polarshark - Home

Russian Knife

3/20/2019

In the words of Crocodile Dundee... "Now that's a knife..." I think I could use one of these.

what's required vs what's the opportunity

3/19/2019

Reading an article by Seth Godin this morning and he pointed out:

Traffic at work isn’t just a metaphor. It’s real. We get stuck. Surrounded by people who are just as stuck. It can seem like progress is at a crawl.

And then, we see a different way. Someone finds a lane we didn’t even know existed. Quickly, they’re joined by a few others, a cohort that’s making a difference and moving precisely where they want to go.

All around us, there are people who want to protect their status quo, while others are on a path to level up. Some careers are about checking boxes while others set people up to draw the boxes...

The work of leveling up involves pushing past perceived limitations, understanding that they’re not real.

And it involves surrounding yourself with people on a similar journey.
“What’s required here?” is the question we were taught to ask. This is the loyal employee and the reliable cog, meeting spec.

“What is the opportunity here?” is a totally different question. It’s about contribution and forward motion, not simply compliance.

This got me thinking about the VFW and VFW activities. We're all busy, I get it. But we have to stop and look at the lane we're locked into. Most Posts are doing good things, but some are locked into a "what's required" mentality. We've got to bust out of that. We need more Posts focused on the opportunities in their communities. Where we can go is so much bigger than we know. But we've got to band together and push.

It won't always be easy but it will be worth it. Nothing great ever came from doing the required minimums. Let's do something great.

Come with Solutions

2/26/2019

I don't know if Teddy really said this, but I can believe he would. Either way, I said it.

Meeting with Governor's office

2/25/2019

Commander Dobbins, Jr Vice Willis and I met this morning with a representative from Governor Kemp's office. We want to get more involved with the Georgia Legislature and the Governor's office. Georgia has some amazing services for veterans but there is always room for improvement. We're trying to get our good people some better support.

Who are We Meeting With?

2/25/2019

Thought from Seth Godin this morning...

We accidentally curate who comes to the meeting, who has a seat at the table where decisions are made. We almost randomly decide who is interviewing and being interviewed, who is brainstorming, who is reviewing the work…

What if we did it with intention? What if we thought deeply about who sits across from us during the key conversations?

Convenient should not be the dominant driver of this choice. Nor should existing protocol.

“Who’s not here?” might be the most important unasked question.

Too many of our meetings are happenstance. We need to take control and cultivate the outcome we want. As a leader, Post Commander, District Commander, or other, don't wait till you are in the meeting to see what happens. Leadership means orchestrating the discussion and making sure the right people are there whether it's a one-on-one pre-meeting, a meeting with a donor/supporter, or a membership meeting. You have to coordinate what happens when your organization meets. And don't be afraid of doing something new, just remember that you have to LEAD the way.

Rifle Inspection Video

2/24/2019

Thomaston Revitalization

2/21/2019

In Thomaston tonight to see how we can revitalize this Post. Had one new member and we focused on where the Post can go rather than on the past. Planning a pancake breakfast and an adjustment to the meeting time to see if that helps spark more interest.

I told the Post members we need to be thinking about the next event after the pancake breakfast. We have to keep looking forward in order to grow. It is very easy as a Post to get caught up in what has (or hasn't) happened and to let that overwhelm the conversations and the focus of the Post. This doesn't help.

Posts and Post leadership have to be focused on the future and where the Post is going. We have to paint that picture for the membership that might not see it yet. No one is going to climb aboard a sinking ship (or a withering VFW Post). We have to be going somewhere and then we can invite our membership and potential new members to be part of an exciting and interesting future.

These challenges are not specific to Post 6447, they are more common than we would like. Lets' focus on what we can do rather than what hasn't happened. Focusing on the past, especially when things might not have been great, is a sure way to kill a Post. We want the opposite. We want to grow our Posts and our Department!