Walk Into the Future

Category: Networking

Article discussing the benefits of networking.

  • 2025 Goals

    “A goal is a dream with a deadline”.

    (Napoleon Hill)

    The Walk into the Future blog leverages goal setting to keep moving forward in this world. 

    I make a point to set my yearly goals in early January every year.  These are not random New Year’s resolutions but actual goals that help determine my path daily.  This process has been in place for over twenty years, and I don’t see myself stopping this anytime soon.

    I categorize my goals into areas of my life that I want to focus on.  My exercise program is hugely important to me and gets a lot of attention when I sit down to write out my goals.  I look to create measurable goals, and this area allows me to track my progress daily.  I haven’t written about my gym workouts, but my goal is to lift weights three times per week.  I found success by running four times per week, so this goal carries over from 2024.  (Goal = lift 3 days a week and run 4 days a week).

    Travel is a major part of my Walk into the Future, and I wanted to set a goal that would allow me to travel to places I have never been.  Yes, I’m still heading down to Negril, Jamaica for spring break—this is an automatic trip for me yearly.  I have been to 38 states so far and want to hit all 50 states soon.  My travel goal for this year is to travel to the Dakotas, West Virginia, Arkansas and Wisconsin.  I’m looking at upcoming races in each of these states and will become a running tourist to ensure I make it to these states.  Nebraska, Indiana, Wyoming, Montana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will be all that’s left.  Contemplating another New England trip to knock out those remaining states.  I just signed up for the 2025 Fargo Half Marathon on 5/31/2025 so I will be able to visit both Dakotas on this running tourist adventure.

    My reading program is something that I’m proud of.  I strive to continue to be a lifelong learner and love reading books.  I still like the feel of a book in my hand, so I order most of my books from Amazon.  My reading goal is to read 2 books a month and I’m off to a great start so far.  I focus on leadership books and share them with my friend, John Crowe.  He’s my official book club member. 😊

    I am actively looking for new consulting and speaking roles in 2025.  I have not added any new clients in the past 6 months, and I want to get back to my leadership consulting this year.  The Seminole Tribe of Florida reached out before Christmas so I may have a few sessions with them coming up before summer.  I will leverage local government contacts to extend my Authentic Leadership reach on the Treasure Coast.  I have started reaching out to other colleges and universities to gauge their interest in leadership training for faculty and staff.

    My last goal is to continue to serve as a People Builder.  This includes daily affirmations to my tree branches to help them move forward in their daily activities.  A simple text to say hello may be all that’s needed to ensure it’s a great day for one of my tree branches.  It makes me feel good knowing they like hearing from me. 😊

    Well, my 2025 goals are set and I’m making great progress so far.  Let’s see what the rest of 2025 brings us.

    What goals did you set this year?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Believe you can and you’re halfway there”.

    (Theodore Roosevelt)

  • Boston with NACE

    “I came to Boston because I’m wicked smaht”.

    (Funny Boston Quote, Unknown)

    My Walk into the Future has led me to the Northeast multiple times in the past year. 

    The first adventure was a quick trip via Breeze Airways to explore Hartford, Connecticut.  I was able to hit Springfield, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island over a long weekend in October 2023.  The weather was great, and I got a chance to experience the wonderful colors of the fall season in the Northeast. 

    Providence, Rhode Island was an intriguing place, and I wanted to get back up there to explore more in-depth.  I had never run a race in the northeast and saw the 2024 Rhode Island Half Marathon as an opportunity to get back up there and see the city from a ground level perspective.  This trip saw me make my way up to Cambridge, Massachusetts and walked around Harvard.  This was an outstanding opportunity to soak in the campus history and add content to the Walk into the Future blog. 

    Fast forward and I had an opportunity to explore the northeast again with my volunteer work with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).  I was selected in July to serve on the NACE Sourcing and Nomination Committee.  This is the group of NACE members who review all Board of Director applications and select the next generation of board members.

    Boston was selected as our meeting location based on one of our members providing access to the meeting space within her organization.  This provided us with a great location in downtown Boston with access to sights and great restaurants.

