Reflect Often: What is Your Definition of Success?
In this episode, we sit down with Stephen Bor, a seasoned leader with deep insights into navigating the complexities of leadership in challenging times. Stephen emphasizes the importance of taking the time to truly get to know people, reminding us that not every problem needs an immediate fix. He highlights the significance of understanding where we may be making assumptions, and how this awareness can transform our approach to leadership.
We dive into the nuances of leading through disfunction, tragedy, ambiguity, and crisis. Stephen shares his experiences and strategies for guiding teams and organizations when the path forward isn’t always clear. Whether you’re facing a crisis or simply looking to refine your leadership skills, this episode offers valuable lessons on patience, empathy, and the power of thoughtful decision-making.
CDR Stephen Bor is an operational leader, legal advisor, father and husband that served in the Coast Guard for more than 20 years. He currently serves as the Deputy Chief of the Coast Guard Office of Information and Intelligence Law. He’s served in various operational leadership positions at Coast Guard units in Los Angeles – Long Beach, Corpus Christi, and San Francisco. In his capacity as a Coast Guard JAG, he served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, and as a senior staff attorney for the Coast Guard’s Thirteenth District in Seattle, WA. CDR Bor received the 2021 Coast Guard Captain David H. Jarvis Inspirational Leadership Award, and the 2016 DHS Office of General Counsel Rising Star Award. Stephen is a huge Seattle Sounders fan (professional soccer). He speaks fluent Mandarin and Spanish.
Resources:
Long Beach Current - College Student Pre-Commissioning Article:
https://daily49er.com/artslife/2021/03/01/from-school-to-the-service-cspi-program-offers-students-a-path-to-the-coast-guard/
The Rafu Shimpo - Seventy Years Later, The Coast Guard Honors One of Its Own:
https://rafu.com/2
Don't Get Lost in the Woods - Realize You're Thinking in Circles
After a long hiatus we are back with an amazing guest. David Peter Stroh joins as the guest on this episode to help illustrate the art of systems thinking. We start by discussing why it is so important to begin with the individual as the protagonist of the story so they can see how they are involved in, impacted by , and impacting the system. This leads to some great discourse on the power of reflection and recognizing that systems have time delays. David uses this to highlight the importance of patience and persistence along with providing various examples to show us how we can take action now to begin to be systems thinkers. David shares a high level synopsis of his four stage approach to system thinking and reminds everyone that they can all do a lot!
David Peter Stroh is a founding partner of Bridgeway Partners (https://bridgewaypartners.com), a consulting firm that partners with mission-centered organizational leaders committed to advancing social and environmental transformation. He is internationally recognized for his work in enabling leaders to apply systems thinking to achieve breakthroughs around chronic, complex problems and to develop strategies which improve system-wide performance over time.
David has been described as “a magician” and “the master at providing interesting and useful ways to look at the complexity of systems thinking”, who “helped us tremendously in getting to the core issues” with “the mind of a scientist and the heart of a healer.”
He is the author of the highly regarded book Systems Thinking for Social Change: A Practical Guide for Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results, a #1 Best-Seller in Non-Governmental Organization Policy which readers praise as "an essential - and long overdue - guide to applied systems thinking" that "shows you how to enlist others in the effort" by "masterfully weaving metaphor, story, and practical tools" using "down-to-earth language."
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Expand Capacity & Unleash the Power of Dreams
I am excited to announce the guest on this episode is Jennifer Ete - Investment Advisor who has been in financial services for 18 years and in leadership roles for over 40 years. Jen shared some experiences regarding some great volunteer work she did to bring the affordable advanced educational opportunities of BYU pathway to Louisiana and how she works with families to expand their financial resources. You will notice a theme in everything Jen does - she is always trying to help people become better. Jen also talks about how she has observed how people have stopped dreaming and she teaches us ways that we can take individual steps to help people reignite their dreams and lead them towards success. We talk about creating a culture that allows us to learn from our mistakes and create increased curiosity with ourselves and others so we can approach the world around us with more authenticity to get and give the help we all need. This episode is sure to spark some creativity in each of us that gets us thinking more deeply about how we approach the people around us and how we encourage or diminish their capacity to dream great dreams.
Jen has always been different. As a teen, her classmates were focused on grades, sports, scholarships and the next party. Her heart gravitated towards learning how to help people feel important. She has always been passionate about protecting those that don't know how to protect themselves...yet.
Jen chose a profession in financial services because she felt that the best way she could help families stay together and be happy was to teach them how to be self-sufficient and take care of themselves. She learned that when people have money; their bills are being paid on time, and there's extra in the budget, there's not too much to stress about in life. The families who are most interested in getting to that point are Jen's favorite to work with. Jen is often recognized at every company convention and asked to speak in training meetings,
I had the such an incredible conversation with recently retired Admiral Mike Studeman from the US Navy Retired. His most recent position was as Commanding Officer of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). Mike started the conversation by encouraging me to ask him all my hard questions. I began by asking him how we could get better using the Coast Guard to compliment our other Maritime Forces around the world which led to some great dialogue about how to engage with the world around us in more meaningful ways. Mike had some inspiring tips for how to prepare for a life in foreign and/or international affairs which could help many of us just be more sensitive to the many cultures we interact with. Mike provided powerful inspiration on using your voice, empowerment, and the importance of character among several other insightful commentaries. Mike described the passion behind his recently compiled manuscript on leadership and shared some highlights from it. Mike points out that the U.S. is facing a leadership crisis and this episode is a must listen to contemplate what we can each do to tackle that in our own spheres of influence with our individual voices. All throughout the episode, Mike illustrates tangible examples while expressing the time to act is now for each of us to start to make a difference in the world around us with these great recommendations!
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/that-all-might-be-edified-discussions-on-servant-leadership/id1598799300?i=1000636490706
#character #solitude #empowerment #servantleadership
Happy Independence Day to everyone in the United States! Here is a teaser video of the episode that releases tomorrow with Kevin Cador chatting with Keyth PankauKeyth Pankau. They used the opportunity of the holidays of #Juneteenth & #IndependenceDay to have a wider discussion on #freedom & #independence for everyone. This video captures some great thoughts Kevin shares about sharing ownership! Hope you all tune in tomorrow to get more great insights.
Clip of the Alicia Wolfe Bobo on That ALL Might Be Edified: Discussions in Servant Leadership! Listen to full episode on your favorite podcast site or here at I'm listening to That ALL Might Be Edified: Discussions on Servant Leadership | Servant Leadership Creates Limitless Possibilities on Podbean, check it out! https://www.podbean.com/ei/pb-4ikqc-13cbc2d
