Dr. Abel Salazar provides a systematic framework for becoming an effective leader.

 In this episode, Dr. Salazar provides a detailed account of his post-graduate trajectory, outlining how he redirected his career path by enlisting in the military and completing 24 years of service. He further examines the role of disciplined work ethic, leadership development, and performance excellence in achieving his Doctorate in Education. Listeners will gain a structured understanding of the competencies and frameworks required for effective leadership. 

Abel B. Salazar, Ed. D is a leadership consultant, educator, trainer, certified coach and speaker that is committed to helping individuals become purposeful, functional, influential leaders and to enhance their effect on the communities that they serve. As a scholar-practitioner of Education (Ed. D) in Leadership, Dr. Salazar focuses on Adult Education and Training with over 25 years of professional leadership experience in both the public and private sector. His leadership philosophy is to cultivate a continuous growth mindset because true growth equal’s change. Throughout his career, Dr. A spearheaded networking, communications, IT infrastructure, and education programs, using a diverse skill set for positive results. Dr. Abel B. Salazar’s leadership development approach is to create communicative, cooperative, and collaborative learning opportunities that leads people to be Driven, Resilient, and Actionable. Placing the needs of others at the forefront is a direct correlation of Dr. A’s experience with leading teams at every level of an organization. Leadership development amplifies people’s strengths and growth opportunities, which are the core competencies for resilience and individual change required for 21st century global society. His works empowers individuals and teams to unlock their full potential, fostering inclusion where everyone is valued. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Daniel Badigio Podcast. Welcome to the Forge by Design Podcast. This is your host, Daniel Badigel. Thank you for following us through all these social media platforms. We appreciate your cooperation. Today is an amazing day in this podcast. We have a very special guest. He is one of the guys that has inspired me lately. He is a certified trainer, a coach, a leader. He also has his consulting firm in leadership. He is an educator, someone that for the last 25 years has been inspiring people in the leadership realm, both in the public sector and in the private sector. He has a doctorate in education, and it is such a privilege to introduce, without further ado, Mr. Dr. Avil Salasad. How are you doing today? I'm doing good, Daniel.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Thank you, brother.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

I appreciate it. Thank you so much. If you guys don't know, I was at a PMP meeting and I was on my way back and we had spoken um before and I had said I needed to talk to you. And that day, just my luck, you didn't show up. My apologies. You were busy. Absolutely. You were busy. But I had that desire to talk to you because I had seen you speak and briefly in the PMP meetings in PMI in in Aiken. And on my way back, for those that don't know, I give them a call, and it was supposed to be just a um a five-minute call. Hey, how you doing? I missed you at the call. And we ended up talking to about 40 minutes, you would say. Yeah. I think the conversation went uh your wife was out of town. She was doing some training. She was doing some training. And uh I think we both had time. Yeah. And I think it was uh a good intervention that I got to know you a little bit better and got to know your background story, and and what an inspiration to know that the person that I was seeing at the at the chapter and the person that you were describing to me seemed like two different people. So I want to ask you, can you briefly share your journey as to how did this all start and where you're at today?

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Yeah, man, I appreciate that. It's funny that you say two different people because that's kind of that's been kind of what it has been for me my entire life. Okay, you know, like starting off with education and what that looks like. So back um in my early days, I'll say like before I joined the service, joined the army in 1994, I actually dropped out of high school. Wow. Yeah, I was a high school dropout. I got my GED out. What grade did you drop out? 11th going to 12th grade. So I was like, Oh, you're almost there to graduate. Wow. It was it was um definitely a significant emotional event for my mom. And and I and I'll and I'll we'll probably talk a little about that in a little while as well. But when um when that happened, I was going to perform and arts high school in Houston. Okay. Uh high school for performing and visual arts. I was a theater major. So I was studying like Shakespearean theater, doing movement, vocal training, like the whole full gamut. But I was leading two different lives. And that's why I say it's kind of strange that you mention that because it's always been that way. I grew up uh in a neighborhood in Houston, um, very rough, you know, barrio, really, really rough environment. Yeah. Um there. I like how you say barrio, you know. Barrio, you know, like I stay true to my roots. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. When when all of that was going on, you know, I'm Brian. I go by my middle name, Brian, at home. Okay. Uh, you know, that's friends, family, my wife. Also, nobody knows you as Avery. They know you as Brian. That's right. So professionally, and even back then in school, I was Abel. Okay. Abel Salazar, and that's my father's name, you know, I'm named after my father, who subsequently was in the first graduating class for the performing arts high school in n in the 1970s. Okay. Right? Also, you got that from him in that talent. Yeah. Well, yeah, I think kind of a mixture of that talent from my mom and my dad. Okay. But at school, I was able getting bus to school every morning, six o'clock in the morning, going to Hidalgo Park to catch a bus, to be bused across town, to go to high school. Uh, it was only me and maybe one other um his name was Mario, Mario Martinez. He was another student there, he was an art major. Sure. We were the only two that got on that bus from our neighborhood in that area every day. So get on that bus as Brian, get off at school as Aval and perform in in plays, you know, doing Shakespeare and all of those things that were incongruent to the lifestyle that I was living in my neighborhood. You know, there's uh this was 1993, 94, in those in that time frame, gangs, boys in the hood, we lived it. Sure. You know, it wasn't just a movie to us, it was that was kind of our lifestyle in that area.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

So what what what got you there? Was it peer pressure? Was it um, you know, uh things you didn't felt the insatisfaction in your life or who you were, trying to find your own identity, and you say, hey, I I need to build my my somewhat my community, and these are my friends, and this is my my tight-knit circle. But they were drawing you away from I guess good conduct, drawing you away from your purpose.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

I would say all of the above. All the above. Yeah, and what's funny is even back then there was like this innate, like intrinsic desire to lead. So I a lot of times, like even when I do some of my keynotes, I talk about I was leading troops before I became a soldier in the army. Sure. You know, because in my neighborhood, I was one of the older, you know, I have a younger brother who's about um 18, 19 months younger than me. Okay, and his friend group, we are we had different peer groups, sure, but because I was in the neighborhood, they kind of I would say they looked up to me in in a lot of ways. So yeah, leading in that capacity. So always kind of bordering the wanting to do right, but in that environment, you know, I'm not a fighter, but I have good hands, sure. You know, because I you know I was raised in that environment. So it just kind of was a natural evolution.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

I think well, uh not that it was similar because I was never never in a gang. Yeah, uh, but I'm from Rochester, Dorchester, Massachusetts, back in, you know, a couple days ago. Yeah, a couple of days ago. I won't say the year, but it was similar. I think my my father saw the environment and he saw how bad it could be or turned out to be. So uh his strategy was to remove us from that place because you know, we did not have so many uh, I guess, community leaders, even though there were so many community uh uh chapters and events, you know, uh um a boys a boys' club after school programs and whatnot. Uh we were a family from low means. We could not go to those clubs and transportation and all that. But long story short, uh fortunately for us, we got out of that environment. So uh continue on. So what happened after that?