    Most of our committee work was accomplished virtually from our home locations.  We were able to review application packages in a blind format—there were no names associated with the applications, and we scored based on the NACE rubric provided.  The work in Boston was to finalize our scores and discuss candidates as needed.  This was a great experience for me to help NACE select the next wave of leaders.  The experience also helps me understand the process in case I want to launch a future run for a board position.

    Boston experiences:

    • Walking the halls and grounds of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
    • Touring the Novartis Headquarters
    • Walking through the Beacon Hill neighborhood
      • Walking on Acorn Street
    • Italian dinner at the famed Toscano restaurant
      • Our Novartis host got us a reservation 😊

    Not sure when I will get back to the Boston area but enjoyed my latest adventure.

    The results from the NACE selection process will become public in early February.  Excited to watch our new leaders move the organization forward.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

  • 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest

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    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team.”

    (Frank Sonenburg)

    Work hard and play hard is an old saying but we are getting a lot of use out of it daily.

    My Walk into the Future provides multiple outlets for me to live life daily. I leverage this blog to record and share these adventures with my readers.

    The newest adventure was the 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest at work. We started this tradition back in October 2021 with an 80’s themed dance party.  I did not think my coworkers would dress the part or even dance at work, but I was wrong. Our folks know how to have fun and are always looking for the next time to party at work.

    It took a while to produce the 2024 theme for our event, but we decided to make this year Dynamic Duos with Karaoke. We never force people to join in, but it helps when Vice Presidents get into the event, dress in costume, and have fun. We also learned that a lot of our colleagues love karaoke and could not wait to sing at work again this year. FYI, participants did not have to sing karaoke as a duo, but several did. We continue to discover talented singers from around campus and this year was no exception.

    My VP (Beth) and I agreed to dress as the Saturday Night Live (SNL) Spartan Cheerleaders this year:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SErOdLSlpkE

    We agreed to become this duo back in June and ordered matching outfits via Amazon. Yes, we take this work party seriously. Beth insisted that we match completely so she purchased matching sneakers for me to ensure we were completely in character. 😊 Our routines did not have a karaoke theme, but we wanted to entertain the audience and get them ready to have fun. We planned to perform as the opening act before the singers got started with karaoke. Most people knew we were up to something but never imagined that I would dress as a Spartan Cheerleader and perform multiple routines in my outfit. Well, Beth continues to convince me to do things out of character and it is fun. 😊

    We started with a little skit to welcome everyone to the 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest. We incorporated memories from the previous 3 Fall Fun Fest activities. This was a fantastic way to break the ice for the group and gave us time to get into character. This skit led us to perform The Perfect Cheer which was made famous by Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri as the Spartan Cheerleaders on SNL (starts at 3:36 mark:  https://www.tiktok.com/@matt.gizmo.yerke/video/7287395646066249002?lang=en)

    The karaoke machine kicked in once the Spartan Cheerleaders were done. Again, we have some talented folks on our staff and the singing was outstanding. Several folks hit the stage multiple times to entertain the crowd. We had to adjust the song format a bit when we kept getting songs from musicals. I have nothing against these types of songs but the energy level in the building went down with slow and dramatic musical songs. I will implement a party anthem only concept in 2025 to help keep the crowd moving.

    I am not sure of the theme we will have next year, but it should be another epic adventure for the team. 😊

    What do you do for fun at work?

    Irie!

    “It is not really work if you are having fun.”

    (Pierre Omidyar)

  • Five Minute Thursday: 51st Student Leadership Conference

    “Learn from yesterday.  Live for today.  Hope for tomorrow.”.

    (Albert Einstein)original_46c05165-dbd9-4075-aff6-9174019f7efe_20241004_103953

    The Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt is back for another run.  My friend Maria likes the concise nature of this writing prompt, so I decided to bring it back. 😊

    I take pride in my Authentic Leadership work and share with anyone who will sit down to listen to me.  I have worked with the Indian River State College Student Government Association (SGA) over the past four years.  My work with these students centers on student development and leadership.  The students are eager to learn, and this inspires me to work with them more.

    My fifth prompt for Five Minute Thursday is: The 51st Student Leadership Conference.

    I was approached by the organizers of the leadership conference to help students with their professional journey.  The theme for this year was: Perseverance Towards Excellence.  The intent was to provide students with foundational information to help them develop skills to move them forward.  I have presented leadership workshops with these students in the past, but the organizers asked me to focus on life after graduation, the world of work.

