves asking "What happened?" to gather diverse perspectives, ensuring a holistic understanding of events. Different team members often see different aspects of a situation; hearing all viewpoints creates a complete picture. 🔹 Reinforcing Success: Focus on "What went right?" to identify and double down on successful actions. Like investing in winning stocks, allocating resources to proven strategies enhances future performance. 🔹 Continuous Improvement Focus: Asking "What went wrong?" isn't about placing blame but finding solutions and driving improvement. Establish a psychologically safe environment so team members feel comfortable sharing candid feedback. Tune in to the episode to learn how you can use AARs to boost your team's performance and drive lasting improvements. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gfpVHK-a #LeadDontBoss #Leadership #OrganizationalImprovement #AfterActionReview #MilitaryLeadership #ContinuousImprovement #PeakPerformance

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Are education benefits for service members a matter of national security? In Military Times, military education pathways expert Meg O'Grady from National University urges policymakers to strengthen and expand DoD tuition assistance benefits for military service members with a stronger focus on credentials focused on re-entry to the civilian workforce. "Amid escalating global tensions and a challenging recruitment landscape, the United States will need to intensify its efforts to maintain a robust and capable military. Enhancing and modernizing education benefits represents an investment in both the individual futures of our service members and the long-term security of the nation." #HigherEducation #MilitaryBenefits #TuitionAssistance

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Those of you who attended United States Army Human Resources Command's Conversation With Industry Event (#CWI2024) a few weeks ago got the opportunity to hear Major General Tom Drew describe his "Moonshots". What are the big, audacious goals that he wants to solve over the coming years. These don't represent concrete requirements but are more "themes" that we want help thinking about. There are better ways for us to: ☑ See the Army - We have to find a better way to model inventory against requirements and better assess those joining the Army. ☑ See the Solider - Today we equate Skill and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). A Soldier is more than their rank and job title. How do we differenctiate the skills and map strengths to Army needs and Soldier preferences. ☑ See the Future - How do we forecast needs 5 years from now and provide a new level of predictability. How do we model that forecast and assess the impact on future readiness. If you weren't able to attend or you lost your notes from the event and you want to know what is keeping senior leaders awake, take a look at the graphic Maria Rice McClure from the HRC Public Affairs Team made to summarize the goals. Patricia Bourgeois Houchin | Christopher Ruga | Kris Saling | Greg Johnson | The Adjutant General Directorate | Karl Anderson | Guy Timberlake | Dolores Kuchina-Musina, Ph.D. | Raj Sharma | Becky Weirick |

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I’m a mentor for ACP. It’s rewarding to share my expertise with military service members, spouses, and veterans making a career change.   Want to make a real difference in the lives of transitioning service members and military spouses? If you’re passionate about helping others find meaningful careers and want to enhance your own leadership skills, becoming a mentor with American Corporate Partners (ACP) is a fantastic opportunity! https://www.acp-usa.org/   Here’s why you should join ACP: * Empower Others: Help veterans and military spouses navigate their career journeys. * Pay It Forward: Your experience can guide someone toward success. * Grow as a Leader: Mentorship is a rewarding way to develop your own skills. I’ve been a mentor with ACP for several years, and it has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Each conversation brings new insights and the chance to inspire others.   * No military experience is required—just a desire to help! * Join me in making an impact.  * Sign up to be a mentor today! ACP recently launched an entrepreneurial program, ACP Ventures | American Corporate Partners https://lnkd.in/eZw5aETW. The response has been great! They need entrepreneurial mentors too! #MentorshipMatters #ACPMentors #PayItForward #VeteranSupport #MilitarySpouses

