The following is an unedited essay that my daughter turned in for an English Class assignment:

“Write something uplifting! I know you can do it. Just try.”

Staring at my computer screen, I was astonished at this outrageous request. Was my teacher serious? We have to write something uplifting in the middle of a pandemic, racial injustice protests, reproductive rights crisis, and general nightmare that is our current world?

"Laughable," I figured.

What’s uplifting in this world? We’ve got people dying every day; how is anything about that uplifting? Hovering my fingers over my keyboard hesitantly, I couldn’t even think of a place to start. Just try? Eventually, after zero progress, I got sick of the blaring white Google Document in my face, so I switched tabs into my Spotify music application.

Then, it dawned on me.

Where do I turn when the world seems to be in complete shambles? Where do I begin to express myself in times of trouble? Where do I go when my teacher gives me an unbelievable assignment that results in a massive headache?

Music!

Clicking “Play” on one of my playlists immediately snapped my spirits up. A smile spread across my face as George Michael serenaded me through my laptop speaker. The world around, full of disaster and depression, faded away. I was invincible as David Bowie sang to me, convincing me that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.

Inspired, my fingers began dancing across my computer, typing out words faster than my brain could even comprehend. Dozens of typos and grammatical errors flashed on my screen as I did nothing but write - and that was okay. I wrote with a passion and a drive which I never had before I listened to music. I was trying.

Amazed at how quickly everything came to light, I sat back and took my work in. How did I do that, man? Sure, I could send out a massive thank you to the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, and, while I am truly grateful for them, they weren’t the ones who got me to do that writing piece. They weren’t the ones who motivated me to get this done.

It was my teacher, who told me to “just try.”

It’s people like this, people like my teacher, people who push us forward to do what we don’t want to do, who make this world a little bit more bearable. Those people who can guide you to the light at the end of the tunnel, if not be that light themselves. And, in times like this, nobody means more than somebody nudging you, inspiring you, and convincing you to just try.

The next day, my daughter’s teacher responded with four little words:

“You made me cry.”

Please share this post with a teacher today...

© 2020. Gabriella Clark. All Rights Reserved.

​John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.

Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA, [a non-profit 501c(3)], John H. Clark III believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life.
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and authorize people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  An engaged community advocate and authentic leader, his trademarked phrase is a winner:

Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends,
than that good men should look on and do nothing.
( John Stuart Mill )

I enlisted in the military in 1986, and, as the picture above reflects, I was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy in 1993.

I retired at the rank of commander two years ago.  During that 30-year timeframe, our nation's Navy has changed significantly.  However, as I pointed out in a recent blog post, "Our Navy - your Navy - continues to lose incredibly talented leaders, primarily because those same talented leaders do not fit the mean, median, mode, or, most importantly, the mold.”

After I shared that blog post “How I Helped Slow Systemic Racism in Our Nation’s Navy,” the response was immediate and unprecedented.

Through my website and across the various groups to which I belong on LinkedIn and Facebook, many people reached out to say “Thank you.”

They thanked me for having the “courage” to publish an essay about the current state of our nation's Navy, and military, in general.

I received thank-you notes from Active Duty personnel, Reservists, and Retired personnel... as well as civilians who have never served in our nation's military.

Perhaps the most heartfelt response was from a mother of a service member.

Without revealing her identity, I will simply convey what she said in her email:

​“As a mom of someone who graduated from the USNA and the Post Grad schools,
I find your comments to be spot on.
​
​I just wanted to thank you for your courage and honesty.”

I find it terribly ironic that, the more candid and transparent I am, the more I am seen as “courageous” and “honest.”  These heartfelt messages imply that a negative backlash and a war with senior Navy leaders is awaiting me somewhere, somehow, some day... for simply being authentic and sharing a (Capital-T) Truth that is hidden in plain sight.

But to be perfectly candid, I was not totally honest in my previous post regarding my exchanges with the Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association and the President of the Naval Postgraduate School.

Though I did, in fact, allude to my disappointment with the “unsupportive response from the President of the Naval Postgraduate School and the underwhelming support of senior ‘leadership’ at the National Naval Officers Association...”

...to be honest, I didn’t share the reasons why I was disappointed.