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Yeah, I would say that's fortunate to have your father around. I think my mother was a teenage mom, right? Had me at 17, so there was a lot of those things kind of lingering in the air. We actually moved back to her old neighborhood. Um like some things happened with her and my stepfather at that time, so there was a lot of things going on that put us back in that environment. So it was it was literally like okay, you go from one area of town to there and have to figure out, okay, this is where I'm at. Yeah, you know, how do I maneuver in this space, you know, and and to be able to kind of take care of yourself and then having those influences as well, right? Sure. Good, bad, or indifferent, right? Those influences were there in a lot of ways, but you know, taking care of it.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Where where were they steering you? I mean, you you had these influences, but what what what was their objective? I mean, what was their outcome? I mean, yes, it's great to be among friends and community, maybe a gang uh per se, but yeah, I mean, what was what was yeah what was the outcome?

SPEAKER_01 8:31

I would say, you know, it really wasn't like a lot of a lot of times when people like put it in that context of gang, they are they automatically think what they see in the movies and you know, out of California, New York, some of these things. It was more like um our friends, our our friend group, we were really tight, you know, we took care of each other, and because of that, in our neighborhood and where we're from, it's kind of like an automatic assumption that that's what that looks like. But that was not the case. I well, I would say I don't want to like sugarcoat it, right? Because that I wouldn't be authentic if I told you that it wasn't the case. Um that that very much so was what was going on. Okay, but it was more a means to um of protection and survival together and trying to figure out what life looked like. Sure. But I'll tell you, like, and and when I did drop out of high school, um I went to the community college to you know take some classes, started some classes. I enlisted as a reservist just because I went with one of my buddies to the recruiter's office. Okay, and they convinced me that they would pay for my school. Sure. That GI Bill, right? Everything like hey, we'll pay for your school. Long story short, um, this was summer of 1994. I got in trouble, the gang task force, some things happened. Um a raid in an area. We were all there. My brother was there, my brother was injured. There's a lot of things going on. I ended up catching a case in the summer of 1994.

SPEAKER_00 10:02

Now, this is after you were in the reserve.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

I hadn't I was delayed entry. You did delayed entry. I hadn't even left yet. Okay, and that's gonna take me to this part of the story, right? Where so I go to court October 4th, 1994. Oh, you got these dates locked down? They're locked in. They're locked in. They're they're in my book. I'm writing it right now. Right. October 4th, 1994, I'm in court. My wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, was with me in court that day. Wow. And that day in court, the judge gave me the business, told me I'd never amount to anything. Like, there was so many, make an example of this guy. Yeah, sure. Because my brothers, I mean, yeah, everybody was there. Friends, my brother-in-law, who was my wife's brother, they were all friends, our friend group. So everybody's there.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Somewhat he knew it was a female judge. Okay, female judge. He gave me the business. Yeah. Did she know your your your friends, your environment, or just simply she wanted to make an example of you?

SPEAKER_01 11:02

I think I think it was uh a combination of all of that. Okay. Um, my recruiter actually went to court with me. That day? That day. And I know that's probably he wasn't supposed to. Right. So, Sergeant Herrera, I appreciate you if you're out there, right? Because without that, I think. Thank you for the influence. Yeah, without that, I think the trajectory of my life would have been a lot different because I was facing two to 20 years for that charge. I wouldn't have done it all, you know. Um, but that would have been a significant event, right? So October 4th, I'm in court. October 6th, I'm in basic training, basic combat training, active duty. No, don't pass go, don't collect$200 a year. This is what you're gonna do for the next six-year enlistment plus two. So it wasn't do three, come back home. What was your MOS? What what's what initially I was a 29 Sierra. And what does that mean? I was a uh For those that for those that don't know what's that. Out here, Fort Gordon, you know, people out here would know that that's a signaler. Okay. It's communication security. Communication security. Okay. Um, but the 29 Sierra, we kind of converted in that time frame 94, 95, to sustainment and maintenance. So I was a radio comsic repairer. So I came to Fort Gordon. So I went to basic training in October '94. Where did you go to basic training? Right up the uh Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Okay. South Carolina. Um went back home after boot camp in December, came back in January. Texas. Texas. Came back to Augustus. Fort Gordon. Okay. Yeah, Augusta, January. Yeah. Was in training from January to September. It was it was a big metropolis, Augusta back then, right? Oh, yeah, huge, huge. And and my wife, you know, I'm blessed to have her in my life from that early time. She was here with me. I was a private uh I went home, we got married, I brought her here with me, and she's been with me ever since, all over the world. Her and my children have traveled. How long have you guys been married? Oh man, we've been together 32 years. 32. Yeah. Oh my god. And married 31. Wow. It's amazing. And they've been with me, other than you know, combat tours and and restricted tours, they've been with me all over the world. So that case, yeah, what happened? I mean, did things get dropped? What what amazing. Yeah, yeah. So it was like a deferred adjudication. What does that mean? Like they deferred the the charges. Okay. And that kind of still lingered over me for a while.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Was it because it because the of your the late entry? Maybe because the recruiter was there and put a good uh uh word for you that day before the judge saying I'm gonna take care of him.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

I'll tell you what, uh, I was not privy to that conversation. Oh wow. My mom, uh, my lawyer, the district attorney, the recruiter, they all kind of went over the side with the judge, had a conversation, and the next thing you know, I'm walking out of there and and I'm in boot camp two days later.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

Wow, that that's that's amazing. That's that's impressive. I think uh I think the good Lord had his hand on you. 100%. 100%. So you're you're now enlisted, you graduated, uh well, you passed the boot camp, you're here now in Fort Gordon. Yeah and how does what does life look like after that?

SPEAKER_01 14:18

Yeah, Fort Gordon. So I was here um about nine months, went to jump school at Fort Benning, and my first assignment was at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Okay. So I spent majority of my career in North Carolina at Fort Bragg. In Fort Bragg, yeah. So um, you know, I'm a jump master. Is that the 82nd Division? Yeah, that's time. Yeah, wow. I did time. You know why I know that?

SPEAKER_00 14:41

Because my all my brothers were were uh were military, and uh my brother was stationed there. Uh my brother Joe was in the Navy, my brother Aerie was uh communications and combat medic. Yeah, I was the only one of all the Balillos that got cold feet. But that's another story, that's another podcast. Not cold feet, it's a blessing. No, no, it's uh I got cold feet, but that's another podcast. I don't want to disclose too much on that. That's cool. Well, I want to be a part of that. Yeah, yeah. So you were at Fort Benning, uh, Fort Brian, the majority, and then what?

