The Nutshell #9 - a "citizen better" journal
20 April to 3 May 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)
What listeners are saying about the next podcast with Arjun Grewal.
“Arj is all integrity and insight.”
“Will surely take a listen, way to go “
“Looking forward to listening to this!”
“You want to hear what Arjun has to say. Promise.”
“This will be good!”
“A great leader, leading a great company.”
“Arj is a great human and professional”
What I’m Doing
I didn’t have enough to say last week, or perhaps I was in less of a sharing mood, so I decided not to publish a newsletter. As a someone who manages uncertainty and stress through organization and routine, it was out of character to not simply push through and write something. I suppose that’s the difference between a job and a hobby.
One way I’m trying to diversify guests on the NSP is to ask past guests and listeners for recommendations. Other than lessening the work of coming up with new names, my hope is this will help me avoid forming too much of an echo chamber. I had two people independently recommend reaching out to Rahul Goel CEO of NordSpace and PheedLoop. I wanted to speak to Rahul mainly based on him being the Founder and CEO of a Canadian space company. I’m on the hunt for people who can speak to important technology issues that we hear about everyday, so Canadians can understand why these issues are important to us - AI, cyber, space, quantum, etc. Speaking with Rahul educated and inspired me. In his early 30s, he has not only done impressive work for someone twice his age, but his views on people, leadership, and service are well developed and likely contribute to his ability to achieve his goals. I’m thankful Rahul has agreed to be on the podcast.
I like to fish. More specifically, I like to fly fish. This is something my Father has been doing for years and when I was looking for a hobby that had nothing to do with the military, this seemed to be a nice fit. Fortunately, catching fish is secondary because I’m mediocre at best. The real value of this hobby for me is being in nature and spending time with people. Trout season opened in Quebec on 26 April, so a friend and I took advantage of a beautiful day and hit a lake north of Ottawa. Not much luck with the fish, but it’s not about the fish.
In my efforts to find my next professional “thing”, I’m speaking with people in my network and adding new people to that list every week. One thing that I have learned about myself is I need to find the right work experience. This means working with a team of good people, who are professional (organized, on time, respectful), and focused on outcomes. I used to be fixated on finding the right thing that a team was doing, but now I realize the right team is the thing and what they are working on is far less important. I’m sure this is a blinding flash of the obvious to most, but I got there in the end.
I attended the annual Sam Sharpe breakfast and it was another great event. The annual Sam Sharpe Breakfast brings together leaders from across the political, military, first responder and healthcare fields to explore Veterans’ mental health and wellness issues. The keynote speaker this year was Mary Ann Barber. She is a retired military nurse and she gave an amazing address. She not only shared her personal journey, but called out the problems that veterans face when trying to get support from Veteran’s Affairs Canada. The minister of Veteran’s Affairs was present, so I applaud Mary Ann for having the courage to use her platform to speak truth to power. The event was very well attended and I bumped into a few Northern Sentinels.
What I’m Reading
A sample of my reading this week.
If you have any interest in defence, you need to keep a close eye on Anduril. I have mentioned this company before and they truly are executing a strategy to become a dominate defence prime in the future. The recent announcement that Andruil has been shortlisted as a provided of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is another indicator of the company’s rise. Considering Anduril has only been around for seven year, this is truly noteworthy.
I think the defence industry gets a bad wrap. Sure there are knuckleheads and greedy companies in the defence sector, but these exist everywhere. As the author highlights in this article, “while some individuals may prioritize financial gain, in my experience, most members of the defense ecosystem are mission-driven and build with warfighter needs at top of mind.” His argument about setting up a performance and innovation structure that pays more to those that deliver, and less to those that don’t, is worth considering. We need innovation to climb out of the hole we have dug for ourselves.
For some reason, I decided to re-read Orwell’s 1984. I’m not sure why, but sometimes I need to read something that’s sobering to remind me how fortunate we are in Canada. I wish others would find their own way to get the same outcome. The more Canadians who are worried about the future, the more likely it is we will start to take our safety, security, and prosperity seriously.
On that happy note, I’m an avid follower of
’s coverage of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference. His take on Justice Hogue’s first report is well worth a read.There has been lot of analysis on the recently released Defence Policy Update. I’m encouraged by this. Notwithstanding the normal political messaging that is expected with any “announceable” there are well established truths about Canadian governments and defence spending that can show us what is likely to actually happen. Richard Shimooka provides his analysis on how the past informs the future on defence spending.
What I’m Listening to and Watching
As mentioned in a previous newsletter, I added the DOAC podcast to my listening. The recent episode with Jimmy Carr is a must listen. Even if you only take a few minutes to listen to the beginning of the podcast, I think it will be worth your time. It’s clear to me that Jimmy Carr has thought deeply about purpose, mortality, relationships, and many of the things that are at the centre of what it means to be human. It was not what I was expecting.
The Smartless podcast is a staple for me. It’s just a great listen and Will Arnett provides the Canadian content. On this episode, the fellas interview three U.S. presidents. Although the frantic style of Smartless is not the best for these types of guests, this is a podcast unicorn.
Former CIA Officer Mike Baker provides reasoned and insightful analysis on national security issues of the day. He’s also entertaining. He has started to appear in more podcasts and I recently found him on Modern Wisdom.
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.