Indeed, there were several reasons.

And, though I am a self-proclaimed "optimistic realist," I feel compelled to share two primarily idealistic (as opposed to optimistic) reasons why I believe the leadership of these two organizations failed spectacularly in their respective roles.

POINT #1. In the week following my request for a Zoom meeting with the leadership of the Naval Postgraduate School and the NPS Alumni Association, the president of the Naval Postgraduate School held an “open dialogue” about racial diversity. (click on the link to read it... or listen to to it).

On its face, the “open dialogue” facilitated by the school’s president appeared to be an honest attempt at initiating resolution of the challenge of racial politics in America.

However, in the REAL WORLD, the school’s president laid blame and the responsibility to search for a solution at the lap of four Black officers, all of whom were several ranks junior to the retired three-star admiral.

Consider the words of the NPS president, the retired admiral:

“I brought together four of our outstanding students to talk about this historically difficult topic with greater urgency and determination, one that must be a topic for all leaders … inclusion, diversity and the issue of race that has been at the center of our nation's pain and anger,” said the president.

​ “I wanted to listen and explore with them how we in the military, and how we as leaders, can do more to understand concerns they have and discuss ideas together to make real change.”
(NPS president ~ see video below)

​Here's where the words of the school's president and the REAL WORLD are in conflict:

If inclusion, diversity and the issue of race are topics “for all leaders,” then the president should have included a more diverse panel of naval officers.

To be more precise: the president asked four Black naval officers to help solve a problem by which they, themselves, did not cause, but are potentially, if not likely, directly and adversely affected.

To be even MORE precise: the president of the Naval Postgraduate School purposefully left White naval officers out of the discussion.

Why?
 
Wouldn’t it be nice to hear what THEY have to say?

​In fact, why not have a subsequent “Open Dialogue About Racial Diversity” with an all-white caste of junior and field-grade officers? (And, yes: I meant to spell caste in the manner it is spelled).

After all, the school’s alumni association appears to be exceedingly comfortable with an all-white Advisory Council (until my attempts at forced integration) and an all-white Board of Trustees (which remains all-white as of the date of this post).

Please seek to understand my perfectly authentic point here...

Ask yourself... are Black people the problem here?

Of course, the answer is "No."

However, here, again, these Black naval officers - FOUR BLACK MEN - were being asked for insight into the problem.

But here's the thing: our nation - your nation - does not have a history of enslavement, lynchings, victim-blaming, and the well-documented disenfranchisement and ostracism of White men.

To be perfectly transparent, honest, and (dare I say it) courageous: our nation - your nation - has a history of enslavement, lynchings, victim-blaming, and the well-documented disenfranchisement and ostracism of Black men.

Some of my friends and fellow naval officers still on Active Duty ask me why I, the optimistic realist, have decided to write on this potentially divisive topic (?)

Indeed, it takes significantly more effort and extra work to be fully invested in who we are and the associated things we have to say, than to perform according to the muted expectations, false frameworks, and unsubstantiated directives of others.  

And as I stated in my previous post, for many people, this public investigation of the perspectives of the Black naval officers would likely be an oversight.

But for me, it was a formidable slight to which there could be no excuse.

In the final remarks of the "dialogue," the president of NPS says, "You have my commitment in making sure NPS is a place that solves problems.”

I remain unimpressed.  And here's why...

In the context of the conversation, the Naval Postgraduate School could be a place that solves racial problems, if nowhere else, within our military... and (perhaps) within our society.

Yet...

In today’s world, it is absolutely unacceptable for a retired three-star admiral to ONLY “invite” four black military officers to speak openly about something that can absolutely affect the trajectory of their career…

Aside from asking these young Black men to lay bare their personal and professional souls, the power dynamic between them and the retired three-star admiral is wildly askew.

In reality, the Black naval officers were likely very circumspect.

​In fact (play the video)...

My simple point is this: I wonder how White naval officers at the Naval Postgraduate School feel about inclusion, diversity and the issue of race in our nation’s Navy. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to hear what THEY have to say?

Apparently, the president of the NPS didn't think they were part of the solution or the problem.

