Leadership | VEL Institute: Recent Episodes
Terry Weaver, Co-founder, VEL Institute podcast host
Collaboration and education to equip the next generation of veterans, entrepreneurs and community leaders.
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Veterans have a unique set of skills and experiences that make them well-suited for entrepreneurship. After serving in the military, veterans often have leadership experience, a strong work ethic, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. These skills, combined with the support of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other resources, can make veterans highly successful entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship allows veterans to apply their skills and experiences in new and innovative ways, while also making a positive impact on the community. As entrepreneurs, veterans can create jobs and economic growth in their local communities, and they can also use their businesses to support other veterans and give back to their communities.
One way veterans can use their skills as entrepreneurs is by starting their own businesses. Many veterans possess skills in areas such as logistics, management, and security that are highly valued in the private sector. Additionally, the SBA offers a variety of resources to veterans looking to start their own businesses, including counseling, training, and access to funding through programs like the Veterans Advantage and Patriot Express.
Another way veterans can use their skills as entrepreneurs is by becoming franchisees. Franchising offers veterans the opportunity to run their own business, while also benefiting from the established systems, training, and support of a larger organization. The International Franchise Association (IFA) has a VetFran program that helps veterans find franchise opportunities and receive discounts on franchise fees.
Veterans can also use their skills to support their communities in other ways, for example by becoming social entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurship is a way for veterans to use their leadership skills, entrepreneurial mindset and expertise to help solve social and environmental problems. A social entrepreneur is an individual who identifies a social problem and uses a business model to create a solution that addresses that problem. Social entrepreneurship can be anything from creating sustainable business models to create jobs, helping people in need, or promoting eco-friendly products and services.
One example of a successful social entrepreneurship venture led by a veteran is “Hire Heroes USA”. A nonprofit organization that empowers U.S. military members, veterans, and their spouses to succeed in the civilian workforce. The organization provides job training, career coaching, and other resources to veterans and their families, helping to bridge the gap between military service and civilian employment.
In conclusion, veterans have a unique set of skills and experiences that make them well-suited for entrepreneurship. Whether starting a business, becoming a franchisee or a social entrepreneur, veterans have the potential to make a positive impact on their communities. With the support of programs like the SBA and VetFran, veterans have access to the resources they need to succeed as entrepreneurs and create economic growth and positive change in their communities.
About the author:
Enlisting in the United States Navy in 2012, James served two tours of duty for Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) as an Anti-terrorism Specialist. He continued his career as a civilian contractor, working as a Weapons Based Instructor for operational private security forces.
In 2020, James Founded SwoleConnect, a personal development firm and athletic brand. Clients are introduced to his philosophies METRECON and Potent Masculinity as pillars of their personal wellness. His work has since been featured on NBC, CBS, FOX, and USA Today.Two years later his company acquired Total Warrior Combat, a premiere American Mixed-Martial Arts promotion. He was named President of the league, and embarked on the long journey of market expansion while being the first professional sports organization to provide mental health solutions for athletes as the backbone of their strategic vision.
In addition to his duties as President of Total Warrior Combat, James serves the Houston, Texas community as the Executive Director of the VEL Institute ( Veterans, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders) – a nonprofit dedicated to the personal and professional development of Veterans and Entrepreneurs.
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Happy New Year! It’s been 30 days since the ball dropped in NYC and I wonder what else might have been dropped already in 2023. It seems many don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore.
Counterculture has become the culture these days. I remember not too long ago how some people would provocatively exclaim things like “this year’s resolution is no resolutions”, “January 1st is just another day, make resolutions whenever”, or “resolutions don’t work you need a new habit”. Now statements like that are pretty much the norm. But, you know what? We’re still not doing that great as a society as evidenced by Accenture’s Life Trends 2023: Control and Power. The report says the “permacrisis” we’re in is putting a lot of pressure on people to adapt. First, we cope with the perturbation (e.g., crisis) by using fight, flight, freeze, or focus and then we attempt to adapt. This comes at a huge cognitive cost. According to Mental Health America about 1 in 5 Adults in the US are experiencing a mental illness, 15% of adults had a substance disorder in the last year, and about 12 million adults are having serious thoughts of suicide. I say all this to illustrate there are many good reasons to make resolutions and try to change and adapt. This applies not only to you but also to your teams and organizations.
When I hear resolutions, I think behavior change and in the words of Doc Holliday “I’m your huckleberry, that’s just my game”. What’s a resolution anyways? Well, it’s quite the word. You can easily find a dozen or more definitions for this word. It comes from the Latin word resolvere, “to loosen, undo, or settle” or resolutionem “process of reducing things into simpler forms”.
Below I share with you three observations of why we fail to loosen ourselves and organizations from old habits and why we fail to break things down into simpler forms. These actions could be just what we need in a time when adaptation, resilience, meaning, and love are so needed.
Number One: What got us here will get us there!
