Journey Talent: Lessons from the U.S. Air Force

In high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My dad worked in IT, but college wasn’t financially an option for me, so I needed to find an alternative path. That path led me to the U.S. Air Force.

Learning Flow in Logistics

My first assignment after basic and technical training was with a Logistics Team in the Military Airlift Command (MAC). MAC provides airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation, material, and humanitarian support to the armed forces—essentially, global air mobility. I worked alongside loadmasters and pilots to plan, schedule, and conduct sorties (aircraft flights or missions).

This experience taught me about flow - the state of peak efficiency where productivity is maximized. In military logistics, you don’t load a single package onto a massive cargo plane and send it on a single hop. Instead, you meticulously plan every inch of cargo space and optimize delivery routes to ensure rapid and efficient transport. Every decision factored in weight, balance, mission priority, and time constraints. This was my first real-world exposure to system optimization, an understanding that later proved invaluable in my professional career.

Operational Security and the Discipline of Focus

My final assignment was with an Intelligence Team. With my elevated security clearance, I was required to undergo regular (often quarterly) training on protecting classified information in all forms. These operational security (OpSec) briefings weren’t just about handling sensitive data—they were about understanding how information could be extracted from me, even against my will.

One of the biggest takeaways? Deliver only the minimal information necessary to achieve the desired result. In Agile terms, this was the equivalent of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)—focusing only on what truly matters while cutting out the noise. This discipline of focus has been an enduring lesson throughout my career, helping me simplify complexity and drive efficiency.

Rapid Assessment and Problem-Solving

Beyond my day-to-day role, I was also part of an intelligence assessment team that regularly conducted exercises, (aka “war games”). These were designed to simulate high-stakes scenarios where we had to rapidly analyze intelligence, predict outcomes, formulate responses, and create contingency plans.

These exercises honed my ability to think quickly, assess problems from multiple angles, and plan for what could go wrong. We trained ourselves to anticipate roadblocks and develop rapid solutions, a skill that has continued to serve me in every challenge I’ve faced since.

A Lasting Impact

After a few years, I started noticing something: when I encountered problems, my brain instinctively began working on solutions—automatically, subconsciously. This pattern recognition and problem-solving reflex became second nature, though it wasn’t until years later, during a camping trip, that I truly realized how deeply ingrained this skill had become. But that’s a story for another article.

My time in the Air Force laid the foundation for so much of what I do today. Whether optimizing workflows, prioritizing information, or solving complex problems under pressure, these lessons in flow, focus, and rapid assessment continue to shape the way I work and lead.