Walk Into the Future

Category: Team building

Articles to enhance team building.

  • Denver Leadership Conference

    “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”.

    (Steve Jobs)

    My Walk into the Future is designed to allow me to gain new experiences and share knowledge when needed.

    I connected with the Academic Impressions Senior Product Experience Manager during a Retention conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota last October.  I knew of her through work communications but got a better understanding of her role while attending the conference.

    She knew of my work at Indian River State College in the Advising and Career Services space but did not know I did leadership consulting on the side.  I’m happy to share this fact with anyone willing to sit with me so I can expand my portfolio of clients.  Also, I’m proud of my Authentic Leadership work and developing new partnerships is something I strive to achieve.

    The Academic Impressions mission is to develop the leaders higher education needs to thrive. My Authentic Leadership research and consulting focuses on higher education, but I expand this focus to include any organization looking to enhance leadership development.  I shared my leadership training philosophy with the Academic Impressions staff during the conference, and we spent several days discussing a potential partnership between CW Consulting, LLC. and their organization.  The organization has a branded, 5 Paths to Leadership program that is leveraged by higher education institutions to build and grow proactive leadership programs.

    I was invited out to Denver for the leadership conference to learn more about the Academic Impressions leadership programs and to see how we may be able to introduce Authentic Leadership into their leadership training portfolio. Yes, I’m always looking for ways to partner and find new ways to expand the reach of Authentic Leadership. 😊

    I was able to leverage professional development funding for this trip to enlarge my institution’s partnership with Academic Impressions.  A bonus to this partnership was the opportunity to visit Denver again and experience the city after work hours.  I’ve been to Denver multiple times and enjoy the culture, sightseeing and crisp mountain air.

    The Academic Impression leadership conference consisted of higher education professionals from around the country.  Several schools sent their entire leadership teams to this conference to build teamwork and synergy towards developing leadership protocols to enhance their daily operations.  It was interesting to hear from others in this space to understand the challenges they face in leadership development.  FYI—most schools conduct professional development training out of the Organizational Development (OD) department which is part of Human Resources.  Most conference attendees worked out of OD at their respective schools and were in the process of building or revamping their leadership training programs.  The Academic Impressions 5 Paths to Leadership program was a major draw for everyone in attendance. I was a bit of an outlier as I was trying to determine if Authentic Leadership could be embedded in this leadership principle and possibly become a leadership facilitator with Academic Impressions.

    The 5 Paths for Leadership is based on research within the higher education leadership space and has helped multiple schools get positive results in leadership training.  My time in Denver allowed me to learn how this leadership program has helped organizations implement leadership training on their respective campuses.  The attendees were able to share leadership challenges and get input from facilitators on ways to move forward with new concepts and ideas based on research.

    I enjoyed the one-on-one time with the facilitators and the group exercises to identify future challenges to leadership success (example: the political climate in America, reduction in DEI initiatives, etc.).  We spent a good amount of time identifying challenges with a Post It Note session and there were consistencies across the board—it did not matter what part of the country we came from; we all had the same thoughts on future challenges. ☹

    I made a lot of new leadership connections during this conference and stay in contact with my colleagues to learn new techniques.  I plan to follow-up with the Academic Impressions folks to see how I can incorporate Authentic Leadership into their leadership program.  This would be a great compliment to their work and would allow me to expand the Authentic Leadership style into the higher education space.  I’m always looking for ways to expand and this partnership will provide me with another platform to share with others.

    I will provide an update once the Academic Impressions folks pick me up as a facilitator. 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “The art of communication is the language of leadership”.

    (James Humes)

  • Port St. Lucie (PSL) High School Leadership Awards

    “Leadership is the capacity to translate a vision into reality”.

    (Warren Bennis)

    My Walk into the Future provides outstanding opportunities for me to make a difference in the world.

    I rarely turn down a chance to speak to groups to help others move forward in life and help them prepare for career success. A work colleague recently asked me if I would be interested in speaking at the Port St. Lucie High School awards ceremony. I was honored with the request and said yes on the spot. I viewed this as an opportunity to reach back and help a group of young leaders on their journey after high school. 

    This was also a chance for me to work on new speaking material in case I’m asked to speak at graduation ceremonies in the future.  I’m always preparing for something.  There are times I should ask more questions before accepting these speaking gigs but more on that later. 😀

    My role as explained to me was to speak for 5 – 7 minutes and provide inspirational words to the award recipients and other attendees.  I was not familiar with PSL High School or the students there so I decided to focus on how they can implement a formula for success.  My plan was to use the success formula I was gifted while in the Air Force that I leverage daily.

    — Be where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to be doing, when you’re supposed to be doing it.