POINT #2. In the week following my Zoom meeting with the leadership of the Naval Postgraduate School and the NPS Alumni Association, I suggested that the Naval Postgraduate School and its Alumni Association could be - SHOULD BE - at the forefront of initiating creative, bold, and authentic solutions to the military’s conundrum of race, racial politics, and the resultant abysmal level of diversity reflected at the highest levels of our nation’s civilian and uniformed military leaders (as reflected in the below photograph which shows our nation's top uniformed military leaders posing with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces).

​The Memorandum of Agreement between the Naval Postgraduate School and the Alumni Association of the Naval Postgraduate School delineates very specific roles and responsibilities of the Alumni Association, one of which is to “serve as the primary point of contact between the Naval Postgraduate School and the Foundation on all matters relating to the relationship.”

And, in this regard, the Naval Postgraduate School and the Alumni Association are inextricably bound.

Accordingly, in at least three separate Zoom meetings, I specifically asked the president of the Alumni Association to convey POINT #1 and POINT # 2 as described above.

As one of the premier institutions of higher learning for our nation's military leaders, the Naval Postgraduate School could actually provide a platform for proactively seeking, researching, and (dare I say it) literally learning about the Navy’s apparently inherent challenges of inclusion, diversity and the historical savagery and VERY contemporary politics of race.  Accordingly, I offered several suggestions on HOW the Naval Postgraduate School could effectuate such research and learning.

​I suggested quarterly seminars for students at NPS.

I suggested brown-bag luncheons at NPS.

I suggested, rather idealistically...

​...a course on race relations within our Navy,
and within the military, in general.

The reaction, response, and reply from NPS:

~ SILENCE ~

Let’s all try to remember the absolute power of silence.

In fact, let’s remember who was “invited” to speak at the “open dialogue…”

…and who was allowed to remain silent.

​~ ~ ~

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As difficult as conversations like these may appear to be, it's often more difficult to write about them. Yet, we must continue to press forward in an authentic investigation of self if we are to become a "more perfect union."  

In retrospect, I remember being brought to tears when it became evident that President-elect Obama was on the verge of making history.

At the time, I was leading a men's group of Christian men while living in the D.C Metropolitan Area.  Interestingly enough, I was the only person of color in the group,  And I vividly remember the clear disappointment among at least one member of the group when we discussed President-elect Obama.

To be honest, as the years went by, I became somewhat disenchanted with the manner in which President Obama seemed to handle race relations.  In my limited view of things, it seemed as though he only spoke publicly about race when the nation was grappling with a severe "racial incident."

And, unfortunately, there were numerous "racial incidents" during the Obama Presidency, including the incident when Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr was arrested on suspicion of breaking into his own home near Harvard.

Equally notorious was the incident when George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin. 

President Obama spoke publicly on both occasions. And, in my opinion, he spoke authentically.

First in 2009, in his answer to a reporter's question regarding the arrest of Professor Gates, President Obama admitted his feelings and associated response were a little bit biased, primarily because Professor Gates is a personal friend of the Obamas.

Secondly, when Zimmerman killed the teenager, President Obama said "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon."  This statement, though entirely rooted in fact, incensed so many Americans.

Accordingly, many Americans wasted very little time as they pounced and accused him of race-baiting.  Indeed, whenever the topic of race was at hand, President Obama found himself in the proverbial Catch-22; a no-win situation... despite being imminently qualified to speak authoritatively on the subject.

I adore President Obama.  I just wish he would have spent more time discussing race and racial politics in relatively "normal" times.  For example, perhaps a better time to discuss race would have been on some random Tuesday morning when racial tensions were not so inflamed.

However, in this country...
...we are always a few hours away from a race-related incident.

​John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.

Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA, [a non-profit 501c(3)], John H. Clark III believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life.
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and authorize people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  An engaged community advocate and authentic leader, his trademarked phrase is a winner:

​Something…

I did something earlier this past year that started out so innocuously.

I received an invite on LinkedIn; there would be a social mixer for the Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association here in Hawaii, at a restaurant overlooking historic Pearl Harbor.

As a 2003 graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, how could I resist?

My wife and I joined the festivities, and we listened intently as the representatives from the Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association discussed future plans and asked other alumni if we would like to be a part of the planned growth of the Association.

