How Do Major Public Works Projects Get Funded?

A wise General once told me that:

It is much easier to get a project funded in Congress if it shows up on the front page of the NY Times or Washington Post.

I watched the program to up armor Humvees and develop the MRAP move rapidly through the funding process, as a result of the power of the mainstream media.

However, I never truly appreciated the wisdom of this statement until I saw the impact of $130 oil on the world economy and the political decision making process.

Supporting our Soldiers in Uniform

One of the best way to support our soldiers in uniform:

Thank them for their sacrifices and express your support for all they do to preserve the freedom that we enjoy.

The next time you see a soldier in uniform, remember to express your thanks and gratitude.

US Army "Fly In" and Military Tattoo - Lessons Learned

The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Chicago Chapter coordinated a "Fly-In Visit" with the US Army to the Pentagon and they were gracious enough to provide me an invitation.

Always Be Present

The visit was flawlessly arranged and coordinated by K Stephenson the Director of Executive Partnerships at the Executive Office of the Army. I know K had a busy schedule all day, coordinating a number of tours and performing her normal duties, but you would have never known it. K, as well as, all of our hosts (4 generals and 4 Colonels and 1 Major) made sure to make us feel like we were their priority, despite the fact that the US Army is executing a Global War on Terror (GWOT) on two major fronts and other engagements across the globe.

Our hosts' hospitality and personal engagement reminded me of a business quote:

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

Dale Carnegie

Lesson Learned

The value of being present and interested in your guests and will take this lesson with me for life.

Global War on Terror (GWOT) - The Long War

We got a lot of information about the current high profile conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and I came to the conclusion that these battles are part of a continuum in the GWOT that is anticipated to persist for the foreseeable future (The Long War). The reality is the GWOT did not begin with on 9/11 or the day that the USS Cole was attacked in Yemen in 2000, its roots can be traced all back to the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979 or even earlier. This perspective of time provides us with a clearer vision of the seeds of the GWOT; I am confident that 10 or 20 years from today, the importance of bringing the GWOT to our enemies vs. the homeland will be applauded by historians instead of being chided, as so many of the news media do today.

The militaries need to manage the US citizens' expectations and the news media’s constant prodding reminds me of the process that a publicly-traded company might engage in with Wall Street to manage quarterly earnings expectations. The best companies focus tactically on the next 90 days, but are strategically looking over the horizon, 10 or 20 years out.

I think that the US military should consider reviewing Google's position on providing earnings guidance below:

Although we may discuss long term trends in our business, we do not plan to give earnings guidance in the traditional sense . . . A management team distracted by a series of short term targets is as pointless as a dieter stepping on a scale every half hour.

"An Owner's Manual" for Google's Shareholders

Setting unrealistic timetables for troop withdrawals in GWOT is akin to "a dieter stepping on a scale every half hour."

Lesson Learned

Let's give our troops the leeway to execute their mission of protecting freedom, lest we overmanage the GWOT in the short term and undermine our way of life in the long term.

Speaking from Experience

A cornerstone of the EO values is to utilize Gestalt Protocol, "speaking from experience."

It came as no surprise to me that our "fly-in" include an element of experience sharing from the fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Ken Spielvogel spoke to us about how he worked on a project in Afghanistan to develop micro-hydro and hydro electric infrastructure. LTC Spielvogel is quite a character and share some great stories about his experience delivering power to some villages in Afghanistan that had never had power.

Major (MAJ) Jeffrey Weinhofer talked to us about his time in Iraq, as a Transition Team Advisor, helping to train and develop the Iraqi Security Forces. MAJ Weinhofer was upbeat, yet candid about this very difficult mission.

Lesson Learned

The Iraqi culture values of personal relationship over any professional qualities an individual may possess. The GWOT will be won by engaging the community at a grass roots level; it will not be won by occasionally removing a terrorist here and there.

An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

Mohandas Gandhi

Impressions of the US Army

• Great Leaders
• Articulate
• Engaging
• Charismatic
• Committed
• Competent
• Courageous
• Positive

Lesson Learned

I would be happy to hire an Army Veteran, they would be a serious asset to any civilian organization. I would also encourage my son or daughter to join the US Army if they expressed interest.

I left with a lasting impression of the Army: they would be in good hands. To me, the most important people in this world are my children—and if the field leaders are similar to those that I encountered during this trip—my children would be well cared for.

Challenges Facing the US Army

• Recruiting
• Retention
• Family is Strained

Lesson Learned

The concept of a feeling of failed leadership. Great leadership can overcome any obstacle, but the hit to morale even from the perception of failed leadership can prove devastating. Leadership Matters.

Chicago-area Entrepreneurs Get Inside Story on Army

I was quoted in Army.Mil/News following our trip to the Pentagon. The quote is below and the full article is further below:

Jonathan B. Smith, of WhisprWave, a company that manufactures equipment to prevent shoreline erosion, was interested in getting a more complete perspective on the war on terror.

