Running Into The Fog

Clifford Kalb

“The reason you work in a drug company is for patients,” says Clifford Kalb, President of C. Kalb & Associates, LLC. Clifford has dedicated the last four decades of his life to improving intelligence in the pharmaceutical industry. His wide range of experience has given him opportunities to work at the executive level for many of the well-known pharma companies, including Pfizer. Clifford’s passion for innovation and leadership in the industry was solidified after his life was saved by a drug he helped get on the market. Today, Clifford proudly owns and operates his own pharma consultancy where he assists clients in ethically overcoming industry issues to provide better health solutions. 

Eleven years ago, Clifford was diagnosed with an incredibly rare back disease. In fact, he was one of only twenty people to receive this diagnosis during the 21st century. While Clifford’s initial chance of survival looked bleak, he and his doctor decided to take a risk and try a drug that was new to the market. Ultimately, it was Clifford’s trust in his product’s mission that granted him a second chance at life. Even though there are many misconceptions about the morals of the industry, Clifford explains that the number one goal isn’t to create a profit, but rather to develop solutions that save lives. 

Join the Johnson Brothers and Clifford Kalb on this week’s episode of Running into the Fog to hear about Clifford’s experience with the pharmaceutical industry from the perspective of a leader and a patient. Learn more about key industry topics and how intelligence is working to create a safer and healthier world for generations to come. 

 

Quotes

• “The reason you work in a drug company is for patients. It's not all about making money. It's not all about ultimately coming up with the best dosage form or the most competitive marketing plan or the most developed R&D program. It's about helping people to either return from an illness or to prevent them from getting one.” (07:56-08:19) 

• “I wouldn't be here telling you about the pharmaceutical industry and my travels through it if it wasn't for this medicine, which saved my life.”  (09:06-09:18) 

• “Because of this mRNA technology that you've heard about, which has never been tried before to produce a vaccine, many steps in vaccine development are completely eliminated. Which means the future of vaccine development is going to now follow the mRNA pattern. And the old technology will be dropped.” (29:02-29:23)

• “85% of the US market is treated with generic drugs and 15% of it is treated with branded drugs.”(47:45-47:52). 

• “At the end of the day, the marketing R&D interface inside the drug company is probably the single most important one to work.” (56:56-57:04)

Links

https://www.cifellows.com/about-us/members/clifford-kalb/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffordkalb/

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Bill Mitchell

“As leaders, not only do we control the narrative, but we have to be constant purveyors of hope,” says Bill Mitchell, COO for MoreTalent Corporation. For the past 25 years, Bill has worked with hundreds of corporations and high-level executives to develop ethical practices that produce sustainable success. His unique insights have helped struggling clients to effectively lead their businesses through the troubling COVID-19 pandemic. 

In politics, whoever is in control of the narrative has the upper hand; according to Bill, the same could be said for business. While it may be easier to get distracted in the midst of a global pandemic, a strong leader will concentrate on maintaining the company’s narrative at all times by working to keep their employees focused. Leaders have a duty to lead their people in good faith, so before you begin to enforce any organization’s narrative, Bill explains that you must first confront brutal facts and base your objectives on truth. But above all else, the biggest role of a leader is to convey a sense of hope. 

Join the Jo Bros and Bill Mitchell on this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog to learn more about the rules of effective leadership, the importance of hope, and how to create a business that thrives in the chaos of a constantly changing world. 