Part of the plans included an exciting new digital periodical titled “Faces of NPS.”

“Faces” would reflect the various initiatives of current students, alumni, and all of the terrific things that we had done, were doing, or were planning to do.

So, needless to say, I was rather excited when, several months later, the inaugural edition of “Faces of NPS” popped into my email inbox early Saturday morning on May 23rd, just as the COVID pandemic was grabbing the lion’s share of media attention.

Upon reading through the inaugural edition of “Faces of NPS” (Faces of NPS, Volume 1), I was immediately struck by the complete lack of diversity in the e-newsletter that purported to focus “on the people of the Naval Postgraduate School.”

Not one single person highlighted in the e-newsletter “that focuses on the people of the Naval Postgraduate School” was a minority.

No minority students…

…no minority staff members…

...and no minority alumni were presented.

Now, to many people, this would likely be an oversight.

But for me, it was a formidable slight to which there could be no excuse.

Accordingly, I promptly responded with an email later that same Saturday afternoon on which I received the email (sent at 2:38 Hawaiian Standard Time on May 23rd).

You can read the complete contents of my email HERE, but the specific concerns I shared included the following statement:

“Inasmuch as our great Navy has made tremendous strides, advances, and improvements in facilitating (allowing) members of the minority communities to more fully participate in virtually every field available to our military and civilian population, I am somewhat dismayed that the inaugural edition of “Faces of NPS” reflects poorly on those significant headways.

If “Faces of NPS” seeks to be a premier **and** inclusive periodical that represents the alumni/alumnae of the Naval Postgraduate School, please make a more concerted effort to include minority personnel as "Faces of NPS" highlights the past, present, and ongoing efforts of its students, faculty and staff.

As you are hopefully aware, minorities have been historically disenfranchised and marginalized, despite investing significant, if not all, portions of their careers and lives to the United States Navy and, by extension, the United States of America.

And, as I have posited elsewhere, our Navy - your Navy - continues to lose incredibly talented leaders, primarily because those same talented leaders do not fit the mean, median, mode, or, most importantly, the mold.”

I closed the email letter with a very specific statement and accompanying request. Specifically:

“In reality, if we are not doing something very specific to mitigate, undermine, confront, and overwhelm the formal, informal, and very well-known systems that perpetuate yesterday’s policies into tomorrow, we are, ourselves, mere facilitators of the same.

Please do better. Please do something very specific to mitigate, undermine, confront, and overwhelm the formal, informal, and very well-known systems that perpetuate yesterday’s policies into tomorrow.”

Unsurprisingly, by Thursday of the following week, I had not received a response to my email.

Accordingly, I followed up with another email, directly to the President of the Naval
Postgraduate School Alumni Association. (If desired, read a copy of the email HERE.)

Here is a screenshot of the website of the Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association Advisory Council, followed by their self-described mission. It's an interesting mix of "diverse" members, right?

​Please note the “diverse” members.

I specifically mention the word “diverse” primarily because, as you can see, despite having an all-white cast of characters, the NPS Alumni Association Advisory Council of the NPS Alumni Association had the sheer unmitigated gall to state this on their website:
 
“… the Advisory Council is composed of accomplished experts who will offer innovative strategies and DIVERSE perspectives to our Board of Trustees.” 
 
In my mind, for an alumni association with an (all-white) Board of Trustees and an (all-white) Advisory Council that represents thousands of minority students of a federally funded institution of higher learning, the wording reflected in the aforementioned paragraph is wholly unacceptable, by ANY standard.
 
Unfortunately, the offenses did not stop there.
 
On Friday, May 29th, when I finally received a formal response to my initial email, the President of the NPS Alumni Association said…
 
“The issue you speak to is important and as an organization we want to keep it front of mind in all we do. With regard to the make-up of our Trustees and Advisory Council, the leaders of each have TALKED with me about identifying candidates that are more representative of the U.S. and the military and we have taken that step in updating our prospect list for each.”
 
Please note the highlighted word in the above paragraph: TALKED.
 
Wow!  

Back when I served in the World’s Greatest Navy, we did not speak highly of people who TALKED about doing things… especially when it took honor, courage, and true commitment to get the job done.
 
