This segment is a Veteran Focused talk show that showcases individuals and companies in the community and is focused on Veteran leadership, service, stories and transition. Our Veteran host highlights other Veterans who serve, have served and who are doing great things in their business and in their community. Today our host, Rick Hoffman spoke with Jeff Servello.
Jeff Servello
Principal Advisor for Coaching at Provision Advisors
Website Address: https://provisionadvisors.net/
Short company description:
Provision Advisors is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) partnership made up of experienced national and international security communication professionals specializing in communication strategy, planning, execution, and coaching for senior-level leaders and communicators to achieve favorable outcomes amid contentious or controversial issues which could directly impact relationships and market identity.
Transcript:
Rick Hoffman:
You.
Know you. Welcome back to From the Sea to the C-Suite. I’m your host, Captain Rick Hoffman. And today we’re joined by Jeff Servello. Provision Advisors. Jeff, good to see you again, my friend.
Jeff Servello:
Great to see you, sir. Thanks for the opportunity to connect. I really appreciate it.
Rick Hoffman:
Well, you and I first met, you’re on active duty. You’d been at sea driving warships for many, many years. And, so thank you again for your service. And we share that life experience.
I got to tell you. Nothing quite like going to sea on a ship with 350 young men and women who rely on you to provide solid leadership.
Jeff Servello:
Yes, sir. It’s a tremendous opportunity.
Rick Hoffman:
And I was, as I’m sure you are, consistently impressed with their ingenuity, their stupidness and their ability to adapt to whatever circumstances were thrown to them.
Well, you know, I joined the Navy in 1975. And so that first year I’m here in the Chiefs go about these kids today they this and that and 1985 I’m an XO and they go these kids that ended Chief drew on these kids today this and that.
And by 1995 I’m going to be a chief. You were that kid that I heard about.
So, you know, today’s young youth I think is getting a bad rap. I think the young kids, the young men and women that we’re served with are just as good and just as focused and just as dedicated as the kids I served with in 1975.
Your thoughts?
Jeff Servello:
I would agree with that. I think that’s tremendously spot on.
And it’s interesting because prior to this call, I was on a call with some folks about AI and the use of AI, and, and I think about my kids and how they will grow up with the AI.
The way that my generation kind of grew up with the internet and then their kids, I will just be the thing and folks like myself will have to adapt.
And that reminds me and relates to what we were just talking about in the sense that.
The qualities that make great sailors great remain the same.
I think it’s just the tools and the things that are natural to them have changed.
Yeah. You know, where once mechanical, ability and natural proclivity to build and construct things was, was everyday commonplace.
Now it’s computer and tech savvy and, and those skills have adapted.
But the core qualities of honor, courage, commitment, a desire to serve your country, to be part of something bigger than yourself.
I think those are timeless attributes of really great sailors.
Rick Hoffman:
Very, very nicely said.
Just now, part of our story is, after you’ve left the Navy, you continue to serve.
And the leadership skills that you brought with you are our central element of who you are today.
Talk a little bit about what you’re up to this year.
Jeff Servello:
So I appreciate that. I’m an executive coach and leadership consultant, and I work with up and coming leaders and established leaders on really honing and refining their delivery.
And part of that stemmed from my strong desire to help pay it forward.
And I spent a lot of time reflecting on the things I got wrong as a leader, quite frankly, and I spent a lot of time reflecting on the things I got right.
I spent a lot of time reflecting on the things I got wrong and really wishing, man, I wish I could have reached that person.
Or had I done this a little bit differently, maybe we could have had a better outcome.
And it dawned on me as I learned about the coaching and consulting space.
The old adage that command is lonely is true, but that’s not unique to command at sea.
Any leadership position can be lonely, and being able to partner with folks to help them really maximize their ability to show up and bring the best out of their people, is incredibly rewarding.
And it was, frankly, my favorite part of my job other than driving to see an anchor detail.
And I don’t think my wife wanted me to go back to sea in any capacity. So this was the next best thing.
Rick Hoffman:
Oh, fantastic. I like that you reflect on that which you might have gotten wrong in in your Navy life.
Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks to some other things. This is a scientific endeavor and obviously in sports and in life.
I learn more from falling off, though. I learn more about riding horses by falling off the horse.
You learn to your limits. You learn where your edges are.
Yeah. I tell everybody, if you learn to sail, learn to sail on a sailboat. You can tip over.
So you can learn where the edge is. And you can figure out how far you can go.
So, so that’s, that’s interesting that you reflect on, reflect on errors, mistakes and failures rather than, you know, just continuing to just go rah rah, I’m this wonderful guy. Look at all the great stuff I did.
I think that’s insightful.
Jeff Servello:
Now I appreciate that it’s one of those things too, that old saying that, you know, successes and final and failures and fatal is true.
And I think in our previous background, failure is viewed as, you know, the guillotine, so to speak.
And, failure can be iterative if you learn from it and can develop and really can say, what did I learn from this?
How is this an opportunity to do something better?
It can further accountability. It can deepen trust.
And I also realized from my experiences, and I’m seeing this with a lot of the executives that I work with right now, is the constant pressure to perform leads people to react from a position of fear instead of responding from a position of solid intuition and where they know.
And so helping people to realize that they’re in a fear response, as opposed to thinking and acting deliberately really helps them to perform better.
And I, I almost wish I had a coach when I was in command.
And so I wonder what difference that could have made and how much more deliberative I could have been.
Rick Hoffman:
Well, I think that’s right.
One of the things I’ve observed in the 25 years since I celebrated the 25th anniversary of taking command of the city back in January.
So I’ve been reflecting back on that a lot.
What I’ve discovered in the intervening 25 years, and you may be seeing this now, those that most need a coach are the most resistant to a coach.
Those that come to you and say, I need help, probably already got it pretty much wired and just maybe need a little bit of fine tuning, a little bit, of course. Correction.
But they’re doing fine.
So, yeah.
Jeff Servello:
Well, it takes a solid person to admit, like, I don’t have all the answers, and I would appreciate having more.
But you’re right. I economists smile sometimes when, when I’m doing my, my initial calls with people and they’re like, let me tell you about all these people that are the problem.
And you know, the old adage when you point the finger three are coming back at you.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So but it’s good. Those folks ultimately catch on as well.
Rick Hoffman:
Well, it’s a classic case. If everybody’s a jerk. It’s probably a new problem this year.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, Jeff, listen, it’s been great getting caught up.
Let’s stay in touch.
And, thanks so much for coming on the show today.
Everybody. Jeff Servello, former Navy warrior now leading coaching and leadership to, taking that leadership skill set to the civilian sector.
Jeff Servello:
Thanks. Thanks a lot, John.
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