 

Quotes

• “The bottom line is the effective executives are going to spend about 80% of their time working on the business and not in it.” (06:26-06:38)

• “For people who are longing for yesterday or hoping for a better tomorrow, I would suggest to them to figure out this is what it is. We make the best of what it is, we learn from yesterday, and we prepare for tomorrow, but we live in the moment. And I think it's important as businesses that we understand that more than ever.” (07:00-07:19) 

• “When we don't have control of many things, we've got to make sure we have full control of the things we can.” (07:51-07:55)

• “In times of uncertainty, the best thing we can do is stick to what we know.” (20:33-20:42)

• “As leaders,not only do we control the narrative, but we have to be constant purveyors of hope.” (25:30-25:34)

 

Links

https://moretalent.com/success-experts/dr-bill-mitchell/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-bill-mitchell-8a7745143/

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Rostyk Hursky

“I think CI needs to evolve faster than it is currently evolving.” says Rostyk Hursky, Director of Impact and Strategy at Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF). In his years of experience, Rostyk has dedicated himself to providing more advanced strategic and foresight services to the organizations he serves. Rostyk finds pride in his work by pushing the boundaries of the traditional approach to CI in hopes of creating outcomes that benefit both stakeholders and consumers. 

Competitive intelligence, or collaborative intelligence as Rostyk calls it, is constantly working to identify existing problems in order to create viable solutions that increase a company’s profits. According to Rostyk, if we take a humanistic approach to intelligence, we will see better results. He suggests the best way to achieve this is by collaborating with as many people as you can along the way. Understanding diverse perspectives will allow CI to be more effective in organizing and addressing the actual wants and needs of an audience on a vast scale.

In an ideal world, representatives from across the board would play a role in CI. Join the Jo Bros on this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog for a conversation with Rostyk Hursky about his passion for catalyzing change in CI. Learn more about the role of CI in our daily lives, the importance of collaboration, and why Rostyk believes that intelligence is capable of creating a better future for generations to come!

 

Quotes

• “I think CI needs to evolve faster than it is currently evolving.” (16:46-16:51)

• “CI needs to be pushed beyond the boundaries and limitations. It needs to be cross-functional, cross-organizational and cross-sectoral.” (17:24-17:35)

• “But to me, competitive intelligence, or as I call it collaborative intelligence, is really working towards not necessarily just making our organizations better and profitable, but making the world a better place for us, for our families, and for our children to grow up into.” (18:21-18:40)

• “We're working together to maximize a future reality based on understanding the points of view of everyone who has a stake in this currently.” (24:25-24:34)

 

Links

Connect with Rostyk Hursky:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rostyk-hursky-156266a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rostyk007?lang=en

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Joanna Park-Tonks

“After starting my new venture in the diamond business, I’m so glad that I had a foundation in CI,” says Joanna Park-Tonks, Founder of Chelsea Rocks. “I think business requires knowing the right questions to ask and knowing where to look for the answers.” While Joanna began her career as a Competitive Intelligence Analyst, she is now pursuing new business opportunities with her company Chelsea Rocks. Offering lab-grown diamonds, Joanna’s retail business provides beauty and sustainability and aims to educate others in the diamond industry on this forward-thinking method. 

Joanna tells us that her career in the CI world and her new entrepreneurial journey are united by her love of people. In her CI role, Joanna enjoyed acting as an investigative journalist, gleaning information by listening to what others had to tell her and reading between the lines. Joanna’s mastery of German, French and Italian also gave her the unique opportunity to apply all three languages to her career in CI. Now, Joanna has discovered a new language in the jewelry she creates, which targets ethical and design-conscious luxury customers. 

Tune into this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog for a conversation with Joanna about her transition into the jewelry space. Learn more about the overlaps between Joanna’s CI and entrepreneurial roles, the applications of sustainability in the jewelry world, and how the language of jewelry continues to inspire Joanna each and every day.

 

Quotes

• “And so, I've always sort of approached CI almost as an investigative journalist because I just find people endlessly fascinating: how they talk, what they tell you, what they don't tell you. And for me, it was just ferreting out that information, which was just endlessly fascinating.” (7:22-7:41)

• “Jewelry is in itself, in my opinion, a language. If you look at ancient and tribal cultures, jewelry was used in all sorts of contexts, for barter, for religion, for symbolism, for ceremony.” (14:03-14:22)

• “I think that diamonds, because of their visual appeal, will always be a symbol of celebration. And I think that the thing that has changed the worship in diamonds is that there's this whole shift around. If you look at what's happened with hybrid cars and vegan leather and even the milk industry, which is now 25% plant based, I think that there is this massive shift towards sustainability, and asking some quite tough, clear-eyed questions about what one is buying and the provenance of what one is buying.”(15:54-16:33)