    I’ve leverage this success formula for years and it’s helped me progress in my professional and personal life. My goal was to let students know it does not matter where you come from or how you start. Success is available to everyone if they have a goal and grit to strive towards it.

    I started with a little background on myself where I shared with the students my lack of success when I first started my educational journey.  I attended Lake City Community College right after high school, but I was not successful.  I shared that I’m probably the only person they will meet with a Ph. D. who flunked out of community college.  This allowed them to see failure can be a part of a successful life and professional journey. 

    My words were well received by the students, parents, staff and school administrators. I felt good about my message and how I delivered it.

    So, why should I have asked better questions prior to the speaking engagement? Great question Lynn! 😊

    Well, it turns out the high school principal was out unexpectedly, and they needed someone to fill in handing out awards and taking pictures with over 250 award recipients. Yes, I was elected to fill in for the principal and shake hands with each student that crossed the stage. I joke that it was a chore, but it was an amazing experience to greet the young people who got positive things accomplished during their time at PSL High School.

    The highlight for me was when a student with Down Syndrome won the most popular award and he hugged me when he came on stage. He was so excited, and his fellow students were thrilled for him.  He danced off stage after receiving his award and there were smiles on the face of everyone in attendance.

    My friend, Alisa, attended the event with me for support and ended up taking pictures for me to capture the great moments with the students.  We joked that she was my publicist, and several presenters asked her to take their pictures as well since they thought she did this for a living.  She enjoyed interacting with the audience and it was a great sport taking pictures for complete strangers. 😊

    This was a great experience for me and allowed me to spread Authentic Leadership to a new generation.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”.

    (John C. Maxwell)

  • WPBF Interview

    “You’re not famous until your mother has heard of you”.

    (Jay Leno)

    Love this quote from Jay Leno and it fits my life quite a bit. 😊

    My mom is the only person who introduces me as Dr. Williams.  She gets a lot of joy introducing me that way and I think it’s a cool dynamic.  She does not think of or view me as famous, but she has heard of me and the work I’m doing on my Walk into the Future.

    I was asked to come down to WPBF in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss some of the work we do with our military and veteran populations.  We have a large number of enrolled students with military affiliation and conduct a lot of outreach in the community.  This outreach caught the attention of the WPBF news director, and they requested we come down and do a live TV spot to promote the event.

    I was a regular on the local news scene when I worked in the Florida State University’s Career Center.  This was my first opportunity to get back on the air at my current institution.

    You can view the interview here:  https://www.wpbf.com/article/florida-indian-river-state-college-supporting-local-veterans-hobbies-helping-hands/64185475

    I’m not sure I’m famous now but it was a fun experience.  Hope you enjoyed the interview.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it”.

    (Henry David Thoreau)

  • Five Minute Thursday: Favorite TV Show

    “I can’t be with someone like me.  I hate myself”

    (Jerry Seinfeld)

    We are back for another run at the Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt. I’m always looking for new ways to share content with readers of my blog and this writing prompt allows me to explore and take a few chances.

    It may come as a surprise but I’m still a huge Seinfeld fan.  I started watching the original series and continue to watch reruns like I have never seen before.

    This Five-Minute Thursday prompt is: My Favorite TV Show.

    Seinfeld is still my show!  Jerry identified it as a show about nothing but there is a ton of substance to the show and the way they developed the characters.  The main characters Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer were must see TV when the show was still in active rotation.  It remains a great show in rerun format, and I still stop to watch full episodes.

    The show covered daily activities but provided a clever and funny angle to each of these activities.  A lot of content was centered around Jerry and took place in his NYC apartment.  The other characters would flock to Jerry to share daily interactions and wait for Jerry to provide commentary.  Jerry’s take was always shallow and brought a new level of fun to whatever his friends complained about.  Each character had unique hangups and this was enjoyable to watch during each episode.

    A few of my favorite episodes are:

    • Yada, yada, yada
    • Shrinkage
    • The Close Talker
    • Not that there’s anything wrong with that
    • The Soup Nazi
    • Sponge worthy

    I’m not sure if you can YouTube Seinfeld episodes by these titles but they will make you laugh if you can find them. There’s a ton of Seinfeld episodes available on TV daily and I’m sure you can watch them like it’s the 1990’s all over again.  This classic comedy never gets old to me, and I watch episodes like they are brand new to me. 

    My one issue with the Seinfeld series is how it ended.  The last episode was one of the most watched shows of all time.  My problem with the ending is it wasn’t funny!  I thought they spent more time rehashing previous encounters and forget to leverage the last episode to complete a comedy masterpiece.  It left me wondering WHY and wanting more from such a successful run.  Oh well, this doesn’t stop me from watching the Seinfeld reruns daily when I get home from work.