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Yeah, so I had a very, very blessed uh career in the military. Um always, you know, having mentors and coaches, you know, leaders looking out for me, because I'll tell you the transition from the street, yeah, Brian on the street, you know, uh a soldier. Sure. I think if if you were to interview anyone that knew me the before through, and and I and there's a story for that too through and then after, they'll tell you that um, and my wife especially because she's been through sure everything, she's seen it all. Yeah, she'll say, I don't know how this guy made it almost 25 years in the service. Wow because I always had 25. Yeah, almost yeah, shy 25, okay, 24 on paper. Sure. Yeah. Um I I was always fortunate to have mentors and leaders that saw something in me, much like that judge, sure, my wife at the time, yeah, you know, see something in me that I didn't see within myself. But there's always that natural, that innate desire to to lead and and keep moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

I I think what you what you said initially, where um even though you were in that community, uh BC and high school, whatnot, that you had that leadership aspiration, there was some leadership qualities in the world. It was natural. Despite the the hell and high water, uh now you're in the military and you are uh uh uh nourishing that trait. And not only that, I know there were some mentors before you, but it also takes it takes you to to really align and say, you know what, I want to be mentored. Yeah, I want to be coached. I I understand that uh there's a brighter future ahead. So I'm glad that you aligned and found found your purpose.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

Yeah, no, I appreciate that. I think you know, I'm still learning every day and finding that level of humility. Sure. You know, um, prior to us getting on camera when you and I were talking before, I had mentioned, you know, in those units that I was in, the jobs that we were doing, there's there's a requirement to be that guy. Yes, you know, very yes, you know, intent, intentional on we're moving this way, and that's it. This is how we're going. Um living a lot in your ego because that's what's needed to accomplish the mission. So it's very competitive, competitive in nature, you know, promotions, all yeah, sure, full gamut. And when I retired back in 2019, to till now, 2026, I'm still transitioning out of that military mindset. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

And um I'm a work in progress, let's just put it like that. Absolutely. So during that tenure, 24 years, you were your studies in in did you start studying what did you study there in between, or did you study after the fact? No, that uh that's a really so because I I saw I saw in your in your bio and something that I've always always wanted, uh uh you know the John C. Maxwell leadership, I think had uh the the Inspire type of uh Academy, whatnot. But um you took all those courses during that, your education during that.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Take me through that journey of yeah, definitely I appreciate that. So I think having a GED and being in service was a blessing in and of itself, right? So when it came time, I I served a little under 12 years, uh 11 and a half years enlisted, and then I dropped a packet to become an Army Warrant Officer, a chief warrant officer. And in that, there was only a requirement for six hours, credit hours in English. Okay. Uh no degree requirement at that time. This was back in 2005 when I when I dropped that packet. So I had, you know, I took some clip, I took some college courses like just here and there over that time. Um, I was a senior staff sergeant. Um, I was a platoon sergeant the 82nd. That was my first combat tour, and I racked um 03-04 in that time frame. So, how many nations have you visited? Oh man. So you said Iraq. Uh okay, yeah, let's hit the the the ones everybody knows, right? I I got a qu I got a question on that so I have to ask you.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

I mean, right right now we're in the uh education portion. So I I want to get that topic up the out the way. Um so did you uh when you got out of the out of the army, um did you have your doctorate already there, or was it after the post?

SPEAKER_01 19:36

It was post. And so to answer the first question, to go back, I dropped my warrant officer packet. I got my two-year degree, my associate's degree, as an Army Warr officer. Okay. And so I got my two-year degree. I was uh it was 2008. 2008. So 76, I was 32, 33 years old when I got my first degree. Okay. Wow, that's that's that's a late late bloomer. Late bloomer, right? So yeah, 08 associate's degree, 2010, my bachelor's degree. Sure. Um, and then uh let me see, 08, 10. I started my master's program in 2012 and I completed my master's thesis in 2014. Sure. So it was like back to back.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

So that tenure, yeah, you you focused on leadership and education out of all the yeah, all all everything you could have been, every you know, career path.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

Why that? You know that it and because of a promise that I made to my mom before she passed away. Okay. And and I'll kind of circle back to that beginning story of me dropping out and that significant emotional event for my mom. So with all of those, like associate, bachelor's, master's degree, with those degrees, I was doing those now put in context right. This is 2006 to 2014, and in that time frame, I had three combat deployments as well, Tyraq and Afghanistan, on top of the first one that I did in 03 and 04. So I was doing school in person, online, at night, on weekends, family dad. Uh you fitted in some house, leaders some way, yeah, leading leading soldiers, um, leading teams across all of Afghanistan when I was with the combined joint special operations task force. So, you know, those are the things that kind of helped drive and build that resilience. Now, going back to that question about the doctorate, um, in 2017. In education, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, very important. I appreciate you making that distinction. In 2017, my mom got diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer. And I was at 20, I was right under 20. Two years of service or write a 22 years of service, something like that. And I went home to Houston to care for her. So from that February time frame until she passed in at the end of August, I was there with her. Right. And you know, we had a lot of conversations. I got accepted into three doctoral programs. And I got accepted at the end of 2016. And I told her, I said, I'm gonna start this program. But she got sick, so I pushed it to the right. Okay. How long? I only pushed it to the right because you know, when I was taking her to chemotherapy, like we had we spent so many hours together, just her and I, like talking about her life, my life. You know, she had me at 17, you know, so essentially we kind of grew up together. Yeah, I know what I'm saying. We we we have something in common, but again, that's an old podcast. Yeah, so there's a there's a lot there that we were like really unpacking in that last eight months together. And she she told me one night we were laying there and she said, Hey, I want you to promise me that you will start and finish that degree. Amazing. So she passed in August during Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Me and my son and the kids, we were all there together. Um, so we ended up having to bear her a couple weeks later because of the flood. And October the second or third, ironically, that same weekend that I was in court all those years ago, I started my doctoral studies. So from 2017 until I defended my research in 2022, I was That's amazing. What an impressive hitting it, man. It was it was rough too. It was absolutely because I was still active duty until 2019.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

A family, yeah, leading in the army, uh studying, focusing, writing, uh, writing, getting rejected, getting rejected with your thesis. Yeah, rewrite, re-revise your thesis, and and on top of that, what uh I guess your north was a promise that uh period that you made to your mom. Yeah, um, that's that's a uh heavy weight, heavy weight to carry as far as uh the responsibility. I'm I'm I'm excited. Um I'm so happy for you that you were able in the midst of all the logistics, family logistics, army logistics, responsibilities, all that, uh, to stay focused and to finish the course. I I know many people that uh unfortunately, and that that was a big task. I mean, getting getting your PhD, but for the simple things, they're not loyal to the simple things. They're they're not loyal to a simple goal and aspiration, whether it be a a diploma or a certificate of a source. Let's start off. If you are able to do a certificate, then you're able to do a diploma, then you're able to do your associate. After that, you know, the sky's the limit, but uh it it takes uh it takes believing in you, it takes inspiring. So I'm glad that you uh acquired the strength uh to to push through. And tell me about that day when you did get that that uh that diploma, you know, you're in the robe, a graduation rope, you are uh, you know, you got your hand. How what what were you feeling in in that ceremony? You know, was it a physical graduation?