"It's interesting to get the military perspective verses the perspective that's in the newspaper on a daily basis," he said. "It's nice to get some balance."

He also said Huntoon is typical of many chief executive officers he meets in his business, "they are worried about their people, and retention, more than the bottom line," he said.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 22, 2008) -- "This is very much a captain's war -- a sergeant's war," the director of the Army staff told entrepreneurs from the Chicago area at the Pentagon Wednesday.

The Army hosted members of the Chicago-area chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization for a "fly-in visit" in which the community business leaders met with Army leaders to learn about the status of the service, and how the Army is executing the war on terror. They also heard from Lt. Gen. David Huntoon Jr., director of the Army staff.

During a lunch in the Pentagon, Huntoon said it is the junior officers and NCOs who make a difference in the war on terror. "There are opportunities for them to make decisions on their own -- life and death decisions. When you have a sense of that -- to make those kinds of decisions and to be supported by your chain of command -- you don't want to leave that kind of atmosphere. It is exciting, it is empowering, and it makes you feel you are doing the right thing."

Huntoon also discussed the Army's recruiting and retention challenges, telling the entrepreneurs the Army has found only 3 in 10 young Americans are suited for Army service. Many are excluded, he said, due to criminal pasts that cannot be waived, or due to health concerns such as asthma or obesity.

He also said the Army is concerned about retaining Soldiers. Saying that multiple deployments have put a strain on Soldiers who would like to start a family as well as those who already have families.

"We recruit Soldiers and retain families and it is family members that vote on whether the service member stays in the profession," the general said.

Dale Boehm, of Brookfield, Wis., was one of the 14 entrepreneurs to attend the fly-in. One of his employees at Caspian Technology Concepts, LLC, is an Army Reserve member who will soon deploy to Iraq for the second time. Boehm said he's concerned about his employee and his family. He's also concerned about how multiple deployments could affect his business.

"What are we doing to make sure we don't have to deploy troops two or three times? I am seeing first-hand what that is doing to a family and my business," Boehm said. "He's a major component of what I do, day-to-day. We're going to have to figure out how to fill that gap while he's gone. And there's also that period of time not knowing what's happening to him."

Jonathan B. Smith, of WhisprWave, a company that manufactures equipment to prevent shoreline erosion, was interested in getting a more complete perspective on the war on terror.

"It's interesting to get the military perspective verses the perspective that's in the newspaper on a daily basis," he said. "It's nice to get some balance."

He also said Huntoon is typical of many chief executive officers he meets in his business, "they are worried about their people, and retention, more than the bottom line," he said.

John Allegretti runs a commercial real estate company, CMZ Properties, LLC. He is also developing cargo pallets made from bio-resin that contain embedded RFID tags. He is currently working to sell those same pallets to the Army. He said his time visiting the Pentagon was fascinating.

"I hope to get a better understanding of why we do what we do and have a better understanding of the connection between military and civilians," he said of his visit. "The information we receive in the general public is somewhat different than what we are hearing today. I'd like to know the meaning behind the why, the when and the where.

He also said he recognizes that the decisions being made by those at the Pentagon are decisions he made, in part.

"This is interesting to know why we are doing what we are doing," he said. "And this is a 'we,' because we elected the people that are telling these people what to do -- so it's a collective decision."

During their visit to the Pentagon, the 14 members of the Chicago-area chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization took a tour of the Pentagon, attended a Twilight Tattoo at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., and visited with Army leaders ranging from a major to a lieutenant general.

While the Army provided the entrepreneurs with an inside perspective of how the Army is completing its mission in Iraq, the Army also asked something of the entrepreneurs.

"As an employer, support that Guardsman or Reservist as much as you can," said Maj. Jeffrey Weinhofer, recently assigned to the Pentagon after a tour as a military advisor in Iraq. "If you have relatives or friends interested in military service, certainly don't discourage them. Please talk about your visit to the Pentagon and the military folks you talked with."

Even Lieutenant General Huntoon Recognizes the Human Weapon

My buddy Troy and I were part of a group of Entrepreneurs' Organizations recent visit to the Pentagon to meet with a number of military brass though a program called the Army's "Fly-In Visit." In addition the the "Fly-In"we also got to a Twilight Tattoo, an hour-long military pageant.

Below Troy and are speaking with Lieutenant General David Huntoon, Director of the Army Staff. LTG Huntoon made an effort to personally meet and greet all of his guests. In the picture below LTG Huntoon just asked Troy about his military service. Troy has never served in the military, but we got a great kick out of the question because I call him "Human Weapon" because he is a 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo and I regularly tease him that he is my bodyguard.

Troy is such a character that he embellished the photo below to play out the subliminal exchange that we were having while conversing with LTG Huntoon.