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**Executive Presence: Essential Elements and Importance Among Military Leaders** Executive presence is a multifaceted quality that combines gravitas, communication skills, and appearance to create an aura of leadership. Gravitas, the cornerstone of executive presence, involves exuding confidence, decisiveness, and emotional intelligence. Military leaders, in particular, must embody gravitas to inspire trust and respect among their subordinates and peers. This quality enables them to remain composed under pressure, make sound decisions quickly, and demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity, all of which are crucial in high-stakes environments. Effective communication is another critical element of executive presence. Military leaders must convey their vision and directives clearly and persuasively to ensure mission success. This includes the ability to listen actively, articulate thoughts succinctly, and adapt their communication style to different audiences. In the military context, where orders need to be understood and executed precisely, strong communication skills foster unity, prevent misunderstandings, and enhance overall operational efficiency. Appearance also plays a significant role in executive presence. For military leaders, maintaining a sharp and professional appearance is not merely about aesthetics but about setting an example for discipline and attention to detail. A leader who is meticulously groomed and well-dressed commands respect and signals to others that they take their role seriously. This visual aspect of executive presence helps to reinforce authority and cultivate a culture of excellence and accountability within the ranks. The importance of executive presence among military leaders cannot be overstated. It directly impacts their ability to lead effectively, inspire confidence, and maintain order and morale. Leaders with strong executive presence are better equipped to handle the complexities and demands of military operations, fostering a cohesive and motivated team. Ultimately, the presence of such leaders ensures that the military remains a formidable and respected institution, capable of achieving its strategic objectives and safeguarding national security.

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🔹Technology & Relationships 🔹 This was the 8th Marine Corps District Headquarters "Server Farm" in 1996, connecting the 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 12th Marine Corps Districts to the Eastern and Western Recruiting Districts (ERR/WRR) and the Marine Corps Recruiting Command (MCRC) Headquarters. In March 1996, we would dial into each other's servers and stay connected for approximately 15 minutes to pass data so that email would be sent and received for the day all at once. That was considered a success and was all that was affordable at the time due to meticulous management and scrutiny of telecommunication billing rates 💰💰💰 ⬇️ If it didn't directly contribute to recruiting numbers 🎯 it was highly scrutinized and information technology was not yet appreciated 😞 Less than a month later, we, using MCRC 💲, implemented a frame relay network allowing us to connect throughout the day (mostly) enabling basic communication and the value began to materialize (slowly) 🎉🎉🎉 The information campaign was slow, unappreciated, and painful to be honest. Tying the value of technology to the recruiting mission, understanding the mission, and connecting the dots became my life 🥴 ➡️ The next task was to develop a network architecture to connect the subordinate recruiting commands (Recruiting Stations). This would require technology and training Marines who had never touched a computer, eventually evolving into the Marine Corps Recruiting Support System (MCRSS). I had a blast teaching these leaders (Career Recruiters) how to use technology since I always found myself at the edge of technology from middle school, learning programming with my TRS-80, building home networks, etc... having no idea where that would one day lead 🤓 ⭐️ But the real secret was in learning the Marine Corps' Recruiting Professional Selling Skills (PSS) curriculum so I could speak their language and understand their requirement - First, before offering technology solutions ✨ I am so grateful for the leaders who thought me to understand my customer first as a core skill set that helped form my foundation very early on 🙏🏽 Then the real relationships began 🔶 Beyond the laughs and, to be honest, brutal criticism from successful senior enlisted and officers who didn't need technology to excel at their jobs, came great relationships 🤝 This led to invitations to numerous recruiting events to serve as a #speaker and trainer throughout the District's 13 state region training hundreds of leaders as a first lieutenant who was honestly winging it most days. While we demonstrated Moore's law in real time, building valuable relationships well before social networking is what really made the difference 😊 No cybersecurity, no rules, lots of mistakes, broad commander's intent, but genuine connections with great memories ❤️

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NEW SKILLBRIDGE RESOURCE AVAILABLE!!! The National Labor Exchange (NLx) has developed a new tool to assist Transitioning Service Members and Employers! A new search function is now available on veterans.usnlx.com that lets users look for SkillBridge opportunities. SkillBridge employers can also add those opportunities to the site merely by including "SkillBridge" in the job title and/or job description. Information on how to add jobs listings is available on the site. Workforce development staff interacting with SkillBridge employers can make them aware of this opportunity to list those positions at no cost. Not only will the jobs be displayed on the Veterans.usnlx.com site, but they will also be included in state feeds, and on numerous other places where NLx content is displayed! See additional resource links in the comments!