SPEAKER_01 25:11

It was a physical graduation, yes. It was a physical graduation. So where uh Indianapolis and Indiana Indianapolis. Indiana, yeah, Indiana, I'm sorry. Yeah, um made sure my wife, my children, my granddaughters were there with with me to see that, right? Yes, um, you know, from high school dropout. And when I say dropout, it's not because I was I had bad grades, right? It was the bad interview. It was it was just kind of the culmination of events, right? Um, but to to walk across that stage as a distinguished graduate with a 4.0 in my doctoral studies and 4.0, amazing. Yeah, so and just everything that that looked like and and knowing that I fulfilled my promise. It wasn't about the title, right? It wasn't about you know, them saying, Hey, you're Dr. Salasa, this is you know, yeah, cool. But I promised my mom because I knew that I broke her heart. Sure. Yeah, all those years ago.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

All those years, you know, but preparation, people people don't understand, and this is what I try to uh instill in the in the in the youth, is the fact that preparation opens doors. Preparation opens doors. When I had dreams and aspirations, uh I always say that frustration comes from a lack of a plan. When I feel frustrated about something, it's the fact that when I feel frustrated about something, it's it's the the it's the fact that I don't have a strategic plan that's gonna mitigate that frustration. So I can I can, you know, uh when I was in my younger days, maybe a little bit more uh more ignorant uh in in you know, I mean less knowledgeable on how to focus on on strategic planning, project management, all those, all those uh strategies, uh waterfall, cascading that I applied to to my life. It was more so, okay, I am frustrated. Like I, you know, here's my frustration. What is what is what is the outcome? What is it that's going to remove that frustration? And once I developed a plan and a strategy, it was like the problem was 50% solved. Everything else was logistics. Once I had a clear goal and objective, it was all about it's on me. The responsibility is on me. Yeah. So uh maybe similar when you had said, I want to achieve my doctorate, I made the promise to my mom. Uh, this these are the steps that I have to take. This this is the uh you have to put in the work, blood, sweat, and tears, you know, a lot of study, a lot of a lot of missing days out with the family, yeah. A lot of 2 a.m. 3 a.m. A lot of early mornings, you know, maybe studying in between.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

Sunday all day until the evening and early morning writing and graduation comes. Graduation comes. Um, I'll tell you, I know there was a lot of pride, and not to be prideful, but a lot of pride in being able to walk that stage, having my wife, my children, and my grandchildren there, because to me, and and I I speak about this sometimes as well. Education is the greatest equalizer. Absolutely. And regardless of positionality in society or where we grow up or how we grow up, no one can ever take that from me. Absolutely. Right? My experience, my education, that's right. And when it's all said and done, yeah, I still have that level of accomplishment. And they were able to see that.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

I'm not sure if it was uh Zig Ziggler or Jim Rohn that was saying that we are the product, yeah. And he was saying that um that what value do we bring to the marketplace? And uh those those words, yeah. What value do you bring to the marketplace? Because it's not about a front, you know, it's not about titles, positions, acquisitions, it's not about materialism. It's that what what value do I bring? So education, again, brings open doors. When I when I first got my first degree and other certifications, and I started to program robots and I did that. I've been a quality insurance manager for 20, 20 years. You know, you know a little, right? You you you stay humble, um, but preparation is the key. So every year I'm like, what value would I bring to the marketplace? Because some people are unfortunately let go. Um, they're downsizing, uh, you know, they're laid off and whatnot. But because they never prepare educationally, they never prepare, like I say, even if it's a certificate, it could be a trade. Yeah, you know, um trades are big right now. The trades are big right now. Yeah, I mean, they're they're welders, fabricators, plumbers, electricians, H V A C are making man money. You know, our live a stable life. Because you can make money, but you know, also that's another podcast, you need to know how to manage it, right? Exactly, yeah. But it's it's all about that. So the value that you bring to the marketplace, meaning that you can go back to Texas and you still remain Dr. Salazar. You can go any state, anywhere, and your hard work, your dedication supersedes any other difficulty that you had in the past. Yeah, so a big kudos to you. I appreciate that. Big kudos to you.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

I really do. I appreciate that. I think you know, with that too, at this point in my life, I just turned 50. Okay. So, you know, there's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

You put it out, that won't say. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

So yeah, crossing that threshold and really looking at life in a way that, you know, giving back in that way, right? Because the reality is, and and you you said it yourself with you sharing your story, you know, up in in in New England, in that area, same with me. Not really having those role models around, especially in the community, to say, hey, you know, this is the pathway, this is this is how you maneuver through this. So for me, that's that's why education, sure, right? You know, by trade, IT, electronics, you know, there's all of that based off of my training in the military and my education. But the doctor in education is all about the give back, it's all about being able to show someone that looks like us or underrepresented in some way or marginalized in some way, they don't have to look like us, but to say, hey, you know what? I did it. Absolutely. You know, and when people see me out on the street, they don't know I'm Dr. Salazar. They yeah, they just see this guy, right? Sure, sure. But at the end of the day, if they have an opportunity to have a conversation with me and I can mentor them, I'm gonna show them the way.

SPEAKER_00 31:46

Well, absolutely, I'm gonna show them the way after the graduation. You came back to Augusta? Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

Okay, so I was still yeah, because I was still in the middle too. No, no, at that time it was 2022. I had already retired. Okay, what were you doing in 2022? 2022, yeah. So I was working for a really big Fortune 200 company. Okay. You probably could see that on on you know on my resume or my LinkedIn. Um, very fortunate to have that role as a solutions manager, uh, running um programs for the Army and the Air Force and their federal team. So you had the project management side of it, okay. Yeah, I was a certified PM, uh PMP, uh PMI, PMP uh since 2018. And I got that when I was in the service. Okay. Um, so you know.

SPEAKER_00 32:34

Don't tell me somebody gave you a brain dump and and gave you all the answers to the technical.

SPEAKER_01 32:38

No, sir, but I did go, I did go to a uh uh an intensive four-day boot camp. Oh, you did uh on the condition, and and and my boss at the time, um Fulbert Colonel working in the unit here on Fort Gordon, told me, Chief, I'll send you. But if you if you go and you fail, yeah, yeah, basically a relief for cause. Like you're not gonna work here no more. Sure. I I knew I knew he was saying it as a joke. Yeah, but you know, me as a chief warrant officer, I'm like, hey, challenge accepted. Absolutely. Send me to this course. So I did the four-day boot camp. Okay. I studied for about two weeks and I rolled the dice. I drove the UGA in Athens and I took the test. You did? And I came out of Go. So I was another.