    I decided to focus on The First 90 Days on the Job for my presentation.  I’ve had this content in my professional speaking library and modernized the content for this conference. 

    Most of the students know me from around campus and I was surprised with the number of students that attended my session.  The students identified learning how to become professionals was an important skill they wanted to learn so that’s why they picked my session.

    Areas we covered during the session:

    • Understand Organizational Culture
      • Communication modes and formalities
      • Dress and appearance expectations
      • Work hours
    • Positive Work Behavior
      • Review employee handbook
      • Maintain professional demeanor (happy hours, social events)
      • Ready to learn and strong work ethic
    • Build Effective Relationships
      • Find a mentor
      • Align with positive colleagues
      • Create goals

    The students were receptive to these points and seemed eager to put these in play.  I’m always excited to help students develop as young adults.  This session will help them as they enter the world of work.

    What points would you share with our students?

    Irie!

  • Playdoh into the Future!

    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team”.

    (Pinterest Pin)

    What’s your fondest memory of Playdoh?

    This is not a trick question but one I have been asking people in my orbit lately.  Why?  Great question!

    I purchased a can of Playdoh one day on a trip to Dollar Tree on a whim.  Thought it would be fun to have around the house and to make forms in between laying down tracks for the Walk into the Future blog. Well, after two weeks I had not opened the Playdoh and decided to take it to work as a simple distraction in between meetings. I placed it on my desk with designs to pull it out when needed to have a little extra fun at work.

    The first time the Playdoh came out was an impromptu meeting. My Vice President and another Associate Vice President were in my office catching up on things that happened on campus.  The meeting was sidetracked as soon as they saw I had Playdoh in my office.  We immediately grabbed a handful of Playdoh and started forming shapes.  The funny thing with this process is we had the most productive meeting we’ve had in a long time while forming Playdoh.

    I didn’t know if the Playdoh and productive meeting was a coincidence, so I doubled down and purchased more and brought it to work.  I let people who enter my office select their preferred Playdoh color and take it back to their offices.  I also let them know they have to bring their Playdoh back with them if they need to speak or meet with me.  Yes, I’ve mandated Playdoh play dates at work! 😊

    Again, I have been surprised with the productivity we have been able to get since Playdoh was introduced into the work environment.  I started as something we did in my office, but I started traveling to other meetings with a bag full of Playdoh.  I place the cans on the table and let my colleagues select a color and we form shapes while solving the world’s problems.  The shapes I created were not very artistic, but I quickly discovered I needed to step up my game because my colleagues have Playdoh skills.  I’ve watched folks make some outstanding shapes and characters during our sessions.  The productivity of our meetings remains high, and we are having fun with the process. 

    Here are a few of the shapes created in our sessions:

    So, why do YOU think Playdoh has been such a success in my work environment?

    My take is most of us were introduced to Playdoh at a young age and these happy memories translate directly to how we remember the smell, feel and form of Playdoh as adults.  Simple concept—Playdoh reminds us of a simpler time in our lives and we didn’t have a worry in the world.  These memories all come back to us as soon as we open a can of Playdoh in the work environment.  Happy people = productive people!

    I’m looking to purchase a larger selection of Playdoh colors to bring into the work environment.  It may seem like a small gesture, but our productivity has gone up and we are having fun with the Playdoh!  Not sure how long this phenomenon will last but I’m enjoying it daily! 😊

    What are your memories of Playdoh?

    Irie!

    “Work hard, have fun, and make history”.

    (Jeff Bezos)

  • First Day of School Vibes!

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    “The first day of school is the beginning of a new chapter in life”.

    (Unknown)

    What’s the best that can happen?  This is one of my new mantras for 2024.  I started leveraging this within the work environment and decided to expand to the Walk into the Future blog.

    This is a simple question with the potential for huge returns in daily life and activities.

    I decided to bring this concept to life for the first day of the 2024 – 2025 academic year.  The first day is always filled with excitement and the promise of big things happening with campus partners, students and employers looking to hire talent.