    What’s your favorite TV show and why?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Serinity now”.

    (Frank Costanza)

  • Back to the Future

    (Image by Tumisu from Pixabay)

    “Opportunities don’t happen; you create them”.

    (Chris Grosser)

    What did you want to be growing up?

    This was an icebreaker question in a recent meeting we had at work.

    It seemed like a simple question, but it made me pause for a second.  Why do you ask?  Great question as always Maria! 😊

    Well, I had my mind set on being a forest ranger when I entered high school.  I didn’t know anyone who was a ranger, but I always saw them around growing up in rural northern Florida.  My hometown is Jasper, Florida which is right on the Florida / Georgia line.  It’s known for farming and fishing, so I spent a lot of time outdoors and wandering in the woods.

    I thought being a ranger would allow me to enjoy this aspect of growing up and help make a difference in the world.  I researched everything about becoming a ranger and joined 4H to develop additional skills.  I thought being in the woods and protecting the environment was going to be my career.

    Well, that all changed when I took a TV Productions class in my senior year. We got a chance to host live TV segments that aired in our school.  I never thought I would enjoy that aspect of the class but found a new joy going to school.  We got a chance to produce segments and conduct interviews with different topics ranging from sports, education and life after high school.

    I changed my mind about becoming a forest ranger due to our TV Productions course.  I started watching nightly news shows looking for pointers I could leverage in our class.  Journalism was going to be my new career, and I was excited about this.   I put a lot of extra effort into this course and a few of us were requested to video football and basketball games and provide the tape to coaches. This was an exciting time and showed another aspect to the course.  I was hooked!  Journalism was my thing.

    Fast forward a bit and I received a partial Journalism scholarship to Lake City Community College.  Turns out school was not my thing at that point in my life.  I flunked out of community college and joined the Air Force.  I had an outstanding Air Force career but never forgot about journalism.

    I started the Walk into the Future blog to share adventures and stories.  It’s not a traditional journalism role but I have people around the world reading my blog and sharing experiences with me.

    I’m not writing for a large newspaper or covering stories from New York as a photojournalist, but I am chronicling adventures and stories to share with folks around the world.  This may have been an unconventional route to get where I wanted to be back in high school but I’m here pounding out articles weekly.

    Hooray for that TV Productions class back in Jasper, Florida!  It opened opportunities and doors for me in life.  Well done, Mrs. Klepper!

    What did YOU want to be when you grew up?  Let’s make it happen.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop”.

    (Confucius)

  • Make Every Second Count

    (Photo by Jordan Benton)

    “You may delay, but time will not”.

    (Benjamin Franklin)

    The Walk into the Future blog continues to look for new topics to develop.  Most of the content comes directly from my travels, life adventures and items of interest.  I have reached out to tree branches for thoughts on new blog content and then try to develop their concepts into something I can share with my readers. 

    I had an outstanding conversation with Melissa Forges on my drive over for the 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon.  We got a chance to catch up on life and have a few laughs in the process.  Melissa shared three topics of interest and gifted them to me to see if I could develop them into a blog article. Well, here’s my run at her first topic: Make Every Second Count.

    We all understand the concept of time and how our days on earth are numbered.  There’s a finite amount of time we get to live this life, and this is our way to inspire YOU to live more.

    I decided to do a little research to put your time in perspective.  What does time look like?

    • 12 months in a year
    • 365 days in that same year
    • 7 days a week
    • 1,440 minutes in a day
    • 86,400 seconds in a day

    The first three time markers are the most common and talked about in our daily interactions.  Days turn into weeks, months and then years at a faster pace as we get older.  This may be a perception thing, but it feels real to me.  I left home to join the Air Force in 1986 and just celebrated 39 years on this life journey post Jasper, Florida.  We hear time flies, and it seems to become a reality as I get older in this life.

    Let’s dive into the minutes and seconds we each have in a day.  How many of the 1,440 minutes in a day are you doing something to make the world a better place?  What about the 86,400 seconds in a day? 

    I take my role as a tree (mentor) seriously and look to enhance my interactions with my tree branches daily.  I’m not sure I maximize every second of every day, but I put a sincere effort into this process daily.  It’s easy to say I will get something done tomorrow but I don’t want to waste time or effort and ignore today.  Yes, it’s easy for me to write this from the comfort of my keyboard but I will begin to leverage the time concept into my writing as well.  I have new responsibilities at work and there are days when I don’t sit down to work on my writing craft.  I assume I have time to develop topics into blog articles but need to leverage every second available to ensure I have a large library of blog articles to select from.  I normally have seven to eight articles drafted before I publish weekly.  Maximizing every minute and second in the day will get me back to a place where I have a large library to select from again. 