SPEAKER_00 33:19

Did you eat that Penbock book?

SPEAKER_01 33:21

Oh, yeah, I'm a Penbox uh Edition 5. Edition five. Yeah, so it's been a while.

SPEAKER_00 33:26

Yeah, I have a I have a friend, uh, she lent me the pen block when I was taking my PMP, right? So again, as a quality insurance manager, you you're working on projects, new product development all the time. It's called advanced product quality planning, APQP, NPD, uh project management. Again, uh, so I I do all the PPAMs, I you know, there's there's a lot of stuff that is project management oriented. Yeah, so I had a familiarity with the structure, whether it be agile or waterfall, whatnot, uh, knew the buzzwords and terminology. But man, when you when you start studying for that, you doubt yourself. It's like, yeah, I know this, I'm I'm doing this as a career, but when you get that thick book and you gotta read through all these acronyms and terminology and whatnot, and then first of all, you don't know what they're gonna ask you, right? So um uh long story short, she uh she led me the book, but then told me uh that it's gonna be more real-world scenario. And then I took uh like you took a four four-day boot camp here in Augusta. Um and uh I think it was with Blue Summit. Blue Summit. So shout out to Blue Summit. Shout out to Blue Summit. Uh, you know, you owe me some real royalties for this promo. Shout out. But shout out to you, thank you so much. It was it was phenomenal. I love the way they they broke it down to to simple terms. And again, uh I was very familiar with that. So when I when I took the exam, I think it was in South Carolina, uh, they said uh, you know, uh Francesca was the one said you need once once you get out of Blue Summit, take that exam quick because it's fresh in your mind. So that that's what I did. I found I found that I found a date. Uh I took uh took a vacation day off, went over there, um nervous. Yeah. I'm talking about nervous. Uh, was it uh Pearson? Pearson view Pearson View, yeah. Pearson View, right? So they they strip you down, you can't have a watch, you can't have anything. You go in there, and they were already making me nervous, right? So I go in there and uh, you know, you got other people for other tests, and long story short, I took I took the exam and you get these breaks, right? In between. 60 questions, you take a five, 10-minute break, but it still counts on you on the 180 minutes. Time sticking, yeah. Time sticking. Man, I used to go to the bathroom and just pray and say God, you know, do a miracle. You know, I've been studying. I put the time, I did, I just I studied very, very hard. You know, every and of course, because you don't know what type of scenario. Yeah, it was challenging, but it's not as it was not as difficult as I thought it was going to be, but you never know, right? That's true. And so I excelled in some areas above average, and then one was one was like uh you know, yeah, exceeded. Something like that. I didn't care. I passed. All I knew.

SPEAKER_01 35:57

It's like I tell the students that like, hey, students get degrees unless you're in that graduate course, so you're good. As long as you hit that, you hit that mark, you're good. You're successful.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

But they didn't tell me the the the screen did not tell you whether you passed or not. So I go I had to go outside. Yeah, you gotta go outside. So I I go there and there, they're going, you know, make sure I turn in the calculator. Here's my calculator, my pencil, yeah. What not? Here's the paperback, I didn't write anything on it. And I was not expecting a pass fail there. I was expecting like two, three days later, somebody sent me an email telling me I failed. And he said, I passed. Oh man, I'm telling you the weight off my shoulders, you know. It was amazing. So you got your P and P uh and you were doing that.

SPEAKER_01 36:38

And in God's timing, too. Sure. And and you know, I don't mean to cut you off, but no, no, no, absolutely. It's it it uh it's important that I kind of bring this here is that I didn't know at the time, right? This was when I took it in 2018, I didn't know at the time that I'd be retiring so soon after that. Sure. Right? And in that retirement, that's another podcast for another day. Sure. In that retirement, I pivoted into project management post my military career. So it was literally God setting me up for success, you know, leaving the service and staying in this area, right? That's amazing. You know, I know that we can go deep on that one too, sure. But it really is, it's important that that I kind of highlight that that that was in God's divine timing. That's amazing, yes. You know what I'm saying? Because literally, I drove to Athens, took the test, drove back, got in a tuxedo because my wife had she's a real estate agent, she owns a company out here, she had an event, and I had to meet her at the event. So I need to I need to bring her in. Yeah, I sit down and I'm like, she's like, How'd you do? I was like, I'm good, I passed. But it was literally like turn and burn. Wow. Right? Grove town, Athens, take the test, yeah, drive back and make it 2 p.m. I'm sitting in that venue.

SPEAKER_00 37:57

Um yeah, definitely exhaled. Yeah, yeah. The adrenaline, you know, adrenaline rush. Absolutely. That was the same way. I I had one too many Bustellos. So I was, I was, I was wired just to make sure that shout out to Bustelos. Yeah. Shout out. So you got your P and P, you're out, uh, you're working with this uh Fortune 200 company, and what what made you have you contribute even further to what you're doing today? So uh what what what's the biggest misconceptions uh people have about about leadership, you would say? Wow. You know, that sometimes when a leader, for example, leadership is all about service for me. Leadership is about you you mentioned, God, that uh we are equipped, endowed, we're given gifts, talents, and abilities, but it's not to hoard. It's not it's not to exalt our pride, our ego, look who I am, look what I have, and and you can ride with uh a t-shirt that says I'm a I'm PhD and this and that, and then what I can uh have all my you know CMQ, Lee Six Sigma Black Belt, yeah, all my badges and stuff like that, but it then it then it'll be all about me. I found my purpose very young at 14, where my my biggest addiction, if I if I were to ever have an addiction, uh is to see others succeed. Oh nice seeing seeing how I was able to contribute something to their lives. And uh for those that don't know, I I've written about 12, 13 books. And um shout out to that. Yeah, so that's a lot of perseverance too, right? Yeah, no, I I love but the the the the end goal to all that is not about the quantity, it's it's about do did I write something that can influence someone to make a positive pivot in their lives? And when when they succeed, whether it be in their marriage, whether it be in their finances, whether they returned to school, whether they became a better person, whether they left uh a really bad addiction or uh or a bad circle of friends, and they come back to me and say, Hey Daniel, I read your book and you inspire me to do XYZ, and that that's my satisfaction. The fact that the the leadership position and even at work with where try to teach and coach and mentor, because you know the life is short. So by by seeing I I get joy to see others succeed. Do you feel the same way?