    I made a promise to one of my friends to wear a tuxedo on the first day of classes last year.  We laughed at the concept at the time but agreed we would rock tuxedos and walk around so students could see how great we looked.  This would have been out of character for both of us, so we were sure to get some weird looks and questions from students, faculty and staff.  Why are you wearing tuxedos to work? Well, the first day of school came and went last year but I did not wear my tuxedo as planned.  My friend Frank passed away unexpectedly, and I didn’t feel right wearing my tuxedo.  I didn’t want to have to explain why I was wearing the tuxedo—thought it was too soon to complete the agreement and didn’t want others to feel bad.

    So, fast forward to this year and my mindset has changed.  What’s the best that can happen?  Wearing the tuxedo was a great way to honor the agreement I made with Frank and put a smile on the face of others.  Not many people knew about the agreement so my tuxedo entrance at work caught a few people off guard in a good way.

    The ironic aspect of my first day of school outfit was the impact it had on different generations. 

    People close to my age focused on the tuxedo, my shirt and tie.  They were extremely complimentary of my formal outfit and how it made me stand out. 

    What’s the best that can happen?  The students had a completely different view of my outfit.  I decided to add a little flair to my outfit by rocking blue and white Air Jordan 1’s instead of formal dress shoes.  Wanted to have fun with the outfit and the Air Jordan 1’s gave me a way to enhance my outfit and create conversations at the same time.

    Students that never would have approached me kept coming up to introduce themselves and ask me about my J’s (that’s what young people call Jordan Brand shoes).  Had no idea what they were talking about but played it off since they were interested in talking to me.  The students did not view me as an Associate Vice President but a fellow sneaker head who likes to wear formal clothing while rocking J’s. 😊  The day was filled with smiles, laughter and bonding over my decision to finally wear my tuxedo to work. 

    My colleagues were curious as to why I was wearing a tuxedo to work and were understanding when I told them the true reason why I wore the tuxedo.  I decided it was time to honor an agreement I made, and they fully supported it once I let them in on the secret.

    What’s the best that can happen on the first day of school?  Rocking a tuxedo with J’s is a great way to get multiple generations talking and sharing experiences.  I had the most fun just walking around and saying hello to people—the outfit seemed to disarm folks and made them want to chat.

    The experience was great for me and I’m happy I completed the pledge.  Will I rock a tuxedo again next year?  Yep, I will bring the outfit out again to connect with the next wave of students.  What’s the best that can happen?  You decide!

    Irie!

    “The first day of school is a blank page in the journey of education”.

    (Unknown)

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  • NACE24

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    “Succeeding in business is all about making connections”.

    (Richard Branson)

    The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) annual conference was held in Phoenix, Arizona this year.  Last year was a defacto home conference since it was on the Disney properties in Orlando, Florida.  Loved the ease of travel last year but NACE24 was one of the best conferences I have attended.

    Why?  It’s all about location and opportunities.  I’m not a huge Disney fan and felt trapped to the property the way the conference was setup.  Also, there’s not a ton of afterhours entertainment for non-Disney fans. 

    Phoenix?  Tons of local entertainment, sports and food are available within a two-block radius.

    Flew out of Orlando airport directly to the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.  I’ve been to Phoenix multiple times, but it was exciting to venture out west again.  Decided I didn’t need a car so booked the Super Shuttle service to get me to and from my hotel.  I’m a huge Marriott traveler so booked my hotel downtown Phoenix which was only two blocks from the Phoenix Convention Center which is where NACE24 was held.

    Did some exploring on my first day in town and walked around the city to take in the sights.  There were multiple police officers in front of the Footprint Center which is where the Phoenix Suns (NBA) and Phoenix Mercury (WNBA) basketball teams play.  I’ve never been to a WNBA game and was excited the Phoenix Mercury were in town and hosting a home game.  Made my way to the ticket counter and purchased a $20 general admission ticket.  Wanted to experience the environment but not spend a ton of money just to say I was there. 😊  The arena was packed, and the crowd was energized and helped the home team win in a blowout (15 points).

    Left the ball game and headed out to get some food. Found a funky spot called Copper Blues. It’s a restaurant with live music and free comedy shows on Sunday nights.  This was a perfect spot to post up at the bar and take in the culture.  Spent about 3 hours in Copper Blues before heading back to my hotel which was half a block over—things in Phoenix are close.