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I was pleased today to present to an armed forces command on the topic of psychological safety. It is a topic that is coming up more and more among our military clients. It was an engaging conversation about how psychological safety can help to improve mission readiness and to bring innovation to their work while also building resiliency and helping with burnout. Here are some of the tips we talked about for organizations seeking to develop psychological safety: *Provide training on psychological safety and how it impacts the work of the organization *Explain the benefits to employees not just once, but repeated over time - employees need to hear this many times for it to fully resonate *Leaders need to model psychologically safe behaviors and stop negative behaviors when they happen - ie. hold people accountable *If teams or managers are struggling with creating psychological safety, support is provided to them in the form of training and/or coaching *Provide team assessments, training and coaching Curious to learn more? We can provide training to your organization. We are certified through the fearless organization to provide team assessments in psychological safety which can lead to team action plans on how to create more safety within teams. #PsychologicalSafety #Teamwork #Diversity #Inclusion #Leader #Organization #Culture

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Happy Veterans' Day to all of my #veteran connections here. For everyone in my network, our team at Lifework has been working to create a product that will benefit everyone, but we chose to focus on a target group first. That target group is soldiers and veterans. For those that are not aware, I am a disabled veteran, and have a long family history of military service, including my son Sean Runner who will be commissioning in May of 2025. Around 200,000 soldiers become veterans every year, and there are currently over 18M veterans in the US. Until you have been there, you can't understand the difficulty involved in transitioning into the civilian world. There are 40,000+ organizations that exist to try and help veterans, but it is hard to find the services and benefits that apply to you, and finding a job that aligns military and civilian experience is not easy. Compound that with a disability, PTSD, family challenges and any number of other challenges that veterans face, and it makes everything paralyzing. Even if you know exactly what you are looking for, accessing the benefits and getting someone to contact you back isn't always easy. So we want to change it all. To my network- here's what my goal is, and I will need your support. I want to find 10 organizations that want to support veterans by giving unemployed and disabled veterans a chance to show you who they are first. These 10 organizations will work with us as we grow our network of available and pre-qualified veterans. We are creating a search capability designed to match veterans to ideal roles in real time- when you find the right match, you will have helped out a veteran, validated the service, and we will offer you exclusive discounts which will essentially make our service free (for now). If we can find veterans jobs by the end of the year- we have already succeeded. Thanks for your service- and stay tuned! Nelton Gaertner Kent Lindner David Wright Steve VanWieren Steven Nasr Kandi Tillman Rebecca Moschel John Wolff John Goss Trey Runner George LaMadrid David Jones Jane McTigue, PMP Rodney Edwards Juan Sotomayor

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New Podcast Alert! 🎙️ In this episode of the Military Sherpa Leadership Podcast, I chat with Sydney Cox, PMP , an Air Force Development Advisor who’s transforming her base with Military Sherpa Coaching tools. Sydney reveals how she gained trust and traction within Military Equal Opportunity, the tools she swears by, and how she tailors her approach for different military groups. Discover her secrets to overcoming resistance, building strong relationships, and achieving impactful results. 🔥 If you’re looking to boost your influence and effectiveness as a leader, this episode is a goldmine of actionable strategies. Don’t miss out—tune in now and elevate your leadership game! I’m fighting for you!!

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🛡️ Transition Coaching for Military Members 🛡️ Are you a military member preparing to transition to civilian life? At Leader's Edge Consulting, we specialize in helping you navigate this significant change with confidence and clarity. Our transition coaching services provide: - Personalized career planning - Resume and interview preparation - Skills translation for civilian roles - Ongoing support throughout your transition Let us help you turn your military experience into a successful civilian career. Connect with us today to get started! #MilitaryTransition #CareerChange #VeteranSupport #LeadershipCoaching #LeadersEdgeConsulting

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For many military personnel planning for retirement, or ETS, one important factor that gets overlooked are relationships, companionships, and friendships. Before you launch out on that "ship" you need to cultivate and create a network support system because you'll need it. Only very few people from your last assignment will maintain contact if at all. Some truly do mean it when they say "Keep in touch" while for others it's just something you say. It does get lonely especially if you have no support system (wife, girlfriend, kids, relatives, partner, etc.) outside of what you built while on AD. The Armed Forces will continue on without you. You'll be missed by some & others will be relieved you're gone. Focus on your spiritual, mental, and physical health. You may or may not need a network because we have extroverts and introverts. What we all need after military life is a sense of worth, being wanted/needed, and at least one person we can trust to call on when it gets dark and lonely. Know there are support groups and systems available to help so don't be too proud to ask and seek help. Create your network. Maintain meaningful relationships. Take time for yourself. Do what makes you happy. Encourage yourself and make plans to do and try new things. Don't get complacent. A healthy body helps relieve stress. Know that you haven't "peaked" because there's still so much you can do and try. Challenge yourself. Spend time with family and friends. Volunteer your time. Give back to society. Know you are worthy and the world still needs you.