Imagine the rally cry of your next town-hall or leadership team meeting. Perhaps you can picture in your mind’s eye the next hero politician. They stand up and boldly declare “We’re facing a difficult road ahead. We’ve got to stay the same! And I believe what got us here will take us there into the future!”
In some ways, you might say “well yeah Charles – I’m pretty awesome at some things as a leader or my organization does XYZ really well” Is the thing that you’re awesome at still serving you, serving your team’s, or your organization’s goals well? If so, keep it! What I’m poking fun at a little is the common statement “what got us here won’t get us there”. We then roll out large change management programs, new technology, latest org design, or make serious commitments to ourselves about personal behavior change (e.g., exercise more, sleep more, spend less, be kinder, etc.) After the fanfare, cool posters, new running shoes, etc., we go right back to the old ways of doing things. We often do this unconsciously, but I mean “hey! what got us here isn’t completely off the rails yet for most of us”. I think intrinsically we know we’re doing this but most of us must ride the current situation over the cliff before we get serious about behavior change. The bad news is you don’t really know what’s over that cliff until you go over it and that can land you in a crippling place.
So, then what old mindset, habit, or belief served you well in the past but is preventing you from moving to where you want to go now?
Number Two: Fresh lipstick same swine
What are these unconscious magnets that slowly pull us back to our old behaviors without our awareness? These forces seduce us back into the old version of who we were. How comfortable the warmth of the sun must have felt to Icarus as its heat and beauty beckoned him to come closer. This process of falling back to old patterns is almost always frustrating and elusive. Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re doing it until much time has passed. It’s fundamentally two things I believe:
Environment (aka systems): Kurt Lewin, the creator of organizational psychology, came up with the formula B=f(P,E) where ‘B’ is Behavior, ‘P’ represents the Person: history, personality, motivation, etc., and ‘E’ is the environment. We all live out our lives in multi-layered “environments” or systems that overlap and interact with one another. Just think about how much the systems have blurred between home life and work life. Another way to think of this is we all belong to different groups and those groups have different social systems associated with them. The point here is that all the environments, systems, and experiences that make up your world have produced largely the behavior you have today. I tell leaders of organizations all the time “the system you have created called your organization is perfectly designed to produce the results you have today”. You must change the entirety of the environment, not just the landing page on a website or the posters in the breakrooms. Behavior is a drifting boat on the currents of all our systems. You can change direction a little with sheer force but the real power in behavior change comes from changing the currents on which you float.
Complexes: “Everyone knows nowadays that people have complexes. What is not so well known, though far more important theoretically, is that complexes can have us” – C.G. Jung. It’s common in our lexicon to say someone has a complex. We might say they have a “mother complex”, “inferiority complex”, “authority complex”, etc. I have some bad news for you though. We all have complexes. You may be reading this right now thinking “whatever! I don’t have any complexes”. If you are taking a critical look within and coming to that conclusion, I can almost guarantee your life is being run by one. According to the American Psychology Association, a complex is “a group or system of related ideas or impulses that have a common emotional tone and exert a strong but usually unconscious influence on the individual’s attitudes and behavior”. So, what kind of complexes have you or have your organization, and how are your people playing that out through behavior? Undoubtedly your organization, team, or group of friends, look for people and attract people with a certain “fit”. I wonder sometimes if it’s just our complexes pulling us together.
You’re probably saying “okay Charles, I get it, things outside of me and some things inside of me affect the way I show up and behave – so what?” Well, here’s the thing: we keep finding ourselves stuck in these loops in life with the illusion that we have free will. We keep going back to the same anesthetics, roles, relationships, foods, etc. but it looks a little different each time. We fool ourselves into thinking this, “fill in the blank”, really is different this time. However, it’s the same energy directing our organizations or personal life just in a different container. What’s controlling your organization’s culture or your life but shows up in different forms?
Number Three: The question is the answer
I am making an assumption that anyone reading this is able to change. I’m assuming that you have the mental capacity and resources to change and be resolved to do something different. The question I have is do you know the purpose behind your desire to change? I mean do you really know why? The first “why” or second “whys” are usually pretty surface-level. When you start getting into the fourth and fifth “why”, now you’re starting to work with some good material.
Suppose your leadership team wants to be more collaborative, successful, transformational, etc. in 2023 – why? Who cares? So what?
Suppose you want to eat healthier, drink less, love more, more work/life balance, etc. this year? – why? Who cares? So what?
The struggle is weatherable if you know your purpose. Have no doubt the pain will be just the same but the suffering is nonexistent. In fact, the struggle and discomfort start to be enjoyable as you equate it with progress toward your “Why”.
What’s the BIG Why or the BIG Question? Well, traveler… You are the question and the way you live your life is the answer. Finding your Question ensures that when you get to the end of the answer you don’t find yourself having answered someone else’s question, but your own.
