J.Crew Factory’s Post

Resposting with additional thoughts. How does your company make this list next year....Northrop Grumman has 26 off Fridays a year and one of those is the Friday before Christmas and we also shut down the entire last week of the year(paid). #worklifebalance #definingpossible #northropgrumman

As a senior enlisted Marine, I believe in the power of recognizing Marines for their exceptional efforts. Recognition should be a reflection of earned merit, not entitlement. By fostering a culture of merit and recognition, we inspire excellence and dedication, ensuring that hard work never goes unnoticed. Too often will Marines be the example of a quiet professional who does not seek the spotlight. Never talking about the work they do or the lives they change. Every Marine who goes above and beyond deserves acknowledgment. When a Marine earns a challenge coin, an award, a going-away gift, or an opportunity, it instills pride and a sense of accomplishment. It not only shows that leadership sees their dedication but serves as a powerful example for others, reinforcing the values of hard work, dedication, and resilience. Let's continue to celebrate their efforts and achievements that are ofteb overlooked. Recognizing their dedication cultivates a stronger, more motivated, and cohesive unit prepared to overcome any challenge that comes our way.

Things going really well so far with the Cooperate & Graduate Challenge! We’ve got a number of folks who haven’t missed a day yet and are piling up points. Our Captain Consistency ribbons go to: Aaron Chapman, Bob Sutter, Derek Phillips, Ed Fleming, Jacob Cook, Jim Reilly, John Pomory, Joe Sroka, Joe Saia, Kathy Borkoski, Maria Lorio, Molly Saia, Rich Pannell, Rick Preciado Way to go, my friends!! The above list is probably incomplete because a handful of folks haven’t begun recording their numbers. We have a bunch of folks who are absolutely crushing it and in close contention to win one of the three jackpot prizes. Our points leaders are as follows: In first place, Leah Heil, USMA ‘03 120 points 1200 total pushups 142,775 steps Runner up, John Pomory, USMA ‘91 117 points 1330 pushups 121.092 steps For the bronze, Rich Pannell, USMA ‘89 113 points 1130 pushups 113,000 steps All of these three beasts have an unbroken streak going. Other superlatives: The highest pushup total for any given day so far goes to John Pomory who beat his face for 261 pushups! He’s followed closely by our Naval Academy sister, Kathy Borkoski who crushed 220 pushups in a day. Wow! Leah Heil has pushed out 150 every single day of the challenge so far! The highest total daily step count goes to Julie Reilly, the brains and beauty behind MidStrong. Last Saturday, she got 26,603 steps. Our total jackpot is $800. Our winner will take home $400. The runner-up will pocket $280. And our bronze medalist earns $120. Pretty nice pocket change! If you haven’t gotten started at all with the challenge, well… no excuses. Start today. Every day that you do something is better than any day that you do nothing. As we teach and preach consistently at MidStrong - SOMETHING > NOTHING. Any questions, drop them in the comments below or message me directly. Remember, we are stronger than our excuses! #oldgradstrongproject #midstrong #goarmy #beatnavy #armystrong #pushups #steps #challenge #stronger #burnfat #buildmuscle #discipline #cgchallenge

Fridays thoughts After all, it is true! I sometimes wonder if all the conceptualization around building teams I often talk about is so important. The world continues to spin, and the sun rises every morning despite everything. But then, simple things happen, and I start to believe again. Last Friday, I had the privilege of having dinner with some of my Naval Academy comrades (for those unaware, there is no political affiliation in using this word) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our entry into the Navy. A few words pop up in my mind when I think about those hours spent with them: happiness, safety, respect, pleasure, camaraderie, truthfulness, trust, and I could keep going. One of the most important jobs the Naval Academy, with all its flaws, has done for us is simple: help us understand what a team is through rituals, discipline, processes, etc. and why! Thank you all! PS: It's amazing, refreshing, and healthy to see middle-aged men behaving like young adults. I have traveled back in time.

Do you celebrate your wins? 🌟 I think its really important to celebrate our wins—big or small. Life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges our way, but it's how we navigate through them and then come out stronger that truly defines our success. Growing up in Northern Ireland, my dream was to pursue a career in HR and recruitment. However, I soon realized that the industry was relatively small in my region, presenting a unique challenge to my aspirations. I made the decision to chart a different path and joined the RAF, dedicating 3.5 years to serving in this field while also embracing the role of a part-time soldier. This period of my life was very challenging, filled with moments of uncertainty and growth. Yet, it taught me the invaluable lesson of resilience and determination—the qualities that are essential for navigating life's twists and turns. It made me see a whole new world out there too. As we journey through our individual paths, it's crucial to pause and acknowledge the milestones we've achieved along the way. Let's take a moment to celebrate our successes and to inspire one another. Drop your achievements in the comments below. 🌟 #reflection #thewins #inspire #growth #milestones #celebratingthewins #reflectonsuccess

You can’t expect more when you keep settling for less.    One of my favorite all-time quotes is from a Navy Seal who said, "Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training.” This is an accurate description whether you are in the military, a professional athlete, or a F&I Manager. The F&I Department continues to be under an enormous amount of pressure as the automotive landscape continues to change. Many dealers are not getting the required training that is essential to develop teams of top-level performers. Some of this is attributed to a growing number of M&A deals where the acquiring company is more focused on top-line revenue and the servicing of existing stores is no longer a priority. As a result, dealers are seeing declining profit margins, higher employee turnover, and lower CSI scores while the company continues to be paid a commission despite not having the same vested interest in their success. Call me at 614-599-1282 or message me if the company you are doing business with has forgotten that being a trusted partner in your store is a privilege and must be continually earned.