    NACE24 started on Monday with some preconference sessions and attendee check-in.  No need to rush over but didn’t want to spend a ton of time in the check-in line.  The keynote on Day 1 was Soledad O’Brien formerly of CNN.  She spoke at NACE in Chicago a few years ago and did a fantastic job.  Wanted to attend her session to learn more about her current media role and the value she places on education.

    NACE is all about networking and I was able to catch up with colleagues from all over the country.  Ran into my friend Sean Collins who currently works at FAMU in Tallahassee but used to work for me at Florida State University back in the day.  Connected with NACE Board members—the current CEO, Chair and incoming Chair are all friends of mine.  It was great running into them and planning some future projects together.  The NACE community is a tight knit group, and the incoming Chair has already reached out to me to lead the Sourcing and Nomination Committee—this group is charged with selecting new board members.  It will give me insight on the process and help my efforts for a future NACE board seat—fingers crossed! 😊

    The next two days were filled with networking, checking out vendors and attending after-work parties.  There’s a lot of food, drink and fun at NACE and Phoenix provided a nice backdrop for all these things.

    The final party was held at The Duce in the warehouse district.  One of the vendors reserved the venue and provided food, drinks and live music for NACE attendees.  It was great seeing my colleagues in a different light, and everyone was having a fantastic time.

    NACE25 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania next year.  I will get a chance to see my friend, Lauren Apgar again when I get up there.  Excited for NACE25 and seeing my homey! 😊

    Irie!

  • Five Minute Thursday: Inspiration

    inspirational quotes on a planner
    Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

    “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today”.

    (H. Jackson Brown)

    The Walk into the Future blog is back to give a run to the Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt.

    I am enjoying the freedom this writing prompt brings to me and let’s me explore topics to help continue to move forward.  I’ve also received good feedback on the writing prompt so I’m lining up additional topics to explore over the summer.

    My third prompt for Five Minute Thursday is:  Inspiration.

    My overall inspiration comes from leveraging my WHY statement:  To leave people better than when I found them.  Simple concept but it helps me Walk into the Future daily with purpose.

    I developed this WHY statement with intent to use it to help move forward in life.  It also provides me with an inspiration foundation to help others. 

    I had a high school guidance counselor who did not provide me with any advice for life after high school.  I’m sure I’m not the only person who got the short end of this counseling session, but I made a promise that I would help everyone that needed assistance based on the lack of help I received almost 40 years ago.

    My inspiration for this mindset is everyone deserves a path to meet their life and career goals. 

    I’ve joked about being Inspiration Man, but I take this moniker seriously.  I write this blog to inspire my readers.  I develop leadership workshops to inspire individuals and organizations.  I mentor a ton of people to inspire them to set and achieve goals.  I am an active member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) to inspire current and former team mates to do more within the organization.  I run to inspire myself to reach physical fitness goals.  I text Happy Monday and Happy Friday to my folks to inspire them to have a great day.  I also do this to let my folks know I’m thinking about them.  This has inspired several to return the favor to me and this makes me smile.

    Inspiration comes in multiple forms. What can YOU add to the Five-Minute Thursday inspiration conversation?

    Irie!

    “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world”.

    (Robin Williams)

  • Make Every Second Count

    clear glass with red sand grainer
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence”.

    (Vince Lombardi)

    This is a simple mantra but has a profound impact for me moving forward.

    I was looking for a cutting-edge angle to address over 80 staff members to launch our office retreat and emphasize the importance of the services we provide to students, parents, community members and our teammates.

    Yes, everyone knows our clients are the life blood of what we do daily. My goal was to provide a blueprint the collective group could use and implement.

    I’m a huge fan of Jocko Willink and have read multiple books he has written. I also leverage his YouTube channel to learn new things quickly.  His GOOD video is my favorite:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdTMDpizis8

    My immediate team has seen the GOOD video multiple times, so I didn’t want to use that one again.  Went back to the Jocko library and watched videos to find something new and fresh for the retreat.  I needed something direct, short, and impactful.

    The Make Every Second Count video is short, but it packs a powerful message.

    https://bit.ly/3Khg4Kc

    We waste time on a lot of things daily but if we focus on the little things then big things happen.  Each second we work with clients is important.  How do we maximize our impact?  One second at a time.  How do we ensure our clients get what they need?  One second at a time. How do we get better daily?  One second at a time.