• “My approach to Chelsea Rocks...is that I'm actually working with highly talented gemologist Helen Dimmick from the UK who's got a national profile. Together, we really tried to create an education-led approach. So, in addition to the podcasts, we've also, got a lot of articles, you know, third-party verification certification.”(23:43-24:13)

• “But that sort of empathy and that concern and that caring...that's the very essence of Chelsea rocks and how I wish to live my life and conduct my business.” (27:56-28:10)

 

Links

Connect with Joanna Park-Tonks:

• Website: www.chelsea-rocks.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannaparktonks/

• Twitter: @JoannaParkTonks

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Rob Verhelst

Rob Verhelst, aka Fireman Rob, was a two-sport collegiate athlete, playing both basketball and water polo. Post-graduation, he immediately joined his local fire department as a way to have a positive impact on his community. After just a year of service, Rob was sent to work search and recovery at Ground Zero only one day after the Twin Towers tragically fell. Nothing in his short 23 years of life could have prepared him for this moment, and it completely changed the trajectory of his life. While Rob has suffered many dark days, his service in NYC ultimately led him to discover meaning in his life. 

Decades after 911, Rob now inspires people around the globe by speaking, delivering training, and competing in Ironman races while wearing 50 pounds of firefighter gear. He firmly believes that if you find your passion, you are more likely to take ownership of your actions, make more grounded decisions, and maintain resilience in the face of adversity. 

As Rob has moved further along in his entrepreneurial journey, he has learned that his services aren’t right for everyone. He is not motivated by money and maintains a genuine reputation by only accepting clients that he believes he can successfully coach. Rob’s approach to purpose-driven success helps his clients discover uncomfortable and unrecognized limitations and effective strategies that can be used to build mental strength. 

Join the Jo Bros on this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog to hear how Fireman Rob found success in the fire. Learn how to take control of your fears by living an action-based lifestyle, so you can become an impactful leader that is driven by purpose and passion.  

 

Quotes

• “What you want to do with your life is leave a legacy. I always say it's not how successful you are, it's how much value you end in your life.” (07:03-07:11)

• “And when I started speaking, it was very hard to tell my story because it's not crafting it, it's being vulnerable enough to tell people your mistakes, tell people that you are fallible, but at the same time the high points, you know, those are just gleaming moments in the whole thing.” (09:45-10:04)

• “It's not what you get, it's what you do with what you get.” (13:34-13:39) 

• “If you find your passion and purpose, you're more likely to take ownership of all your actions or inactions or words, which will correlate to actually making good decisions. And when you start to make good decisions, you have to have the emotional control to actually back up those decisions, and not steer yourself clear of that. Because when you have that emotional control, you can maintain that resilience, even in the challenges even in the darkness, even in the struggles to have faith in yourself over the fears that have driven you before. And inevitably, that correlates exactly to your mental strength that all of us are looking for.” (36:54-37:31) 

• “Those trials and tribulations, the peaks, the valleys, the dark moments, the extremely dark moments, those are what create a person. That's what creates a human that's going to be somebody who can impact lives.” (40:46-42:00) 

 

Links

https://www.firemanrob.com/

https://twitter.com/TeamFiremanRob

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing

Ellen Naylor

Ellen Naylor began her career in competitive intelligence in 1985 at Bell Atlantic, now known as Verizon. Originally working in sales, Ellen talked her way into a CI role, which she held for the next five years. Eventually, Ellen transitioned to a position with Northwest Airlines, where she quickly realized that she was unsatisfied, but couldn’t quite put a finger on why. It wasn't until Ellen took a trip back home to Japan that she finally understood her frustrations with corporate and went on to start her own business, Business Intelligence Source.