Accordingly, I responded with a more urgent appeal. 
 
I asked for deliverables. Specifically,

• I asked that the verbiage on the NPS Alumni Association & Foundation website claiming “… the Advisory Council is composed of accomplished experts who will offer innovative strategies and DIVERSE perspectives to our Board of Trustees” be removed.    

After all, how could an all-white panel provide DIVERSE perspectives?  
 
(And don’t get it twisted: we ALL know that the word “diverse” is a loaded word, with strong implications.)

• I requested a meeting with the President of NPS and/or the Acting Provost of NPS.  

 
To provide maximum flexibility for the meeting, I made myself available for the subsequent 60 days, and offered to fly to Monterey from Hawaii for the meeting.

• Lastly, but most importantly, I requested the following: 
  • Please augment the existing board IMMEDIATELY with at least two members who each self-identify as a minority (for example, African American, Mexican-American, etc.). 
  • If this action cannot be effectuated within 30 days, please tell me (a) why this goal is not achievable; and (b) the exact date when the NPSAAF plans to have a more diverse advisory council **AND** board of trustees in place.

 
One would think this record of events would surely start leaning toward a progressively better status.
 
Unfortunately, the offenses did not stop there.
 
Accordingly, I restated the verbiage of my previous email.  Expressly:
 
Please tell me, specifically, what the Naval Postgraduate School is doing to mitigate, undermine, confront, and overwhelm the formal, informal, and very well-known systems that perpetuate yesterday’s non-inclusive (if not racist) policies into tomorrow.  
 
Clearly, aligning itself with an alumni association that unabashedly maintains a board of advisors and trustees that are almost exclusively white speaks volumes about the school’s concern for diversity (or lack thereof).
 
I ask you, “From where are the DIVERSE perspectives coming?”
 
Again, I sincerely appreciate your communicated stance on this matter.  
 
As an alumnus of NPS, I am committed to obtaining a better understanding of how the two institutions are connected, and what we, as a community, are doing to improve what appears to be abysmal efforts at ensuring minority representation at the alumni association. 
 
I also added this interesting historical twist:
 
“I implore you to take this matter more seriously.
 
To be sure, in the intervening days since my first email to your organization (on Saturday, May 23rd), our nation and the world are grappling with – and responding to - the most recent public lynching of a Black man here in the United States of America.
 
Also…
 
Given the recent events regarding retired Captain Scott Bethmann, his position as a trustee with the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association, and his egregious comments regarding people of color this past weekend, I am seeking an expeditious response from you, and the NPS (and the advisory council and the trustees, if necessary).”
 
For you see, my dear friends and associates, a few days after my initial email to the Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association, George Floyd was killed by a police officer in broad daylight while being filmed by several law-abiding citizens.
 
And, despite what many people might think, these things are related: an all-white Board of Trustees and an all-white Advisory Council at the Alumni Association of YOUR taxpayer-funded Naval Postgraduate School… and the killing of (yet another) Black man on the streets of YOUR nation.
 
In case you missed it, during the timeframe of the aforementioned emails, retired U.S. Navy Captain Scott Bethmann garnered his 15 minutes of infamy by livestreaming racist remarks on Facebook. He and his wife reportedly used the n-word, and said several racially disparaging remarks while (apparently) unknowingly broadcasting the remarks on Facebook.  
 
Interestingly enough, retired Captain Bethmann wasn’t just “any ol’ retired captain”; on the day he made those remarks, he was serving as the Treasurer of the Jacksonville Chapter of the Naval Academy Alumni Association and the National Trustee.
 
Unfortunately, the offenses did not stop there.
 
In a much more formal response to my initial inquiry regarding the lack of minority representation on the Advisory Council and Board of Trustees (on June 10th, 2020), the President and CEO of the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation wrote…
 
“We will explore additional ways to reach underrepresented youth, through STEM events and high school and college internships, and look for new opportunities to assist military organizations, like the National Naval Officers Association.”
 
Take a look at the picture below and understand this supremely important point:

This is NOT about “underrepresented youth, through STEM events and high school and college internships.”

This is about RETENTION… of people of color… at the higher levels of civilian and uniformed military organizations.
 
