The 5 Bs

• Be courteous
• Be a leader
• Be a good teammate
• Be committed to making the world a better place
• Be committed to God

On a cloudy and warm day, 9 pax met in the gloom to practice the 5Bs.

Pax: Mad Bum, Poacher, Flying Tomato, Chitwood, Cap’n D, Napalm, Felix, Aruba, Scout

Warmup:

• Mucho Chesto
• Good mornings
• Windmill
• High knees

BEAT DOWN & DOWN PAINMENT: (Cinder block coupons)

Bars (partners) x 2

• Pull ups: 15
• Step ups or box jumps: 30

• Leg tucks: 15
• Incline Merkins: 20

• Freddie Mercuries: 30
• Flutter kicks: 20

Blocks (x 2)

• Cinder block squat x 30
• Plyo Merkins x 30
• Cinder block overhead press x 30
• Cinder block bent-over-row x 30

Murder bunnies 15m

• Blockies x 10
• Block sit ups x 20
• Block swings x 30
• Mountain climbers x 40 (2 count)

Farmer’s Carry 15m, jog 15m, Bearpees 15m

Agility (Block carry 10 m, 1 blocky…6 blockies)

 Announcements: June 4 beer pouring at First Friday in Southern Pines.

Prayer: Cap’n D led us out in prayer.

Moleskine: I had an incredible opportunity to participate in a Department of Defense skill bridge program, designed for transitioning and retiring service members. During the program, I learned from a company’s senior leaders while I learned about areas, completely foreign to me. As with most experiences, I confirmed or learned several key lessons worth sharing.

• Self-development. It does not matter how much experience one has nor how many times around the sun one has, any new environment provides an opportunity to challenge oneself and learn from others. My skillbridge program occurred at a publicly-traded waste to value chemical manufacturing company. The company transforms the waste by product of the paper making process into intermediate and final products. I have neither significant business experience nor expertise in chemistry or engineering. The language and conversation was completely new for me as any other person might experience if he tried to enter my industry. As my grandfather told me many times, God gave me one mouth and two ears. I used my ears and listened a whole lot more than I used my mouth, though I asked a lot of questions.
  
• Leadership is universal. Similarly perceived poor leadership is universal. Neither industry nor specific organization seems to matter as it applies to positive and poor leadership. I observed great leadership at this company, where the senior clearly communicates vision, a drive for growth, empowerment of teammates, and a willingness to assume risk, where some level of failure is acceptable. The CEO showed genuine concern for the teammates and the organization and influenced his direct reports to demonstrate the same. In contrast, I heard multiple complaints about a complete opposite approach to leadership from previous leaders. Such an atmosphere included selfishness, hubris, a lack of predictability, an air of entitlement, a lack of vision for growth, and a lack of interpersonal interaction with teammates. As with all organizations, this company has a mix of great, mediocre, and poor leaders. However, it highlighted how a single senior can have a huge effect on the culture and climate across multiple locations.
  
• Culture and climate matter. I spoke with multiple employees, who spent 10-25 years with this company. In times, where many employees jump from organization to organization, this level of longevity demonstrated a tell-tale sign that these teammates remained committed to the organization, its vision, and their teammates. Despite some ups and downs, these people remained with the company, based on their perception of the way in which they were treated and the purpose of the organization.
  
• Finding the right fit. Mentors continue to talk to me about finding the right fit in a subsequent life chapter by balancing and prioritizing location, compensation, and role. They are only partially right. For me, I solidified that the most important qualities are culture and people. We often spend more time with our professional teammates than we do with our own family. For me, if it is not enjoyable to wake up in the morning to go to work with people one does not respect or the culture is not one, for which one is proud, all of the money in the world does not seem worth it.
  
• Investing in people. The company, with which I worked, did a pretty good job of investing in its people with respect to on the job training (organizational). People had the right resources to learn their role and to excel. The company offered multiple options for its people to seek additional education and training (self-development) outside of work. This required work on employees’ part, but resources existed. The company struggled with an institutional approach. I noted a tendency to try to outsource such institutional training. I discussed multiple options with leaders and I believe that they will move toward a more formalized program. I told leaders that they had much more organic expertise and capability than they perceived to provide great education and training internally. Employees recognized the requirement and consistently requested it. I believe that they will move down a path toward a better program, which will benefit their long term growth and strength. Once again, all leaders need continued education and training for them and the organization.
  
• I am not certain about my future with this company, though it was positive as I departed. However, the experience was priceless and allowed me to broaden my outlook, especially outside of my comfort zone. Do not fear attempting something outside your comfort zone. You might fail, but you will learn daring greatly.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 
― Martin Luther King, Jr.