    One of my favorite authors is Dr. Henry Cloud. His book 9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life was introduced to me as part of my graduate program.  This was a required textbook in a Career Development course I took through Liberty University.  It was the first college textbook that I kept for my personal library.  Fun fact, I carry this book with me daily and refer to it on a regular basis.

    Chapter 7 is his Principle 5:  Act Like an Ant highlights this simple concept as a way to make incremental progress.  How do ants build an ant hill?  One grain of sand at a time.  This is very similar to Jockos’ Make Every Second Count concept.  Positive things happen when you stack small incremental steps together over an extended period.  We routinely look towards a finished project but can’t get there without the small steps (grain of sand / seconds) needed to complete the project.

    Not a huge rocket science statement but one that needs to be reinforced daily to ensure everyone understands the importance of steps (seconds) in setting and accomplishing a goal.

    I used Dr. Cloud’s words to change the way I approached my PhD program.  I was always looking towards the end goal but didn’t fully engage in the grains of sand in front of me.  My grains of sand were:  one read page at a time, one chapter at a time, one course at a time.  This mindset adjustment created a better learning experience for me and helped guide me towards my goal of becoming Dr. Calvin Williams.

    I look forward to combining both concepts:  Make Every Second Count and Work Like an Ant to inspire my teams through the rest of 2024.

    What’s your favorite inspiration hack to move forward daily?

    Irie!

  • Five Minute Thursday: Mentor

    paper boats on solid surface
    Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

    “A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself”.

    (Oprah Winfrey)

    The Walk into the Future blog is back and will give the Five-Minute Thursday prompt another run.

    I was surprised to hear from multiple readers who enjoyed the concept and what I put out during my first run with this prompt.  Will get a few more topics in with this format.

    My second prompt for Five Minute Thursday is:  Mentor.

    I have been blessed with great mentors in my professional life.  These folks have each provided me with guidance and showed me the correct way to move forward in life.  Deborah Friendly mentored me at my first Air Force duty station in Fort Worth, Texas.  Tony Greene picked me up when I went to Japan the first time.  I connected with Rich Gardner in San Antonio while stationed at Randolph Air Force Base.  The interesting thing about these mentors is they were all from Florida—just like me.  Funny how people cross your path—three of my first mentors were from my home state but I met them in other states and countries.  Life is interesting!

    I’m still in contact with these three folks and appreciate the knowledge they shared with me.

    The mentor I will write about today is Jan McIntosh.  He was a Chief Master Sergeant and the top enlisted Personnel Manager in the Air Force.  He oversaw Personnel (HR) operations for every Air Force Base in the world.  I knew the Chief by name but had no idea he knew me or anything about me.

    I met him during my time as an Air Force Instructor at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.  I was one of two instructors charged with training computer analysts on a new personnel database that was being integrated Air Force wide.  We built the course in record time and then had to train analysts worldwide to ensure operational integrity throughout the Air Force.

    Chief McIntosh watched me teach a few sessions and then pulled me to the side and gave me the most important piece of advice I ever received.  He asked me if I wanted to know the key to success and I said, of course.  He told me the secret to success in life was:  Be where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing, when you are supposed to be doing it.  A very simple concept but I put this advice into action after he shared it with me, and things really started taking off for me. 

    Doors started opening for me because I put this simple concept into action.  Promotions, better work assignments, financial wellbeing, better health outcomes, and improved relationships all came my way by utilizing this advice.

    I use the knowledge Chief McIntosh gave me in 1997 to this day and share with all my tree branches.  I also use this information in my work environment to lead my teams—yes, I share these same words with everyone on my team to show them how easy life can be if we get out of our way.

    Interesting fact—the advice Chief McIntosh gave me was the ONLY conversation we have ever had.  I never saw him or spoke with him again, but I leverage his wisdom daily and consider him one of my best mentors.  He came into my life at a time when I needed his knowledge, and he shared it with me freely. 

    Which mentor impacted your life the most?

    Irie!

    “Your mentors in life are important, choose them wisely”.

    (Bill Walsh)