Roadmaps and Real Life: Navigating the Pivot from Navy Chief to CEO
Roadmaps and Real Life: Navigating the Pivot from Navy Chief to CEO
Do you ever feel like you’re living in two worlds at once?
Maybe you’re physically at the dinner table with your family, but your mind is three months deep into next quarter’s projections. Or perhaps you’re transitioning out of one career: maybe even a twenty-year stint in the military like yours truly: and while you’re filling out medical records for the VA, your heart is already trying to run a multi-seven-figure consulting firm.
It’s called "The Drift." It’s that uncomfortable, floating sensation where you aren’t fully here, and you aren’t quite there yet.
Reflecting back a few seasons ago, right in the middle of the holiday/new year chaos, I found myself standing in my kitchen. The floor was covered in wrapping paper from my girls’ gifts: thanks to an incredible organization that supported my oldest’s school: and the air was thick with the smell of Costco pizza. My youngest was crying, and because she’s non-verbal, I couldn't tell if she was in pain or just overwhelmed. In that same moment, my phone buzzed with an update on my "Annual One Sheet" and a notification about my VA physical forms.
The mess was real. The transition was loud. And the only way through it was a mantra I’ve carried since my days as a Navy Chief: Stay where your feet are.
If you want to build a legacy that actually matters, you have to stop trying to outrun the messy middle. You have to learn to lead exactly where you’re standing.
The Problem: The High-Performance Drift
We’ve been conditioned to believe that leadership is about the "Next Big Thing." We’re told that if we aren’t constantly looking at the horizon, we’re falling behind. But for the high-performing professional, the executive, or the "parentpreneur," this forward-leaning posture often leads to a hollow legacy.
When you’re always "nexting," you miss the potty training victories of your oldest. You miss the subtle cues of your non-verbal youngest. You miss the chance to truly ground your business plan because you’re too busy dreaming about the result instead of documenting the process.
The problem isn't your ambition. The problem is the Drift: the lack of intentional presence that turns your life into a series of checked boxes rather than a meaningful journey.
The Solution: Intentional Grounding and Strategic Planning
So, how do we fix it? We bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be by using a structured roadmap. In my world, we call this the Plan pillar of the I IMPACT framework.
Intentionality isn’t a feeling; it’s a discipline. It’s the ability to handle the laundry and the dishes with the same level of focus you bring to a high-level service business call with partners like Devin Ramos or Terry Zanella. It’s about realizing that how far you go is truly up to you, because your growth determines your success.
The Pillar: Plan (I IMPACT Framework)
In the I IMPACT Framework (Intent, Insight, Mission, Plan, Alignment, Communication, Timeframe), the Plan is the bridge. Without it, your Intent is just a wish.
This week, my "Plan" looked like a strange mix of the past and the future:
Closing the Chapter: Filling out the SHA forms for my VA physical and organizing twenty years of medical records. (Tedious? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.)
Building the Future: Updating my "annual One Sheet" and subscribing to an app to help start a system recording weekly content.
Staying Present: Making sure my oldest had no accidents during potty time and being there for bath time before bedtime.
The Message: You cannot build next year’s legacy if you haven't planned for last year’s transition. A plan isn’t just a to-do list; it’s a commitment to being present in the tasks that move the needle.
The Action: Transitioning with Purpose
To make this actionable for you, let’s look at the situation:
You are overwhelmed by the transition between "Who I was" and "Who I am becoming," leading to a lack of presence at home and stalled growth in business.
Create a roadmap that accounts for both the "boring" administrative requirements of your current state and the "exciting" creative requirements of your future state.
By sticking to my Plan, I was able to record two content videos on the app and handle a therapy session for my girls in the same afternoon. When the plan is set, the brain can stop "drifting" and start executing.
Open your calendar right now. Block 60 minutes this week to create your "One Sheet": a single document that outlines your mission, your core values, and your non-negotiables for the next twelve months.
Let's get real for a second. Duribg this busy holiday season before the new year, my youngest was crying. As a father to two autistic daughters, there are moments of profound helplessness. When your child can’t tell you what’s wrong, your instinct is to panic or to distract yourself with work.
I had a choice: I could "drift" into my emails, or I could stay where my feet were.
I stayed. I did the dishes. I finished the laundry. I sat on the floor. Eventually, we found a rhythm. Later that day, I took that same grounded energy into my business planning. Because I didn't run from the discomfort at home, I had the mental "bandwidth" to tackle the SHA forms for the VA: forms that are notoriously soul-sucking.
Success isn't about avoiding the mess; it's about having a plan that allows you to be successful within the mess.
How You Can Lead Today
You might not be a retired Navy Chief or a father of autistic children, but you are a leader. And leaders often think they need to be "superhuman" to be effective.
Newsflash: Your team doesn't need a superhero. They need a human who is actually there.
When you are in a meeting, are you where your feet are? Or are you a million miles away? When you are planning your next business move, are you grounded in reality, or are you chasing a "drift" that hasn't been anchored in a framework?
Your Integration Exercise: The "Feet Check"
Next time you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities, I want you to literally look down at your shoes. Ask yourself:
"Where are my feet right now?" (e.g., at my desk, in the gym, at the park).
"Is my mind in the same place?"
"What is the one thing on my Plan that needs my full attention for the next 20 minutes?"
Unless you're a weirdo who likes being stressed out for no reason, you'll find that this simple check-in resets your intentionality instantly.
The Final Word: Build Your Roadmap
Legacy isn't a trophy you win at the end of your career. Legacy is the footprint you leave in the "messy middle." It’s the way you handle the transition, the way you show up for the people who can't speak for themselves, and the way you discipline your mind to follow a plan even when you’d rather drift.
How far you go is truly up to you. But you'll never get there if you're always trying to be somewhere else.
Stay grounded. Stay where your feet are. And never forget where you came from.
Are you ready to stop drifting and start building a legacy of intentionality? Let's get your roadmap squared away.
Your Next Steps:
Get Aligned: Take the Alignment Assessment to see where you’re drifting and where you’re grounded.
Let's Talk: Ready to move from "Chief" to "CEO" of your own life? Book a legacy strategy call with me here.
