The Nutshell #16 - a "citizen better" journal
17 August to 14 September 2024
Welcome to The Nutshell for subscribers of The Greater Good. A journal where I share my personal journey to citizen better.
What People are Saying - the good, the bad, and the ugly (Feedback on The Greater Good)
Whenever I get great feedback on a guest, I like to start with this in the newsletter.
Here are some comments on the Kevin Newman episode.
Chris Ayotte what a fantastic episode! Kevin Newman provided a vulnerable, honest interaction that gave us insight into his experiences, combined with his current perspectives as a seasoned journalist and passionate citizen. His observation of seeing one of our wounded warriors in Tim Hortons in Petawawa and connecting the embed program with ' humanizing the CAF for the Canadian population' was a great thread that is worthy of reflection. Thanks for this.
Keep doing this Chris! You are bringing us all along with you!!! Yeeehaaawww!!
A true gentlemen, and Canadian. Looking forward to this one, Chris.
Kevin is a very good friend. He is kind, empathetic and a great man to talk to.
Kevin Newman is one of a kind.
Kevin is such a solid dude. Can't wait to hear this one.
What I’m Doing
Since my child recently started university away from home, I have been asked repeatedly how it feels to be an empty nester. There is the predictable mix of emotions of missing someone, but being excited and proud at the same time. However, what I did not appreciate is how the energy in the house is different. I can tangibly sense one less person in our home and it’s strange.
Last week, a friend extended an offer I could not refuse. I got the chance to help him run a sawmill and mill wood into slabs and different sized posts. It was so much fun to produce raw lumber that will be turned into a myriad of cool things by creative people. There is no doubt I enjoy the immediate satisfaction of this type of work and a shared experience with a friend.
I got to stretch my volunteer muscles this week with the most recent meeting of the advisory counsel for the True Patriot Love Foundation’s Veteran Volunteerism Initiative. I was asked to “chair” the counsel which was so nice to get that vote of confidence from someone I deeply respect. The counsel is a great group of Canadians with different background who are providing advice on how to build a National Action Plan to help transitioning veterans find volunteer opportunities for the next phase of their life. If you know a transitioning veteran who wants to volunteer, check out this program.
My last leadership editorial is almost ready for publication. This one is focused on the idea of authentic leadership. I think there is merit to leading authentically as long as people don’t get caught in the “hype cycle” around this idea. I have found it’s a lot of work to lead authentically and it’s not just a case of showing up and being yourself. My sense is too many people justify mistakes and shortcomings by highjacking the idea of authentic leadership. The aim of the editorial is to shine a light on this and provide some ideas of how to find your way to being an authentic leader.
I managed to get out for a hike yesterday and it was glorious. It was my first visit to the trails around Calabogie and I will certainly be back. We are so fortunate to have this wilderness gem so close to Ottawa. On the way home, I stopped in Arnprior for a coffee and a snack. The flat white and cinnamon bun from the Mighty Fine Bakehouse was excellent. The quality of the coffee was noteworthy and the bake on the cinnamon bun showed real skill. Count me impressed.
What I’m Reading
A sample of my reading this week.
I’m a pretty die hard Army guy. I’m always looking for ways to help my former institution, but I’m really disappointed about the Government’s recent announcement to spend $2B on “the long-term sustainment of the Leopard 2 Family of Vehicles”. The contract is to maintain all vehicles with a tank chassis (includes engr and recovery vehicles), but it’s really about the actual tanks. If the objective is to have a capability in our Army that can kill enemy tanks, then the modern battlefield has many things that can fulfill this function. If you want to be in the tank business, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated that tanks on the modern battlefield don’t survive long so you need lots of them. Canada does not have lots of them. I’m pretty certain this was not an Army priority, but ultimately the Army actually doesn’t decide what on the list gets funded. Check out the recent Wall Street Journal article on this exact issue - The Once-Dominant Tank Is Getting Humbled on the Battlefield.
I’m part way through an audio book called 5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life. It provides a breakdown of the five types of people who fit under the heading of high conflict personalities - this is 10% of the population. The book lays out the personality types and gives tools to identify and disengage from these people. With this information, I can look back on people I have encountered over the years and see their actions in this book.
I was gifted a wonderful book call The Trusted Advisor. This book was great because it helped me better understand how what I learned in the military (leadership, building relationships, establishing trust, etc) should be reframed to deal with a client in the private sector. This is a really useful read for any veteran who is thinking about private sector work.
A friend put me onto this piece from Trevor Semeniuk. So much power in sharing one’s story. You never know how many people you can help or inspire by simply putting yourself out there.
I’m really enjoying the Weekly Dose of Optimism from Not Boring on Substack. I get a bunch of interesting nuggets from the tech world that I would not have come across.
What I’m Listening to and Watching
I got sucked into politics more than usual over the last couple of weeks. On the Canadian side, it was fascinating to watch the NDP break up with the Liberals. I can understand the “why”, but the “how” and the “when” is harder to grasp. Only time will tell if this decision has the effect they desire. South of the border, the U.S. presidential debate was less interesting and very predictable. I’m not sure how much this type of political theatre influences the American voter since most of the country is already decided. I suppose when winning in November comes down to just a few states, every vote counts.
Similar to the Weekly Dose of Optimism, the free Economist Podcasts are great for providing a wide variety of stories. I especially like how they provide more depth to some of the main stories of the day. That extra bit of content hits the sweet spot for me.
I now understand the hype around Welcome to Wrexham. It’s a well put together show that covers how the Welsh football club, Wrexham AFC, impacts the lives of the players, team staff, and many people in the community. It’s a lot of fun. It never hurts that Ryan Reynolds is one of the owners of the club.
Reminders to Subscribers
If there are guests you would like to see on the podcast, please drop me a note in the Substack chat function.
I continue to offer free advertising for veteran charities and businesses on The Northern Sentinels Podcast. If you know a business or organization that could benefit, please pass along the offer. They can connect with me through Substack, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Thanks for supporting The Greater Good. Please take the time to recommend my Substack to someone to help grow the community. Have an amazing weekend.