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😎 Episode 21 of the Military to Civilian Career Transition Power Hour Podcast is now live. 😲 NOW WITH LINKS TO AUDIO AND VIDEO SEGMENTS! (UPDATED) Join us to hear four ⭐ veterans talk about career transitions. Macey Nelson is in the SOUP segment. As a transitioning Air Force service member, Macey has used her last 8 years to obtain her masters degree in data science and is completing her Skillbridge program with AllegiantVets. She is poised and ready to take on her next career, and has a few pointers for those who are facing the tricky transition. One is music and a 'transition playlist'. Her audio only segment is here: https://lnkd.in/gQd2MZq3. Macey's YouTube segment is here: https://lnkd.in/gZvZvwSn We call him "Hendo" in the recruiting world, our episode Expert segment features Justin Henderson, a Marine veteran, recruiting expert, and now CEO of Veteran Hiring Solutions. Having been in the industry for 20+ years, Hendo shares excellent transition advice. Find out more at Veteran Hiring Solutions. Justin's audio only segment is here: https://lnkd.in/gDJQVnQe and his YouTube segment is here: https://lnkd.in/g6htp_Bh Our 1-4 year veteran segment features Riccoh Player, Emmy Award Winner and Retired Colonel from the US Marine Corps who jumped head-first into his transition to create Parade Deck, a space for military influencers and podcasters who are making a difference. Riccoh uses his 20+ years of military leadership, public affairs, training, and desire to connect people in impactful ways. Riccoh's audio only segment is here: https://lnkd.in/g2jxJsuz. Riccoh's YouTube segment is here: https://lnkd.in/gTN_Tv3E Army Reservist and combat veteran Ryan Smithson. wraps up the show in the 5+ year veteran segment. Having written a best-selling book about his experience in Iraq, he has watched his story evolve from page to stage. Now an artist and leading district sales pro, Ryan is offering insights about art, writing, and creativity. This is his art: https://lnkd.in/gwecmBU6 Ryan's audio only segment is here: https://lnkd.in/gGFE-6EQ. Ryan's YouTube segment is here: https://lnkd.in/gkSYCmvQ Each transition story is unique, and we are dedicated to raising the voices of 100 veterans who are navigating careers post-military. #repost, #tag, #comment to help us gain more listeners. Thanks for supporting the podcast!! Support me on Patreon: patreon.com/XChangePodcast YouTube (Videos): https://lnkd.in/g9-cFGYP Audio Only Podcast: https://lnkd.in/gSfgGb6Z Book: CIVILIAN MISSION #1 New Release on Amazon 5 Days After Launch: https://lnkd.in/dz2FNw5z Available at other major retailers, including Barnes & Noble: https://lnkd.in/grWAqh6b Website: www.xchangepodcast.com #Mil2Civ #militarycareertransition #veteranhiring #skills #stories

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What do you think of when you hear the term READINESS? As a member of the United States military for over 34 years, readiness was the coin of the realm. Everything we did was focused on preparing individually and as teams of teams to develop what we referred to as individual and collective readiness for deploying against a multitude of threats outlined in the National Military Strategy to include Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. The laser focus on building and sustaining readiness is how we successfully prepared to face the broad range of threats, assess and manage risk, and could quickly pivot when unanticipated flashpoints arose. Why is the concept of readiness so powerful? Perhaps it is because it frames abstract things into concrete capabilities and pathways that we, as leaders, can build, sustain, and replicate in ourselves and others. Readiness is not an end state. In its simplest form, readiness is a measure of preparedness and implies a range from low to high that leaders can use to assess themselves and their organizations and to take action for continuous improvement. What if we could apply the concept of readiness to trust among the people we lead and the disparate stakeholders of our organizations? Just like our military, our stakeholders come to our teams and organizations from all walks of life in varying degrees of trust readiness – meaning their ability to trust others and to be trusted is assumed but is also contextual. If we move beyond merely being a trusted leader to becoming a trust-leader, we can meet our teammates where they are and create opportunities to move along the scale to a higher state of trust readiness. We could even use varying definitions of trust as a hierarchy for measuring and assessing trust readiness across a scale of: Reliability Shared Confidence Willingness to expose oneself to vulnerability Currency Faith Are these terms merely what some might call a distinction without a difference? Perhaps they could be a useful progression to represent a range from lower to higher forms of trust with the first three being defensive and protective in nature. As we progress in trust readiness, that could be where the last two terms move to the offense and become powerful leader and organizational culture goals that “put points on the board.”   How could building trust readiness help you and your leadership teams achieve greater impact in your organization and among your stakeholders?   Feel free to share your insights in the comments or continue to DM me with your thoughts.  Have a great week. Remember as you lead to “Build Trust First!” Build Trust First – expected book launch is late summer of 2025 #BUILDTRUSTFIRST #VETSLEADERSHIP #TRUST #LEADERSHIP

