Video Text: Define & Align

So I want you to imagine now, you are a gifted athlete, and you have the ability to play any support you want, but you choose baseball. Once you choose baseball, you agreed to play within these boundaries. You stepped on the diamond. There’s a certain culture associated with baseball that’s different than football. This culture represents a certain set of values, a certain set of beliefs, and you buy into that culture. And if they aligned with who you are, and that’s what you would prefer to do, then work with that type of organization.

My roommate comes in and I’m reading this book y’all heard of it I’m sure Dale Carnegie “How to Win Friends and Influence People” because I think this is the right thing to do as a leader who’s going to enter the military. He said you don’t have to do that, you’re the boss. They’re going to work for you.

• Was I in the right place?

I wasn’t sure. Either my roommate has it right or I do.

So finally, I get an opportunity on a Saturday to go out and fly again and I’m looking forward to it because I know I need a lot of work particularly if I’m going to live and survive in this culture. I go out do the pre-flight, come back in my instructor pilot, Mr. Jon Welda says to me, Sir, Sergeant X has the smell of alcohol on his breath, and I’m not sure what to do. He says you need to take him in for drug and alcohol test.

Before I tell you what I did, what do you think, what would you do? That was a fork in the road for me. I didn’t know it then but if I wanted to stay in the Army I had to pull my weight and do my part as the leader. I had to make that tough decision. I didn’t like doing that, so it’s always best if you’re working in an organization where our values align.