More recently, Ellen also wrote a book titled Win/Loss Analysis: How to Capture and Keep the Business You Want. In Ellen’s opinion, not enough companies are incorporating Win/Loss Analysis into their business structure. Her book aims to prevent companies from focusing too much on their wins and instructs them on how best to learn from their losses.

Ellen tells us that she never imagined that she would be a business owner or an author until she stepped back into a place that made her feel grounded. She suggests that anyone who is unhappy with their current situation take some time to intentionally reflect while doing something that brings them joy. 

Join the Jo Bros on this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog for a conversation with Ellen Naylor about career transitions. Learn more about the effectiveness of the Win/Loss Analysis, the importance of feeling fulfilled in your current space and place, and how a three-week trip to Japan turned Ellen from a corporate employee into an entrepreneur. 

 

Quotes

• “So I wanted to go back to Japan where I grew up, and I hadn’t been there for 21 years...and while I was there, that was somewhat life changing because I had thought I would go back and get another corporate job. And I realized I just could not do that. It just wasn’t going to work, I was not the corporate type. I was done” (5:53-6:15) 

• “Not enough companies are doing [Win/Loss Analysis]. They think they know why they're winning and losing deals, especially why they're winning them. It's a riot.” (14:40-14:48) 

• “I like to have the person at the other end of the line or Zoom feel better by the end of our conversation than they did when we said hello, which is very simple. But it's pretty effective, actually, whether you're doing competitive research or having a conversation.” (25:22-25:38)

• “I think the real thing that hit me was I was back to my youth, I was back to where I was grounded….And you know, when you're grounded, you can't fool yourself.” (47:08-47:28)

• “So, I think I say for the listeners, you know, give yourself the time, the space, and the place...if you're very unhappy with where you are. And don't settle for being unhappy where you are.” (48:50-49:05)

 

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellennaylorcolorado/

@EllenNaylor

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing

Cynthia Cheng Correia

“In Intel, we really do need to challenge ourselves, challenge our assumptions, and challenge our worldviews and perspectives, so that we can achieve greater clarity,” says Cynthia Cheng Correia, Managing Director of Knowledge InForm and Founding President of the Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows. This approach is particularly crucial after the tumultuous year we’ve had, which, according to Cynthia, has been a glaring reminder of the importance of foresight and Intel in our modern-day world.

 

As a long-time educator and leader in the competitive intelligence field, Cynthia has a deep understanding of the gaps that need to be filled in Intel. Cynthia has worked with her fair share of individuals with strong informational backgrounds, who have a tendency to favor acquisition and research over what happens afterwards. Cynthia notes that intelligence analysts need to move beyond a focus on research alone and instead cultivate an Intel mindset to ensure that they don’t become stuck in gathering mode. True CI competency requires the ability to generate intel, not just info.

 

Join the Jo Bros on this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog for a conversation with Cynthia about catalyzing innovation in the realm of CI. Learn about the power of the reference interview, the cross-fertilization of government and commercial intel, and the battle against attentional and expectation biases in the Intel field. You’ll even learn how Host Derek Johnson exposed Cynthia’s secret musical career at the 2019 SLA Annual Conference! Tune in to learn more.

 

Quotes

• “In Intel, we really do need to challenge ourselves, challenge our assumptions, challenge our worldviews and perspectives, so that we can really achieve greater clarity.” (03:55-04:04)
• “[As we bring people through the SLA certification program, we focus on] trying to minimize those biases and cultivate that intelligence mindset and helping them see the practice more holistically, so that we can overcome that tendency to just want to focus on research.” (18:24-18:36)
• “If we’re not challenging our own lines of thinking, we’re susceptible to missing a lot of what is important. I think it’s important that we try to be as evidence-based as possible in how we find solutions.” (37:35-37:50)
• “I think that one of the things that Intel pros are excellent at is the idea that we can take a broader view. We're trained in trying to understand the broader perspective, so that we can take a longer view of problems and issues.” (39:17- 39:34) 
• “Everything about 2020 teaches us the importance of Intel and foresight.” (41:05-41:10)
• “When we’re working at the entity level...we also really need to look at this and understand: how am I being driven by my personal interests or managerial interests versus a broader interest in the organization or even organization at different periods in time as we look outward in different time horizons? So these are the types of things we have to challenge ourselves all the time. We’re in constant tension to our inherent biases and inherent wishes versus the reality that's out there. So, perspectives are important.” (47:38-48:19)

