The Nutshell #6 - a "citizen better" journal
30 March to 5 April 2024
Welcome to The Nutshell for subscribers of The Greater Good. A journal where I share my personal efforts to citizen better.
What I’m Doing
I had a great Easter weekend. A run of four days where I felt really happy and in the moment. My wife and I took on a small project in the house and it turned out very nice. We work really well together on projects because we each bring completely different skills to the effort. She has a great eye for design and can often find an easier way to do something while I am mired in the math and details of the build. I have the best fire team partner! We had supper at my parents place on Easter Sunday and my contribution was dessert. I have spent a lot more time cooking and baking since I left the military and I love finding recipes that are super easy, but present like they are far more complicated. This lemon pavlova is a great example.
Image Credit - the Food Network
As I work to figure out the next professional chapter, I continue to receive amazing support from friends. One conversation exposed me to different options outside of Canada where my skills and experience are in high demand. Another friend walked me through the business of charities and non-profits. Although the two conversations presented vastly different options, the important commonality was the need to be discoverable. You can be the best at something, but if no one knows you then you might not find what you are looking for. As I mentioned in Cup of Joe last week, most people leaving the military have not built their own networks. We are all given networks and few build their own. If you don’t put in the time effort to build the network, then you don’t own it.
I had an amazing session with my friend who is writing a book, so we could go through my comments. As I mentioned in a previous The Nutshell, I was honoured to be asked to be a beta reader on a draft. What was really cool about going through my points with him was his complete lack of ego. It’s rare to see someone take criticism in such a positive, and dare I say excited, manner. His desire to put out the best book possible was so evident, it really inspired me to be more open to critique and get over myself when I’m annoyed about something. Humility is a superpower.
Image credit - Julian Stodd
On the NSP front, I had fascinating pre-podcast discussion with Lieutenant-General (retired) Mike Jeffery. Mike was the Commander of the Canadian Army when I was a young officer. It was fun to get to know someone I only ever saw from a distance. It was a meandering conversation and we explored every tangent and rabbit hole that was available. What I love about the NSP is the chance to have these engaging conversations on real issues.
What I’m Reading
A sample of my reading this week.
One of my recent additions to my Substack reading is The Bureau by
. His coverage for the Foreign Interference Commission is excellent.As the U.S. plans to build capacity through autonomous systems, a capstone project in this effort is the Replicator project. This is a good summary of the intent and desired outcome of the project which will spend a billon dollars in the next 24 months.
Image credit - Boeing
The Replicator article send me on the hunt for more reading. It’s seems the capability evolution will, as a minimum, have a fast and slow side. The slow side will be the big spends - ships, aircraft, and large fleets of crewed armoured vehicles - with the fast side being the autonomous systems that are less expensive and can be produced quickly. This Reuters article is a deep dive on the topic of autonomous systems.
I also came across this from Milton Friedman which I though was a nice summary of the challenges with defence spending in Canada. If the spending of defence dollars was framed correctly with decision makers (your money as a taxpayer to protect your family and friends) perhaps there would be a different outcome.
I re-read the book Legacy by James Kerr about the All Blacks rugby team changing culture and striving for excellence. It’s been years since I read this book and I forgot how well it aligns to many of my beliefs. A few gems from the book:
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what your really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
“Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare” - Japanese proverb
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they will never see.” - Greek proverb
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” - Muhammad Ali
What I’m Listening to and Watching
I have recommended The Splinter podcast before and the most recent episode reinforces my previous recommendation. The interview with
is fascinating. So much so, I went down several rabbit holes on business strategy. His on Substack is worth a look.
As with many people, I was introduced to F1 through the Netflix series Drive to Survive. It’s a fun watch. I stumbled across a Youtube channel that breaks down how a F1 car works. Fascinating for the STEM types out there.
What People are Saying - the good, the bad, and the ugly (Feedback on The Greater Good)
I get lots of feedback on what I put out into the world. Most is positive, some is critical in a good way, and very little is unhelpful. I’ll share the good, the bad, and the ugly here.
Nothing to share this week.
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.