To be perfectly candid, any attempt to shift the narrative from RETENTION to RECRUITMENT underscores exactly HOW systemic racism continues to reinforce itself as and among the status quo in our nation.
 
For you see, if people of color don’t make it to and through the HIGHER levels of civilian and uniformed military organizations, they will never make it to the HIGHEST levels of civilian and uniformed military organizations.
 
To be clear: I am a “Life Member” of the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA).  
 
Conveniently, during this timeframe, the President of the Naval Postgraduate School, a retired three-star admiral from deep in the heart of good ol’ Texas, joined NNOA as a “Life Member.”  Interestingly enough, in the retired admiral's post regarding George Floyd, the phrase "death of George Floyd" is used.  It wasn't merely a "death"; it was a killing... a murder.

Ah, but we must avoid potential pejoratives; we must be more circumspect. We must use euphemisms. 

​Must we?
 
Also, in full disclosure, throughout these developments, I was in consultation with senior members of the NNOA Executive Team.  And, again, to be perfectly candid, they were of no help.  In fact, considering the fact that one of the executive members is a retired member of the Navy’s admiralty, one could say that one person in particular, being a person of color, was exhibiting some rather obstructionist behavior.
 
But, alas, that, too, is not surprising.
 
For you see, once certain members of the military reach a certain rank, things begin to change.
 
“What things?” you might ask.
 
Well, for starters, Navy admirals (and military flag officers, in general) have a substantial staff of civilian and uniformed servicemembers who serve a number of purposes, one of which is to protect that admiral or general.
 
After a while, the admirals and generals hear less and less of the (capital-T) Truth… and more and more of what their staff think they, the admirals and generals, WANT TO hear.
 
Accordingly, plausible deniability becomes a way of life for admirals and generals.
 
Ultimately, their true character begins to shine... or otherwise wear thin to reflect their true character.

If they are genuinely great leaders (and many of them are great leaders) they will shine so brightly that their brilliance will unabashedly influence and imbue others with a strong sense of mission, honor, courage, and commitment.

If, on the other hand, they are shady, everyone knows it, but we must avoid potential pejoratives; we must be more circumspect. We must use euphemisms. 

​Must we?
  
Perhaps they won’t get as bad as Rear Adm. Robert Gilbeau or Rear Admiral David Baucom, but please believe me when I say that I have first-hand knowledge of some rather corrupt navy flag officers.  The media regularly reports on some of the lesser-known deeds, like what Rear Admiral Heinrich and others did, but the public rarely pays any real attention to these matters.  Most people don’t understand the fact that, by the time something like this rises to the level of media attention, much more nefarious things have transpired at some point or another.
 
But I digress…
 
Ultimately, the Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association did the right things:

• They removed the verbiage on the NPS Alumni Association & Foundation website claiming “… the Advisory Council is composed of accomplished experts who will offer innovative strategies and DIVERSE perspectives to our Board of Trustees.” 

 

• Within 30 days of my request, they augmented the existing board with at least two members who each self-identify as a minority. Specifically, within 30 days of my request, the Alumni Association added Mr. Ron Moultrie and retired 4-star Admiral Cecil Haney to their membership. OF NOTE: The Board of Trustees remains exclusively white.

 
In retrospect, though you, the reader, are just now learning about this act of kindness on my part, I am glad to have performed a service.
 
In today’s terms, I am not so sure about publicly sharing what transpired over this past summer. But, alas, it is 100% true.  And yet, for some readers, the aforementioned words, pictures, and progress will all seem like much ado about nothing.
 
As I posited in a previous post…
 
“Earlier this past week, you probably saw the same thing I saw.  However, we likely feel differently about it. Yep... despite the fact that we saw the exact same thing...
 
               ...it all depends on how you see it.
 
Literally everything we do is affected by how we decide to prioritize our day, our week, and our life. 
 
Likewise, our propensities (our habits) help to ensure today is quite a bit like yesterday.”  
 
And inasmuch as you and I live in the same country, one nation, under God... as a nation, we are more divisible by race than by any other subjectively objective standard.
 
It’s actually in our nation’s DNA... 
 