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🚨 Proposed FAR Rules Alert for Government Contractors! 🚨 Attention all government contractors: The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council (GSA, DOD, NASA) has proposed new rules that could impact the way you do business with the federal government. By participating in the rule-making process, you ensure your voice is heard, contributing to policies that foster fair competition, support small businesses, enhance efficiency and clarity, and safeguard your interests. Now is your chance to make your voice heard! The public comment period is open, and this is your opportunity to: ✅ Share your concerns ✅ Ask critical questions ✅ Influence final decisions 🔍 Why this matters: These rules shape the framework for federal contracting and can directly affect your compliance requirements, cost structure, and competitiveness. Staying informed and engaged is critical to ensuring your business remains in alignment with federal regulations. 💡 What can you do? 1️⃣ Review the proposed rules. 2️⃣ Identify any potential challenges or questions. 3️⃣ Submit your comments through the official public comment process. 📢 Need help understanding what’s changing? Let's talk about it. I want to ensure that small businesses and government contractors like you have a voice in shaping the future of federal contracting. 📬 Drop your questions in the comments or DM me for other resources you want to see related to these topics and how they could impact your business. #FARUpdates #FederalContracts #federalcontracting #GSA #DOD #NASA #SmallBusinesses #governmentefficiency #compliance

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Explore the diverse challenges managers face in transitioning to outcome-based supervision. Gain insights into navigating this shift across different leadership styles. Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel! ► https://lnkd.in/dkJqt-cJ #OutcomeBasedSupervision #LeadershipChallenges #Management

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Uncover the challenges and opportunities in adapting leadership to remote management, especially within rigid structures.  Join us as we explore the shifting dynamics of remote work.  Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel! ► https://lnkd.in/dkJqt-cJ #HybridWorkplace #OutcomeBasedLeadership #LeadershipTraining

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Ep 329: Grit and Mental Preparation for Air Force Special Warfare https://lnkd.in/gJnSH4kW Aaron Love Trenton Seegmiller We often get asked, "What is grit, and how will I be evaluated on that attribute at the Air Force Special Warfare Assessment and Selection, or A&S, course? How do I prepare?" Well, we got you. Grit, mental fortitude, or the willingness to continue in the face of uncertainty can *most certainly* be trained and built. In this enlightening conversation, Aaron and Peach delve into the significance of mental fortitude and the means to bolster the mind before embarking on the pipeline journey. They stress the importance of honoring commitments and persevering through discomfort. They also highlight the power of reshaping one's mindset and embracing the identity of a person who follows through without making excuses. Additionally, they discuss the value of self-regulation, managing reactions, and maintaining emotional balance. They place emphasis on the concept of reach-back moments, both physically and mentally, as crucial preparation for the challenges ahead. Jared and Aaron also underscore the significance of mental fortitude and its cultivation. They emphasize the need for resilience and the capacity to surmount obstacles. They expound on the idea of drawing strength from past experiences during reach-back moments to navigate adversity. Furthermore, they advocate for dependability, fulfilling commitments, and prioritizing others. They underscore the importance of mental preparedness and being comfortable with starting from the bottom. Overall, they offer valuable insights and strategies for fortifying the mind. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Call to Action 01:03 Building Mental Fortitude: Follow Through and Finish What You Start 06:19 Self-Regulation: Managing Reactions and Avoiding Extremes 09:06 Avoiding Catastrophizing and Focusing on Priorities 13:43 Recognizing Situations and Self-Regulating Emotional Responses 23:31 Managing Road Rage and Reaching Back to Past Experiences 28:41 Building Mental Fortitude 31:06 The Power of Reach Back Moments 35:01 Dependability and Commitment 38:46 Selflessness and Teamwork 46:11 The Importance of Mental Preparation 50:03 Starting at the Bottom Join this channel to get access to perks: https://lnkd.in/gFWiye3b

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