Summary:
In Episode #217 Ari and Nick interview [General Jefforey Smith](http://www.bragg.army.mil/leaders/Pages/DCG.aspx). General Smith is Deputy Commander at Fort Bragg – one of the USA’s most significant military bases and home to 90,000 people.
Listen in as General Smith breaks down what’s involved in managing a military base, long-term strategic planning, and how to communicate a sense of purpose.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
– 11:27 – Welcoming General Smith to the show
– 12:01 – General Smith’s 32-year military career
– 12:31 – Being a general at Fort Bragg is similar to being the mayor of a small city
– 13:34 – What does a typical day look like?
– 14:07 – Around 80-90,000 people live and work in Fort Bragg
– 14:52 – General Smith spends around 30% of time on strategic planning and infrastructure
– 15:55 – Right now General Smith is focusing on planning a deployment
– 16:30 – Decisions include healthcare, infrastructure management, traffic, and capital investment in addition to military duties
– 18:30 – Mostly employ a civilian workforce rather than military engineers
– 19:15 – Fort Bragg is like army’s 911 – they can deploy almost anywhere within 18 hours
– 21:14 – The garrison command and staff remain on the base even if other units are deployed
– 22:00 – Ari: “How do you manage your projects and communicate with everyone?”
– 22:31 – You must have principles that you live and work by.
– 23:00 – “Activity, nutrition, and sleep are the triad that allow you to maintain performance in a consistent and enduring way.”
– 23:55 – “Sleep is generally the weakest link for most people”
– 24:30 – Running an organization starts with vision: the leader has to have a vision, and a reason for existing, that they can communicate to the people in their organization
– 25:50 – If you have a strong _why_, the _how_ and _what_ become less challenging
– 26:45 – Individuals within a company can have an entrepreneurial spirit – even if they aren’t running a startup
– 27:50 – What processes is General Smith using to organize and plan strategy?
– 28:30 – “We use the same strategic management software as any private company”
– 29:29– _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_
– Focus on the most important things – Have some kind of routine that helps you be in control of your life – Have a balanced life. Make sure you have a way to recharge.
Key Points: – Being a general on a military base is like managing a small city: there’s a lot of strategic planning and management as well as military duties
– Have principles that you live and work by. When you know _why_ you’re doing something, and can communicate that vision, you’ll be effective.
– Maintain routines – exercise, sleep, and good nutrition – that keep you in control of your health and your life
– Focus on getting the most important things done
– Cultivate an entrepreneurial attitude, even if you work within an organization
Resources Mentioned:
– [Dropbox: Project Infinite](https://blogs.dropbox.com/business/2016/04/announcing-project-infinite/?ref=producthunt)
– View and edit everything from your computer without syncing it – [Exist](https://exist.io/)
– Aggregate data from all your health tracking devices – [Microsoft Flow](https://flow.microsoft.com/) – Create automations between various services
– [Lead Dyno](http://www.leaddyno.com/) – Manage affiliate programmes Sponsored By: [EarthClassMail](https://www.earthclassmail.com/)
– Earth Class Mail helps you move your snail mail to the cloud. Visit [www.LessDoing.com/postal](http://www.lessdoing.com/postal) to get signed up now! Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter Credits
– Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/)
– Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708)
– Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials) ——- [Get the — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message