Article one, section two of the Constitution of the United States declared that any person who was not free would be counted as three-fifths of a free individual for the purposes of determining congressional representation. The "Three-Fifths Clause" thus increased the political power of slaveholding states. (thirteen.org)
 
But here’s the thing… as I posited in the previously referenced post…
 
“Whose reality is more correct?  After all, when discussing reality with family and friends, there are at least three ways to view life:

1. The way you see it;
2. The way others see it; and
3. The way things really are.

 
Regardless what ANY of us in the U.S. say, take a look at the following picture.  

​This is the way things really ARE...

Of course, there are many, many more details to this storied evolution of the Alumni Association at YOUR Naval Postgraduate School (you pay for the school through YOUR tax dollars).
 
For context and clarity, I have condensed and edited several emails and communications.
 
To be candid, I was less-than-pleased with the unsupportive response from the President of the Naval Postgraduate School and the underwhelming support of senior “leadership” at the National Naval Officers Association. 
 
But, hey, at least we now have an integrated Advisory Council at the NPS Alumni Association. But again, let's not get history or present-day progress twisted. It is what it is.  Here is a screenshot of the NPS Alumni website I grabbed just before publishing this blog post...

...either you love diversity... or you don't. 

​It was an interesting summer, to be sure.
​But here's a question - Please tell me:

What are YOU doing to mitigate, undermine, confront, and overwhelm the formal, informal, and very well-known systems that perpetuate yesterday’s non-inclusive, if not racist, policies into tomorrow?

If you’re not actively part of the solution, please consider looking in the mirror.
 
You might be part of the problem.
 
And here is one such example of what I just stated:
 
After all of the email exchanges and numerous Zoom meetings we enjoyed, the President of the Alumni Association had this to say about HOW the all-white Board of Trustees and Advisory Council came to be…

“We didn’t mean for it to happen that way.
​
​It just did.”

If you believe that, then a great number of people have all wasted our time this past summer.
 
Nothing like this happens “by accident.”
 
~ Nothing ~

Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA, [a non-profit 501c(3)], John H. Clark III believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life.
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and authorize people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  An engaged community advocate and authentic leader, his trademarked phrase is a winner:

Do you see what I see?

Interestingly, the only difference between the words “meditation” and the word “medication” are the letters 't' and 'c.'
​
Just for fun, close your eyes for about 8 seconds and think about those little letters 't' and 'c'.

Even with your eyes closed, you can see that those little letters can make all the difference in the world.

And by referencing "the world," I am referring to those things internal and external to you.

But, more importantly, I am stressing your particular, respective perspective.

In other words, even with your eyes closed, you can see that the way you see can make all the difference in the world.

Your internal world is where EVERYTHING happens.

It's where you might need medicine if you don't invest time ingesting an understanding of your truest, highest, most important self.

Your internal world is where EVERYTHING happens.

It's where you can conquer the world's most menacing enemy, and create the greatest hero you will ever know or need to know: your self.

Your internal world is where EVERYTHING happens.

It's quite factually the only place in the world where you can literally and immediately change the world with thought.

And I'm not just speaking figuratively…

When you change your inner thoughts, you change the blueprints and action plans for your next mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional steps in life (especially the blueprints for your physical world outside of your internal self).

And when you change the blueprints and action plans for your next steps in life, you change your own direction, dynamics, and dreams that may come true.

Ultimately, when you change your own direction, dynamics, and dreams as they come true... you will undoubtedly change someone, somewhere, somehow... some way.

And when that person changes, he or she will soon effect changes within or upon someone else.

Interestingly enough... this process goes on with or without your knowledge.

Day in and day out, you, he, she, they, and I are constantly changing...

The question is: To what state of mind, ability, and action are we changing?

Are you acting on purpose?

Because if you do, indeed, act on (your) purpose, you will, indeed, get there.

Come to think of it… what is your purpose?

That's the "million-dollar" question.

Meditate on that… (please)... and this:

* Happy New Year (minus 29)!

* Ask your self, "What do I want to achieve?"

* Ask, "What are my end-of-year challenges and opportunities."

​Meditate... don't medicate.

Aloha,
John

​John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.

​Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA, [a non-profit 501c(3)], John believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life.
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and authorize people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  An engaged community advocate and authentic leader, his trademarked phrase is a winner: