Connection, Communication, & Collaboration

It was a humbling opportunity to have Coast Guard, Captain Taylor Lam as the guest on this episode. Taylor models powerful servant leadership describing how the Sector San Francisco Command Philosophy was developed in collaboration with those he has been called to lead. He also illustrates some powerful examples on the importance of connection that highlight how vital that is today for keeping top talent and engaging the people we have. We dialogue about communication and provide some great food for thought for ALL to consider on how effective communications really are at every level in our organizations. Taylor inspires people to take on challenges from a safe place because he models that behavior and shares some insights on how we can do that too. 

Captain Lam assumed command of Sector San Francisco in June 2021. Prior to this assignment, he completed an assignment as a national security fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.  While in command, he recently completed a one-year Executive Leadership Program at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) in Monterey, CA. 

Captain Lam is a native of Riverside, CA and enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1996 through the College Student Pre-commissioning Initiative (CSPI) and graduated from Basic Training in Cape May, NJ. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, he graduated from Officer Candidate School.  

His previous operational units include service as Deputy Commander of Sector Boston, Commanding Officer of Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) Los Angeles – Long Beach, Command Center and Enforcement Chief at Sector Miami, Detachment Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and plank owner of MSST Seattle, Law Enforcement Detachment OIC at Tactical Law Enforcement Team North, and Deck Watch Officer on the Cutter MUNRO in Alameda, CA. 

Captain Lam’s previous staff and advanced education assignments include service as Special Assistant to the 30th Vice Commandant, Coast Guard Fellow in the late U.S. Senator Thad Cochran’s personal staff addressing homeland security appropriations, the Atlantic Area Commander’s staff managing six MSSTs, and attending a fully-funded advanced education program in Williamsburg, VA.  He is a graduate from the University of California, Riverside, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, a graduate from Boston University’s Master of Arts program in criminal justice, and a graduate from the College of William and Mary’s Master’s program in public policy. 

Resources:

Brené Brown - Video on Empathy 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw

Bryce Ward - Washington Post Opinion - Americans are spending more time alone. Here's why we should reverse that. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/23/americans-alone-thanksgiving-friends/

Naval Postgraduate School - Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) Leadership Programs 

https://www.chds.us/c/

Admiral William H. McRaven - he Wisdom of the Bullfrog:  Leadership Made Simple (But Not Easy) 

The Wisdom of the Bullfrog: Leadership Made Simple (But Not Easy)  

Leonard J. Marcus, Eric J. McNulty, Joseph M. Henderson, & Barry C. Dorn - You’re It:  Crisis, Change, and How To Lead When it Matters Most

You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most