Ask James: Your Questions on Leadership and Business

The intention of this blog is to interact with the readers by answering direct questions sent to myself that I may (or may not) be an expert on. Upon finding a solution, the answer will be published as a blog post, with the intent for both parties to learn more about the subject and “grow” together.

To begin, the first blog post will be about myself. Who am I? What is my expertise? What are my most pivotal experiences? From these I hope to draw questions from my readers and create an opportunity for mutual growth and learning.

Who am I? My name is James, I’m 30 years old and have a wonderful Wife with three kids. I live in California, though I have lived across 13 different states in the US, and have visited countless other countries across the globe through my work.

What is my expertise? My expertise is founded in three separate categories – Leadership, building and running a Business, and Military Operations. All of these three categories either carry a degree or a decade plus of experience.

What are my most pivotal experiences? My most pivotal experience was my half decade spent in the Army. During this time, I learned one valuable lesson; you must be a lifelong learner. No matter how much expertise you assume you have, or how much experience you have gained, there is always something to learn through a new perspective or through new data. The second most pivotal experience occurred during my first operations role in a foam manufacturing plant. My boss (whom I have an intense level of respect for) taught me the foundational lessons for running a business (successfully) and how to look at processes (not people) to improve your business metrics. It can be summed up in one phrase “You must work just as hard for your employees as your employees work for you”. These two lessons shaped my mindset and helped me become a successful leader in busniess.

Now i ask: What questions would you like to discuss?