 

Links

Twitter – @TheCIFellows 

Twitter – @chengcorreia 

http://www.knowledgeinform.com 

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing

Heather Kenny

“Teachers default to practices that they experienced themselves as a student,” explains Heather Kenny, President of Unleashed Innovation, Inc. and Creator of Sounder & Friends™. Educator turned entrepreneur, Heather has a deep understanding of the power of literacy to inform one’s life trajectory. Unfortunately, progress is quite slow in the educational world surrounding evidence-based practices; instead, new teachers tend to revert back to the strategies that they encountered as students, which are oftentimes out-of-date and not nearly as effective as newer models.

Heather first began to develop her passion for literacy as a kindergarten teacher at an overcrowded elementary school. In this role, she quickly realized that the most important gift she could give her students was the gift of literacy. One of Heather’s coworkers at the time learned about the concept of phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear and play with individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Heather began brainstorming ways she could introduce a great focus on phonemic awareness into her classroom to lay the groundwork for her students’ future reading instruction.

Fast forward to 2021, Heather has now created an engaging and entertaining way for kids to develop their phonemic awareness in the form of Sounder & Friends™, an educational adventure show. Tune into this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog for a conversation with Heather about literacy, phonemic awareness and her journey from educator to entrepreneur.

 

Quotes

• “If children aren’t entertained, then they’re not going to want to watch it again. And if we don’t have their attention, then we can’t teach them anything.” (28:16-28:22)

• “Ours is a highly literate society, and in order to have access and to be considered a full-fledged, contributing, respected member of that society, you have to be literate. Otherwise, there's this incredible sense of shame that you carry around with you. What learners tend to do is they tend to internalize it...and as a result, there's a sense of overwhelming shame… So, if you can imagine what that's like to go through your entire life, feeling this sense of shame, feeling like there's this terrible secret that you can't let anybody in on.” (34:22-35:23)

• “If we can develop these skills, and we can make parents and teachers aware of how important it is that they develop proficiency early on, then children's brains will be primed for reading by the time they get to first grade, kindergarten even, when reading instruction really begins in earnest.” (40:27-40:43)

• “Phonemic awareness is particularly relevant to children who are at risk for experiencing reading difficulties. And children in that adoptive category definitely fall into that category as at risk.” (46:25-46:39)

• “If a child is floundering, we should be stepping in and giving them supports. If they're not able to do it on their own, that means they don't have the right support structure in place. So either the task is far too difficult or we're not providing the right kinds of supports.” (49:34-49:46)

 

Links:

Connect with Unleashed Innovation:

• Website: https://www.unleashed-innovation.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unleashed-innovation/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashedInnovation/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/unleashed_inno

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashed_innovation/

 

Connect with Sounder & Friends™:

• Store: https://store.sounderandfriends.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70050966/admin/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SounderFriends/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/friendssounder

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sounder_and_friends/

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sounder_and_friends

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEhiYc9ALWque3nVTQhvmHw

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing

Mike Moh

Mike Moh grew up as a minority in a predominantly white suburb and recognized from an early age that he was different. But rather than fading into the background, Mike instead became the class clown and got involved in a wide range of community activities. However, it wasn’t until Mike began taking taekwondo classes at his local dojo that he began to fully understand what true passion feels like. Since then, martial arts has become the foundation of Mike’s life, and he has made it his mission to pass his passion along to others. 

Mike’s martial arts training also helped him jumpstart his acting career, which he pursued in full force during his early 20s. Mike’s roles have ranged from working as a stuntman with Jackie Chan on the film “Robin-B-Hood” to small appearances in several commercials and TV shows to his most recent appearance as Bruce Lee in “Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood.” Mike explains that acting has required a great degree of mental toughness since the rate of rejection is so high. Luckily, this is a skill that he has been cultivating for decades as part of his taekwondo training.

Join the Jo Bros on this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog for a conversation with Mike Moh about finding opportunities within every challenge. Learn about the successes and roadblocks Mike has faced as an Asian American in the movie industry, the joy he finds in being underestimated, and how he has managed to create a thriving martial arts school in the small town of Waunakee, WI against all odds.

 

Quotes

• “So all we can do is respond, and respond with, you know, whether it's a kick or punch, we've got to respond and counter. And that's what we did. And, you know, there's going to be more challenges in the future and knowing that we can navigate this one, which was a pretty tough one – we can handle it all.” (6:00-6:17) 

• “I got a call from Jackie Chan’s people…. Then fast forward a month, I'm in Hong Kong on my first-ever movie set with Jackie Chan, one of the guys that I idolized.” (17:05-17:20)

• “I'm not a scholar in this area, but I know for a fact most people go throughout their entire life without knowing truly what they're capable of…. If I had to go level 0 to 100 (100 being the absolute limit of what you can physically, mentally and emotionally take), I'd say most people live in this 40 to 60 range. And they think that the 60 is their 100 — but they have no idea.” (20:53-21:20)

• “As an actor, I've been turned down many, many times, whether it's for Bruce Lee or for whatever else. And, I don't know any other profession where a 2% success rate is a huge success. I don't know any other industry. So, as an actor, mental and emotional strength is such a big thing.” (26:02-26:29)

 

Links:

@mohsmartialarts @mikemoh 

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing

Rich Caldwell

“When a paradigm shifts, if you don’t shift with it, you’re going to be history,” says Rich Caldwell, Sector Manager of Strategic Landscape Assessments at Northrop Grumman. Rich has experienced his fair share of paradigm shifts throughout his extensive career, which has included working as a Communications Squad Commander in the US Air Force, as a Space Crew Commander at Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, as a J33 CSOD Action Officer on the Joint Staff of the Pentagon, and in his current role at Northrop Grumman.

Now, Rich’s greatest passion is using his wealth of knowledge and experience in the world of CI to cultivate the young people at his company into future leaders. He explains that he calls his young employees his “kids” and gives them a two-year deadline to work on his team before kicking them out, since by then he hopes they will have learned and grown enough to move onto bigger and better things!

Join the Jo Bros on this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog for a conversation with Rich about his background in CI and his predictions for the future of the industry. Learn why Rich believes we should introduce students into the intelligence culture at a younger age, how the digital revolution is changing the way we do business and why 2021 is the year of accountability and action.

Quotes
• “As you start getting a little bit older into this career, you start thinking, ‘People took care of me. There were people who took me under their wing. I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for them.’ So I turned my focus on that….Our job is to make sure that we cultivate these people and move them on so they can be our leaders someday.” (9:36-11:18) 

• “If we look at the intelligence world, I think more and more we need to transition how we do education. We need to start getting younger people’s hands dirty into a skillset early on.” (18:19-18:32)

• “You have to keep changing with the environment. Commercial tech is changing the way we’re doing business. We’re all now into this digital revolution. We no longer build multi-billion dollar airplanes and do fly offs. We build digital twins. It’s all done in modeling and sim….You’re flying an aircraft that hasn’t been built yet.” (35:23-35:54)

• “I explain it to leaders like this. You’re going to go golfing, and you get your bags together, you clean your golf balls, you clean your clubs, you go out there, you get on the first tee. We line you up. We put the ball on the tee. You come back, and you’re taking that back swing, you’re getting ready to go, and you drop your club and say, ‘Ok, thank you.’... Hit the ball! Take the risk!” (43:12-43:43)

Links:
Twitter: AeroDefenseGuy (@defense_guy)  
Rich Caldwell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caldgargan/  

https://aurorawdc.com/ 
Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 
Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing