I used to hate this question, but no matter how you phrase it, asking it matters. Interrogating your response matters, too, if you're serious about evolving as a leader and getting better. This week, ponder what your leadership philosophy is ... what matters most to you in terms of HOW and WHY you lead.

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Are you doing "too much?" Worried about too many things, wrangling a never-ending task list, chasing everyone else's expectations? Ask yourself this question and, most importantly, WRITE the answers down. Be honest with yourself to be more honest with the world around you.

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This week, Arun welcomes Maggie to the show! We've been trying to make this one happen since the show's launch in March. We spend a few minutes on Maggie's background, then talk about how she leads and what "taking care of your people" really means.

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Consider the gifts--the opportunities--you've received. What are you doing with them? What positive impact can you have with them? We're each endowed with a unique set of gifts, and the opportunity to live every morning we wake up ... so ... what are you gonna do about it?

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Have you inherited a problem or two at work? Replaced someone who wasn't a good supervisor, manager, technician, leader? Leaders don't walk away from the problems they find; they take ownership of those problems as if they were of their own making. Inherited problems are your problems. Own them to serve and move the team forward.

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Arun welcomes his dad to the show. Krishnan Chittur retired from academia after nearly 30 years as a professor of chemical engineering and has been Chief Technology Officer of GeneCapture, Inc. since 2010. Krishnan's story starts thousands of miles away in India, a boy strong in school with an early love of teaching. Today that same man works with a team of scientists and engineers to revolutionize how we diagnose and treat infection.

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Memorial Day 2021, ask yourself: Are you the best version of YOU? It's okay if the answer is 'no,' but then ask ... are you working toward that best self? You ARE capable of taking the next step forward and ARE able to make that choice today. Becoming our best selves is the best way to honor not just those service members who have died for this country, but all of those men and women who raised their right hands, signed on the dotted line, and deployed to the four corners of the Earth.

With Memorial Day on the horizon, Arun offers an alternative to the easy "Thank You" and 10% off. Invest in a relationship with a service member--ask them why they joined, and why they stayed. You'll learn a ton and connect in a meaningful way.

Leadership requires individual effort and learning. But we're missing a key component in our own development if we're not looking at the leaders who came before us. For better and for worse.

This week, picture that leader ... that person you worked with, studied with, traveled with, confided in ... who you would follow, unquestionably, to Hell and back. We often learn a lot from the folks who did it wrong. This time around, focus on the ones who did it right. What can you learn from them, what can you apply in your own way, how can you adapt and become a better version of the leader they were?

Consistency matters. After telling students and young airmen, "Never let your people see you have a bad day," Arun tackles the flaw in his own advice. Showing up every day, in the good and bad, not only demonstrates your humanity, it gives permission to your team to show up too--even on their bad days. Being honest with each other and supporting each other on those bad days leads to much stronger ties than masking our struggles to try and achieve the 'perfect' presence.

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