“The system is filled with incredible people but is designed to thwart change and doesn’t serve us well,” Commander Roger Stanton, Naval Officer at the Sea Warrior Program (PMW-240). Leading a cultural transformation inside the acquisition arm of the Navy, two Naval Officers are applying agile practices and moving the people in their organization towards an agility mindset. Stanton and Lieutenant Commander James Dells share with Mohawk Matt their journey and lessons learned about attempting a transformation inside a government organization. Stanton started his career as a test pilot and has even been to space and worked for AT&T as a Secretary of Defense Fellow. Dells started his Navy career as an enlisted sailor, became a cryptologic warfare officer and combined those skills to serve the Navy. One of the ways they have found success is by disconnecting happiness from satisfaction.

Join David Schiff, one of the founding members of NavalX, which connects experts and solutions to workforce needs and challenges across the Navy and Marine Corps, as he shares his career lessons and innovation experience. David has served on the Aircraft Carrier USS Kitty Hawk, the Submarine USS Nebraska, who then left the Navy for the private sector and returned a year later to the acquisition community with NAVSEA and has spent the past 3 and half years with Defense Innovation Unit and then most recently at NavalX. David shares his passion for connecting people across the Department of Navy and beyond and the importance of cultural innovation across the Department of the Defense.

EPISODE 24 - The Key to Contracting is Communication by NavalX Connecx

Leadership is a contact sport and you need to engage and be ready for what you’re going to hear from the workforce and let them blaze their own trail," Lt Col Michael Liguori. Learn about MCTSSA’s three pillars and how the people make MCTSSA such a vital and essential entity. Liguori attended the Naval Academy and was drawn to the Marine bond he saw between the former enlisted Marines he met at. He was voluntold to take over MCTSSA and he has enjoyed his journey across the Marine Corps. Liguori credits his leadership style and passion to the various leaders who have come before him through observation. Ask a lot of questions of others to engage folks to think and transform.” He also shares HERO as an acronym, Honesty, Empathy, Respect and Open-mindedness; and infectious positivity can empower teams of all kinds.

EPISODE 22 - The Epiphany of Collaboration w/ Stephen McKee by NavalX Connecx

Marine Staff Sgt Chloe Honjoyo started her journey in the Marine Corp while sitting in a parking lot eating an In & Out burger. She began as a Maintenance Management Specialist who has, like many Marines, has worn all sorts of hats during her 11 years in the Marine Corps. Becoming an instructor was the most impactful duty station to her and gives you the opportunity to build a legacy through empowering others to go forth and execute their mission. According to Honjoyo growth through iteration is what makes the Marine Corp such a powerful institution. She says Find out what the puzzle palace is and how strategic doctrine is designated down to the tactical level.

Enabling teammates to work on things that lend to their strengths; the pros and cons of rotational employees and those programs and lessons learned from that model are what to expect listening to Aerospace and Electrical Engineers: William Jinkins and Andrew Gatdula as they talk about how they have been able to have a career that has ZERO to do with their degree and how that has benefited them. They share about their team, Digital Innovation Acceleration Team (DIAT) and how they put people first and give people growth opportunities vs the traditional model of hiring people based on skill set.

20 years ago, Marine Master Sgt. Josh Thomas began his career as an infantryman, and thought he was only serving one enlistment. Josh had a turning point in his life in 2006 - “I got hit with an IED, lost a few of my friends and that was the first moment of “I’m not done. My friends are done but I’m not done.” I’m going to keep going. They don’t have a voice anymore, but I’m gonna be their voice.” Since then he has served all over the world and continues to empower his Marines in his charge and even found a way to empower Marines far and wide through his work with the Centers for Adaptive Warfighting, which he recently took to Okinawa with Major Pete Thermos.

Join Special Agent Kevin Burke, with Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS), as he shares his passion for serving the Navy and Marine Corps, his escape through cabins and fly fishing and how he developed a 29-year career protecting people’s ideas and intellectual property both inside the government and outside with private companies. He also shares with Matt how NCIS is more than criminal investigations seen on TV and focuses more energy on proactive work versus reactive work. Learn some cyber hygiene, social media tips and ways to protect your technology!

Innovating corporate operations with weekly activity reports. Join Kate McKenzie and learn her lessons of a recent process change related to corporate operations and a weekly activity report at National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. "By looking at the holistic picture of a process, you can identify what's that quick fix that's going to solve 80 percent of your problems. For us it was adding transparency.