It's #employeespotlight day! Today, we are featuring Tonia Carr’s journey with #USACEChicago. What brought you to USACE, Chicago District? 💼 I was part of the base closure at Fort Sheridan, in 1992. I was placed on the Priority Placement Program (PPP) list and was offered a position at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District one day before I was set to go on Leave Without Pay (LWOP). I accepted and started on October 5, 1992. What type of work do you do at USACE, Chicago District? 💻 I am an Administrative Support Assistant in the Executive Office. I support the Deputy Commander, the G&A Staff and the Colonel in the absence of the Administrative Officer. I support the district overall as the Administrative Assistant in the Executive Office. The district REALLY wants to know: Cubs or Sox? ⚾ Sox!! What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? 🏆 My greatest achievement at the Chicago District has been to be kind to my fellow employees. I have been able to work with such a diverse group of people and dealing with our customers. Working in the Executive Office under the leadership of so many very smart leaders also was very fulfilling for me. When I was the BEP Manager for the Chicago District, it was a humbling and educational experience that allowed me to be the Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Black History to teach the personnel here. Also, to bring in good quality speakers with phenomenal knowledge about our country’s history. What message/advice would you like to send to others considering employment at USACE, Chicago District? 😁 My message to anyone seeking employment with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, which is a great place to work, would be to pursue your dreams!! There are so many levels of greatness!! Never be afraid to ask questions. There are mountains of opportunities available to you. Don’t be afraid. We are happy to have Toni on our team! If you are interested in a job with #USACE, learn how to apply here: https://lnkd.in/g5Y4-Aqi

A veteran asked me the difference in my Marine Corps peers and corporate peers. Read to the end because their is a twist. The picture below is of what is known as Hamburger Hill during the Vietnam War, and is an encapsulation of the will of a group of men to overcome tremendous adversity. These heroes overcome for many reasons but, teamwork is one of the major reasons for their success. Every American on that hill supported each other and wanted the man beside them to succeed. In corporate America, everyone is a 1099/individual contractor. If the company mission is to sell XX number of widgets and each salesman is given a sales goal, each 1099 that meets goal benefits for each 1099 that misses the goal. There is no incentive to help anyone. It's beneficial to withhold information that could help someone achieve their sales goal. It's beneficial to bad mouth the other 1099's to the boss. It's beneficial to pit your team against the other teams. It's beneficial to criticize the other salesmen to their team. The goal for each salesman is to make it to the top of the hill alone, and pushing others back down the hill as ascending. Here's the twist. My experience is the best performing salesman doesn't get the promotion. The person most liked will get the promotion. If you get to the top with your integrity completely in line, I've only seen the one's half way up the hill, but well liked, get promoted because they were throwing spears at your back as you were ascending the hill and you likely never knew you were bleeding. When I was an active duty Marine, I had many disagreements with my peers, but I can't recall one EVER bad-mouthing me to my boss, and intentionally sabotaging my team's success. In corporate America, when my peers worked in separate locations, I was aware of at least half bad mouthing others to our boss. When my peers and I worked in the same location, everyone of them was bad mouthing the other to the boss and/or to each others team. That's the difference in Marine Corps peers and corporate peers. #veterans #veteranshelpingveterans #marines #leadership

It was no coincidence that Ayrissa Schmidt, Anna Vargas, and Sam Bascom presided over my going away festivities when I relinquished command of USS PINCKNEY (DDG 91) in December 2020. These three outstanding young leaders “fleeted up” onboard the ship, meaning they completed both their junior officer tours on the same ship. Everyone onboard benefited from their energy, professionalism, and devotion to mission – especially me, the Captain!  Talent Management comes in many forms – in this case it was “hiring” from within. Organizations are strengthened when there is an internal path for growth and retention. At the same time, it’s important that healthy, achievable paths exist for “outsiders” to join the team and provide diversity in thought and perspective. In other words, I think we need to have our cake and eat it too! (Note: Baggs the Beaver was unable to pass the “which squares show bicycles” authentication test so sadly is not available for a LinkedIn connection.) #ProudtoServe #TalentManagement

A good week at West in San Diego last week. It has been categorized somehow as an IT tradeshow but there were a vast amount of industry reps available to talk warfighting capability and platforms also. CNO asked for help with recruiting, that there is a "sea blindness" in the U.S. if you don't, or haven't, lived near a coast that keeps you from understanding or even being aware of the possibilities in a Navy career. She is great about acknowledging the contributions of all the uniformed, civilian, and industry warfighters that make up the Navy team. With that backdrop, here's my story in the hopes it may lead to helping out the CNO: there is a lot said about serving due to patriotism, I was a little different. As an independently minded guy who may have been voted least likely to embrace military discipline in High School, I was an only child of a widowed mom who was just looking to get college paid for. Do five years to get my job experience and I was gone. 25+ years in uniform, 9 years and counting as a Navy civilian, 4000+ flight hours in single seat aircraft off of aircraft carriers, 780+ aircraft carrier arrested landings, a Bachelors degree and two Masters degrees, a GI Bill that contributed to my kids' education, pension payments for the rest of my life, free health care for me and my family for my time in uniform and supplemented for the rest of my life, competitive fulfillment and adventure as if playing sports well past your playing years, and a true feeling of contribution and relevance all provided by the U.S. Navy leaves me knowing I stumbled through the right choices along the way. My son was looking for his first job a few years back. Entry level positions, requiring two years of experience. How is it entry level if you need two years experience just coming out of school? Admittedly the Service isn't for everybody but I'd offer it isn't a bad option for getting experience that allows for choices...and you just might wind up staying. Uniform or civilian, hope to see you round the base, its been a great ride!