    Making every second count can be leveraged in all aspects of life.  I plan to use this mindset when I start my full marathon training program in June.  The 2025 Atlantic City Marathon is scheduled for October of this year, but I must use my training time smartly.  Lauren, how will you make every second count before we toe the line in Atlantic City? 😊

    How can blog readers who are parents maximize your time with your kids?  Yes, they have busy lives but are you making every second count with them?  Just a question Melissa but remember, this was your topic! LOL

    Have you booked the vacation you have been talking about for the past few years?  Again, time stops for no one—are you making every second count?

    I can add more scenarios but believe you get my point on time. 😊

    One final point.  My grandmother passed away in 2012 and the pastor that delivered her eulogy used the concept of time to inspire the family to live life.  He gave us the 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds per day to highlight how my grandmother lived life to the fullest.  His exact words were: She Lived!  He challenged the family to follow in her footsteps and live life.

    I’m still a work in progress but I maximize my time daily.

    So, I challenge my Walk into the Future blog readers to make every second count!

    Melissa, how did I do on your first topic? 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Time moves slowly but passes quickly”.

    (Alice Walker)

  • Authentic Leadership (IRSC series)

    “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”.

    (Warren Bennis)

    The Walk into the Future blog has a consistent focus on Authentic Leadership and the impact in the workplace.  My leadership consulting work is founded on Authentic Leadership principles and drives my daily interactions in the workplace.  My Walk into the Future readers should know I love a good quote by now.  Ok, here’s another one!

    “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives, and in his own land” (Mark 6:4).

    I have leveraged Authentic Leadership with my consulting organizations to help them develop their staff and engage them to seek positive work outcomes.  I continue to seek out additional consulting opportunities with local government agencies and will work with the Seminole Tribe of Florida again in early May.  Fun fact, the Seminole Tribe of Florida was my first Authentic Leadership client back in 2018.  I maintain an active vendor credential with the Tribe, but COVID-19 stopped our training momentum.  That changes in May! 😊

    So, why is the prophet quote above?  Great question, Lynn!

    I work with multiple organizations to help THEM improve the work environment, but I never introduced my Authentic Leadership program to my current organization, Indian River State College.

    Leadership training is normally a product of the Human Resources (HR) department at most educational institutions.  The University of Central Florida (UCF) and Florida State University (FSU) have robust leadership programs within the Organizational Development unit under HR.  I experienced firsthand how these consistent leadership programs enhanced the overall operational effectiveness on both campuses. 

    Fast forward and I decided to introduce my Authentic Leadership training program on my current campus.  I’m not saying I’m taking over the training program for my organization, but I have training materials that can and will help the organization grow. 

    I decided to schedule an Authentic Leadership series and invite campus partners and my staff to attend.  This was not an official consulting role (not paid) but I wanted to start making a difference in ‘my own land’.  No one called on me to do this, but I saw a need and had a platform to move us forward.

    The following workshops were scheduled with in-person and virtual options:

    • Authentic Leadership (2 times)
    • The Self-Aware Leader (2 times)
    • Empowered Leadership (1 time)

    I didn’t know how these workshops would be received in ‘my land’ but I was pleasantly surprised by the attendance and the level of participation.  There were several attendees who attended ALL the workshops even though I repeated two of the workshops—same material but the folks wanted to get more in-depth with the content.

    The biggest take away for me was the amount of interest and excitement for the attendees to create their personal WHY statement as part of their homework from the Empowered Leadership workshop.  The WHY statements were well conceived and addressed areas each attendee wanted to improve in their daily lives.  I felt like a proud papa reading the statements and saw my volunteer work making a difference in my work environment.  Not a surprising outcome considering I do this for outside organizations on a regular basis.

    Looks like you can be a prophet in your own land after all! 😊

    What areas can you impact in your own land?  Thanks!

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Every time you speak, you are auditioning for leadership”.

    (James Humes)

  • 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

  • Poetic Flow: Living Life

    bunch of small flowers on a book
    Photo by Wallace Chuck on Pexels.com

    The enemy within causes a majority of problems

    Thoughts provoked by fear

    The anger is near

    Constant give and take

    What type of life to make?

    Pulling one way, then the next

    The pendulum of life continues to swing

    What might tomorrow bring?

    Thanks to my Walk into the Future blog readers for a great 2024! I’m looking forward to 2025 being the best blog year yet. Stay tuned for more travel, fun and training articles. Guest bloggers will make a few appearances in 2025 as well! 😊

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! See you in 2025!

    Irie!