SPEAKER_01 40:17

Yeah, I would tell you that's probably the biggest lesson that I take from my military service. Okay, is that it a lot of people have this misconception that although the military is you know hierarchical and as an institution, um especially in in units in areas that I was in where we had small team environments, um where like me as a jump master, I lead the paratroopers out the aircraft, sure, and sometimes I follow them. So, you know, that's a lesson in in building and sustaining a team and being able to be as comfortable leading it as you are being a collaborative member, right? So it's not all about hard skills, it's a lot of soft skills. I would say technical ability, maybe 10-15%. The rest of it is all about communication, interaction, relationship. Yeah, how you lead through influence and be adaptive and agile without being directive in nature, yeah. Absolutely, yeah. Especially as a warrant officer, right? Because Army warrant officers, we don't have direct command authority, we lead by influence, up, down, laterally. Sure. So we you know, we move the mission forward by providing that technical advice and counsel that's needed, sure. And being the honest broker, you know, when when that needs to happen, you know.

SPEAKER_00 41:45

So uh the following question is you know, what's what separates uh an average leader, maybe a person that was just really placed into leadership but is not a leader or doesn't not want to lead uh versus an impactful leader. You know, uh in my in some of my cases were you know you're influent, you're influential to someone. I think John C. Maxwell, he he teaches, preaches, it's it's all about influence, right? If if if you're a leader and you have no influence, then you're not a leader, right?

SPEAKER_02 42:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:14

So somewhere in our in our careers, in our journey, we were impactful to someone, we were influential to someone, and and years go by, years go by, and then they they call you up, they text you. Uh somehow life, you know, you cross paths some you know years later, and they bring up uh an experience or a memory that you forgot all about it, you know, but uh it was so impactful in their lives that uh uh they still remember to this day. So how many of those have have you had?

SPEAKER_01 42:42

Man, you know, I would say, oh man, a lot, you know. Yeah, well, you're doing it right now, yeah. Yeah, I was really fortunate, you know, and that's another benefit of military service, right? We have the ability to lead and be put in positions over an entire career in different areas in the organization. So we have a lot of touch points with a lot of individuals. So I was very fortunate in that, but I'll tell you, like, even with that, like the ability, and this comes with time too, right? Maturity, yes, the ability to to really listen with comprehension. Yeah, listen to understand what's going on. And I'm a work in progress, even to this day. You know, professionally it's a lot easier, personally, it's a little bit more difficult, right? Because we have a lot of uh a lot of other things in our environment that that contribute to the situation, you know, things that are going on around us. But the ability to truly listen and be present in that space at that moment, sure, and that's where the impact is and the influence is. And a lot of times you mention not remembering. Might not remember that time, but when someone brings that to me, I know exact exactly where we were, what we discussed. Or if I'm mentoring them actively through their entire career, which I still have touch points with service members that I've trained and coached since my early career, their early careers, and now they are field grade officers, you know, command sergeants, major, um, their leading teams in industry. And it's one of those things.

SPEAKER_00 44:33

Is that how the how you yielded into this consulting firm? Is that how how did you that's another story? You know, you because you you you you're doing all this, and maybe there was a time where maybe you sat down and said, you know what, I should make this a consulting firm. Okay, you know, consulting firm, obviously it's it's business, right? You you have something more formalized, more organized. Yeah, there's a structure, you have a service to offer. Uh, how did you go about structuring what you had to offer? Man, I'll tell you, it was it was after a layoff.

SPEAKER_01 45:04

Yeah, after a layoff. Well, of all things, yeah. You know, pivot, you know, king of the pivot, right? Yeah, how do you build resilience? I think we can sell it in a manual, right? Sure, sure. Um, but it was because of that where I where I I came to this realization, and this was at the end of 2023, when I said, you know, I've been doing a lot of this for other organizations, and of course they're making money off of it. Sure, yeah. My credentials, my experience. Yeah. So I just kind of figured I'm gonna do it, do this on my own. You know, and I'm fortunate now to have that and then have uh uh you know my day job uh supporting you know the community at the college in the role that I have at the college.

SPEAKER_00 45:48

Well, you're very busy and participating in a lot of events. I think one of the I'm not sure if it was that same conversation or another one where you went into uh correct me if I'm wrong, a detention center. Yeah. And you were giving a speech, last minute, last minute speech, and uh you you uh hit it out of the park.

SPEAKER_01 46:07

Yeah, you know, only because I feel well, I appreciate you mentioning that. Yeah. Um a detention center, you know, we can't really speak much about the programming, sure, but I was asked to to provide the speech keynote, yeah, you know, because the the um person that was doing it had another obligation. Um something happened based off the storms that happened. Well, preparation, we goes back to preparation. I mean, understanding and having that understanding, right? And and being able to share it's a it's a commonality, right? It's it's all about community for me. It's all about how how I could see myself in those young men. Right. Yes, you see what I'm saying? So it was a no it was a no-brainer when they say, can you do this? And it's nine o'clock in the morning, and I gotta be there to do it at this time later on, you know, moving into lunchtime. I said, Yeah, I got it. Wow. I prepped a speech. Yeah. Um if you can't do it, you would have called me, right?

SPEAKER_00 47:10

Say, Daniel.

SPEAKER_01 47:11

Oh man, you know, it's one of those things that um God puts us exactly where we need to be. You know what I'm saying? And that's why I feel fortunate to have the the the position in my day job and still be able to do what I do, you know, in the leadership space. And then coaching and mentoring in service, not as a service. Yeah, you know, because it's not all about the money for me. This 50 things look a lot different for me. Absolutely. You know what I'm saying? Like I value, I value time.

SPEAKER_00 47:45

I mean, I'm 100%, brother. Uh the time, time for me, quality time for me is invaluable, yeah, priceless. Uh back in the day as a as a young quality manager, uh, lead quality engineer, working on many projects, 60, 70 hour weeks, yeah, nonstop. You know, you're thinking about dollars and cents. And as you grow older, you're like, wait a minute, uh, time is more valuable than money. Relationships, uh, family time, uh leisure time, break time. Uh, this this one of the reasons why this is a calling, this podcast, yeah. Uh it's not just uh a fluke, it's something that I I want to highlight people and and and know, tap in into their abilities, talents, leadership skills so they can empower this new generation, generation Y, that's so fixated with AI and everything's digital and they can't see beyond the screen, and then they get to the real world. And guess what? You need some uh soft skills, yeah, and you need some hard skills, and uh you're gonna need some qualifications. Unfortunately, you're gonna if you want to go higher or within a the corporate ladder, there's some educational requirements and and whatnot. Can can you can you tell me about uh and uh a leadership failure, failure that you learn the most? Because I have failed more than I want to admit. Okay, yeah, but can you tell me maybe a a significant leadership failure, maybe not going too many details, that which that experience um shaped you, transformed you, humbled you, uh, and that that you learn from the most.