If you are curious about getting started or learning more about you, you can do a few things:
- Get into a dialog with yourself and ask scary questions. Take some time to sit down and do a retrospective of your life to this point. If your aspirational future looks wildly off from the trajectory you’re on, you’ll start to see some things that need to change. Journaling everyday is a great way to illuminate some of these things too – just write non-stop for 20 minutes. Write down anything that moves the pen, even scribbles.
- Show me your bank account (budget) and your calendar (org activities) and I’ll tell you what you value most. Perhaps take a look at these places and ask yourself “What are (am) we (I) acting like is the most important thing to us (me)?
- Join an event at VEL Institute. There are many ways to get involved. If you want to do some deep personal work, the Discovering Parts Within course may be just what you need. VEL needs civilians and veterans to join. VEL’s secret sauce is the integration.
In summary, don’t drive your “good thing” over a cliff to force you to change, believe what’s outside and inside takes many forms yet drives the same old behaviors, and know your purpose. Only then will you loosen yourself from ties that bind you down, see the simplicity of what you’re meant to do, and stand resolved in your Power to change.
About the author:
Charles Newnam is management consultant executive specializing in leadership and culture, the chairman and co-founder of a thriving veteran focused non-profit, VEL Institute, and a former US Navy submarine officer. Charles holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, a Master of Business Administration from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. Charles enjoys exploring his own physical and mental limits through endurance sports. He continues to travel his own path while continuing a love filled life of service to others.
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Photo Credit
EXPONENTIAL LEADERSHIP Exponential Leaders invest Leaders who are intentional about making the biggest impact possible are constantly trying to replace themselves with a new leaders. They are not concerned with losing their position or status. They intuitively believe that as they help other leaders grow and become better, their impact is multiplied. As their impact and leadership is multiplied, they encourage other leaders to do the same. Because of this, Exponential Leaders are not limited by their own efforts, authority or influence.
There are a few ways to develop the next generation of leaders, and they are both valid, but one is much more effective. We can teach leaders to pass on our knowledge, or we can develop other teachers to pass on their knowledge. When we develop other teachers, we release our impact through them without being concerned with who gets credit. Exponential leaders encourage and challenge new leaders to pass on their knowledge; this method of development is the quickest way to empower new leaders and multiply our leadership.
Put simply, after we have invested the time and effort to develop a new leader, we must release and challenge them to take our investment and make it their own. Exponential leaders must challenge others to pass on the same investment that was made in them.
When we place a priority on developing others, we are more concerned with their growth than we are about our own success and accomplishments. Only secure leaders will be able to adopt and act on this type of leadership philosophy.
Exponential Leaders delegate When we have successfully developed new leaders, it is now our job to delegate leadership roles and responsibilities. Leaders thrive on challenges and have a disdain for inertia. They understand that humans in general are either growing and changing or they are shrinking and dying. Leaders who have this growth mindset will become restless if they are not thriving on new opportunities, so it is incumbent on the exponential leader to consistently put himself out of a job by delegating to others.
Stephen Covey presents a truth about delegation when he writes:
“we accomplish all that we do through delegation–either to time or to other people. If we delegate to time, we think efficiency. If we delegate to other people we think effectiveness. Many people refuse to delegate to other people because they feel it takes too much time and effort and they could do the job better themselves. But effectively delegating to others is perhaps the single most powerful high leverage activity there is.”
If we develop other leaders, then fail to delegate, we harm ourselves in two ways. We have effectively wasted our time developing leaders, and we run the risk of losing our leaders because they lack growth opportunities.
Exponential Leaders sacrifice Once we have effectively developed other leaders and we have delegated responsibility to them, exponential leaders then look for and celebrate wins. Celebrating even the smallest of wins is the way to develop a winning culture. When leaders win, they look to apportion credit away from themselves. This is brilliantly explained in one of the greatest business books written, Good To Great. When defining what great leaders (level 5 leaders as they are termed) do, the concept of the window and mirror is explained,
“Level 5 leaders look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well (and if they cannot find a specific person or event to give credit to, they credit good luck). At the same time, they look in the mirror to apportion responsibility never blaming bad luck when things go poorly.”
Great leaders are sacrificial. Leaders reject glory and give credit away and they take ultimate responsibility when things go wrong.
If leadership become glamorous, we are surely focused on the wrong things.
John Maxwell says, “everything rises and falls on the shoulders of leaders.” Great leaders know this but continue look out the window to give credit to others and also take a hard look in the mirror to take responsibility when things go wrong. If you follow this leadership maxim, you are well on your way to becoming an exponential leader.
“Only a life lived in the service of others is worth living.” Albert Einstein
Lastly, Exponential Leaders understand that trust is the highest form of human motivation. They begin the entire process of developing other leaders by building trust with their people and serving them. Trust is the currency of leadership and it is where leadership begins, and therefore it is the foundation of leadership.
This insight was written by Terry Weaver, co-founder of VEL INSTITUTE. To learn how to use your unique gifts to impact the lives of others view this talk, Our Power to Change the Lives of Others.
To read more about the personal struggle with a leader’s growth, we recommend reading The Struggle is Real.
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