SPEAKER_01 49:19

Yeah, man, I appreciate that. Yeah, I think, and and I'm still I'm a work in progress in this area too. I think um in my military career, um later early in my career, I had an alcohol-related incident that kind of kind of like really hovered over me. Yeah, uh, even though like while I was in service. Okay. Well, not while I was in service because it was in my restricted files. Okay, sure. But as I, you know, progressed through the ranks, they were going through downsizing um, you know, post-ob uh uh President Obama and his downsizing of the service, and that's why I retired at 24 years. Wow. Right? Yeah, honorable retirement, I was good to go, but I was given a choice at that point. Okay. Um, but it was one of the things I'll tell you, and I'll tell anyone if it was up to me, I would still be in the army serving this country right now. Uh I I feel like I'm not a hundred percent the same person I was then physically, but I but I feel like I still have that level of service to give. Um, but leadership failure, that's it, brother. Okay, um, you know, and then having to be humbled at that point and facing it, right? And it's one of those things like, oh, you never had to face the consequences. Well, I faced them. Wow, and then I exited the aircraft. I retired honorably, you know, more than 24 years, you know, and that was a choice that I made because I was given the option to stay and and and compete again and do what I needed to do to stay. But at that point, just all these things kind of coalesced in my environment. Family, you know, my mom had just passed away, like all these things happening. Kids are growing, all everything. Yeah, my my at that time, my oldest granddaughter was born in that time frame, too. So my wife told me, Hey, you can stay in the army. Yeah, PCS, me and the kids, we're here, right? So there was a lot going on.

SPEAKER_00 51:26

In the army, you you're liable for deployment. Yeah, everything. Yeah, I think my one my brothers again were affected by that of Iraqi freedom. I think one one one of them was in uh Afghanistan or in Egypt, one of the things. And and deployments hurt, right? That separation, whatnot. I and I know thank God for technology. Uh you can zoom, uh, Skype back then. Yes, Zoom, Skype, call, whatnot. But uh it was not as as, you know, I'm sending my wife a messenger or or uh TikTok live or Facebook Live. We didn't have that luxury, they didn't have that luxury back then. So I mean, you better start using that uh that hand to write some letters.

SPEAKER_01 52:03

No, yeah, I remember I was on a 12-man team in Iraq in 08-09. Okay. And uh I I would call my wife, I'd call Sonia on an iridium satellite phone and talk to her. And what's the time difference? Oh man. I think at that, I don't I think it was maybe maybe an eight-hour difference, 10 hours, I don't bad. Sure. But not it's significant, but not as significant as like if you're called late at night, I mean you would get her maybe eight, nine in the morning. Yeah, there were some times out there, brother. Like I like really I thought I was gonna die that day. So I yeah, so I would call her. Sure. Just so that way she could hear my voice in case something happened. She didn't hear me again. And that's me being a hundred percent real. You know.

SPEAKER_00 52:53

So I it's one of those things that uh Well that that would make you that that maybe that made your decision to, even though they were downsizing to to evaluate as you were growing older, maturing, uh, you see that things shifting, things shifting, kids growing, granddaughter, uh, you know, that that goes back to time, that quality time, uh, that this is a new version of you as you're evolving, as you're growing and now uh expanding into this uh educational uh educational realm. So what are what are some of the traits based on your experience when when you look at the the new generation of leaders that are growing going through these uh these corporate steps, uh maybe uh you know, because in high school they don't teach leadership. No, they don't teach strategic pro strategic planning, project management, they don't teach finance. I mean, they'll they'll bombard you with pre-calc, pre-calculus, calculus, geometry, physics, you know, intense stuff. My I got a son that's going through that in college right now. Again, again, he was a graduated 4.0. Yeah, but even that is like I'm I'm done with math, you know. But uh some some days uh he loves it, but some days it's it's it's intense. And so you have a generation that's graduating high school, and if they have not participated in in clubs that uh that are steered toward leadership, or maybe in the place of worship, or maybe somewhere in the community uh that that are teaching these principals, they're coming out to the to the college now, the world, or maybe they they go another route uh without these leadership skills. What what are three things maybe that you can recommend them to do to acquire uh leader good leadership skills?

SPEAKER_01 54:36

Yeah, man, I think with that, for me, it's a whole of community approach, right?

SPEAKER_00 54:42

Especially coming from the army, where there's everything structure and you know, it's about you know uh ranks in a hierarchy and chain of command. I hear that all the time. My chain of command, this and that. Yeah. And I'm like, well, I don't know, I've been quality manager for 20 years. Yeah, I got a superior, but you know, most most most of the time I was, you know, uh given directives. But what are these three things that um three things for young leaders? What three things for young leaders? If if if I know they're the list can be endless. Um should they focus more on uh effective communication, verbal skills, you know, or uh enhance your grammar, don't don't massacre the English language, you know.

SPEAKER_01 55:22

Yeah, you know yeah, no, I I think communication is always the key, right? It's relational, right? It's it's a dialogue that that's required for both people. But I think a lot of people talk about communication and active listening uh in in ways that um to me it's almost like buzzwords, right? Right. I think really the the focus needs to be on that whole community approach when you're talking about um if they're fortunate to have their parents, especially a young man having his father or a grandfather in his life that can can show those things. I was fortunate to have my grandfather in my life, you know, to show me what a man should do. Sure. You know what I'm saying? I think that's important for young leaders, especially if they're they're um younger, like middle to high school. If they're in the in the corporate world, it really goes back to their ability to listen. Sure. Right? Communication is a lot more than the the spoken word, it's really being able to interpret, especially with the use of technology and Teams calls and Zoom calls and all these things, the ability to interpret a lot of the um non-direct or non-verbal communication that's happening that's being lost in those 2D spaces, right?

SPEAKER_00 56:46

Yeah, the the the the tone. Sometimes I read uh an email. I had I had someone uh text message, but uh, truth be told, I had uh uh a a boss, um a general manager, and without saying company or a person a person, but they would write an email and uh they they were from another nation, right? And after every sentence was a lot, a lot of exclamation points. And uh, I took it as offensive, right? I'm trying trying to read in between the lines and and try to be professional and civil and courteous and all that, but the way she wrote the email and and the way we had face-to-face conversation was like night and day, yeah, right. And sometimes it was a it was a cultural, cultural thing, oh yeah, or maybe her her lack uh of um not being able to uh to really convey the message through the email. If everything was you know urgent, the way she wrote was like this, I need this now, I need this yesterday, you do this and stuff like that. But when you spoke to her, hey, how are you doing? Did you get this for me? It's like, wait a minute, you know, I was I was about to lose my mind up in here, up in here. But but it but it was like that. One of the things that uh in the managing and and culture is like when I was a young quality manager, one of my greatest failures as a leader was the fact that I had a lot of people that were smarter than me, had more education than me. I'm talking about design engineers, aftermarket engineers, people that had been in business 15, 20 years, my senior, right? Uh I got the role because obviously I had some skill sets, but managing older people for me, yeah, that had better abilities, uh design engineers, CMM engineers, uh PPAP engineers. So I had I had a group that really tested my resolve in the fact and it and it humbled me to the point where I needed to really do a 360. And it it it that position, that role required a different version of me. Yeah, because I was I was used to giving directives and managing deadlines, uh project cycle, right? Uh PPAPs, or just the roles and responsibilities of each individual. And I was not military, never been, but man, did I did I give directives? You know, like it's like orders, you know, yeah. Hey, you're gonna do this at this time, 1800. You know, you know, you I was I was doing all those things, and and thank God for for mentors within that organization that I learned that once once again that was my failure. But I learned uh during that season in life uh how to capitalize on people's talents and abilities and how to be a leader because a leader is not for me, hey, I'm going to shine. It's about how do I make my team shine. Absolutely. How do I enable? How do I empower? When I started to get out of the way, honestly, my life becomes so much easier. I didn't have I didn't have the headaches, I didn't have to worry about logistics. It was the the team was so mature, and yes, they were older than me, but they were also mature and in their culture and their community to really take me under their wings. Instead of me as a leader take them under their wings, they took me under their wings. They understood that I was still evolving, developing as a as a as a manager, whatnot, uh, even though I had some talents and abilities. That's why I got the position. Yeah, but man, I had so much to learn when it came to uh make uh establishing a culture. I knew how to manage. Yeah, don't get me wrong. I knew how I knew how to meet those deadlines and and and corporate loved it, but they didn't know the the inner struggle that I was having about adjusting to people that uh were smarter than me. And I had one more one more story. I went to this company that you know the worst thing they could do to me at the time was give me a business card. I had I had a nice office, nice big desk. Yeah you know, uh, you know, I had a big monitor, you know, a company, company card. Yeah, they you know, here's a cell phone, here's your laptop, here's your computer bag, and oh, by the way, here's your card, right? It's a quality manager, right? Nice quality manager, nice, good print, fits to print, whatever it was. So I went to this company and um uh it was a uh a fibers company, they made fibers, uh the polymers and fibers, and I went into this laboratory, and and I there was a group of gentlemen there, uh, older, old older guys, white robes, perfect. So here I am with my ego. You know, I was I was so eager to pull out my car, right? So I pulled out my car and I gave it to the I was telling the story because it's hilarious. I like to embarrass myself, you know. So I I gave the car to these gentlemen that were there, and they were all scientists. PhD, this, PhD, PhD, I have three or four PhDs and stuff like that. So when we exchanged cards, right? I gave them my little quality manager, you know, somebody just rubbed my ego and I gave it, right? Yeah. So foolishly and very naive. And so when I get their cards and I'm looking at this thing, you know, yeah, and they're talking to me about uh combustion and molecular this and compost is that and and breaking chemical composition. They threw um back then DSCs and anyway, all these massive acronyms that were going over my head, you know. And you're talking about a humility check, yeah, you know, another experience that transformed Daniel Valillo to keep my feet on the ground and just be thankful for growth.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:21

Yeah, I think I think with that one, you you pretty much encapsulated my second point, which would have been, you know, being reflexive, right? That reflective act, you know, reflective aspect of the leader, especially in those environments where you're not the smartest one. That's correct, yeah. And and I used to, when I used to teach and train Army Warren officers, they were transitioning to become warr officers. They were senior enlisted before, they had a lot of experience in their field. I would tell them, right, when chief walks into a room, it's an implied task. You are the subject matter expert. Sure. You don't have to pound your chest. Sure. Right? And a lot of times they're gonna look to you regardless whether you're a W1, CW3, or Chief Warren Officer 5, that you are the expert. The reality is you're not the expert. You're not the expert. Right. And and um I'll probably let a little bit of the warrant officer mafia mystique out of the bag here. But we do a really good job at learning from those, the soldiers that we're leading, because the reality is they're the ones doing the work. Absolutely, yes. You know, and innovation starts with them. There was so many times that I would walk into an environment because as an electronic systems warrant officer, there was nine to eleven enlisted jobs, occupation MOSs that fed into my warrant officer, what I did. Sure. And I was expected to be the subject matter expert in every field. Wow, that's impossible. The reality is I wasn't that's impossible. Any warr officer out there that tells you that he is, or she is uh, you know, they got they they got some learning and some growing attitude. Right. But at the end of the day, that's what we learn through that reflexive ability to take that step back and say, hey, you know what? Daniel, show me what you're working on. Absolutely, you know, and use it as a teachable moment for yourself by you know having that that level of humility to say, I'm not gonna go and say as a chief, I don't know what what it is, sure, but I'm gonna use that opportunity for that soldier to show me what they know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:37

So, like we were talking earlier that I I can learn from a rookie and I can learn from someone that's about to retire. Uh again, one that was back in my earlier days, uh a moment of reflectiveness, yeah, of transformation, humility, and and and giving myself the opportunity to grow and expand. Because that was the only uh way I was going to have a successful career was by exercising uh that type of humility. Now, what I do is I I recognize everybody's gifts, potential, uh, expertise. Uh, if you're a scientist or a chemist or uh an industrial engineer, chemical whatnot, uh I set the standards, the outcomes, but we're all going to contribute to the success of this task, whether it's mission, this project, uh, whatever you want to call it. Yeah. What what moving forward, uh, where where do you see yourself five years? What are you up to now? What are you doing now? What what what's five years look like? I know in the in the near future for you, uh, regarding your your professional aspirations, your personal aspirations. Where's where's Dr. Salasar headed?

SPEAKER_01 1:05:39

Yeah, I appreciate that, man. I I recently was given the opportunity to uh join the staff at Augusta Technical College. Sure. As a director under economic development. And I'll tell you, this is probably the most fulfilling or fulfilling. that I've been since leaving the military because of the ability to give back in this space. Right. And and my five years from now I'm hoping to to still be there and contributing. I see so many great things on the horizon for our community collectively here. Sure. Um now that I have a vantage point from the technical college.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:26

Yeah. To to to promote, to sponsor. Yeah. I think we took we talked about um uh it's it's all about information how do we get the information out there about the the the university the college uh the programs they have to offer yeah like I said in my early days I graduated from Augusta Tech. All right shout out shout out to uh a microcomputer specialist degree you know yeah then uh then I I got to the real world and somebody told me I had to get the Microsoft systems certified engineer certification oh my god that you know I I see MCSC I started I started but uh I went into business so so it we were talking about you have a vantage point about being a uh a voice a beacon uh so to speak to to let this new generation or people that want to continue education about all the programs my my brother Eli uh went into the nuclear electrician program uh and now he's uh uh phenomenal now he's been 10 years tenure in Southern nuclear uh SRNS or Southern Nuclear uh so he started that when went as a journeyman I believe they started as a journeyman then they go into the electrician uh world uh assigned to a particular um uh reactor whatnot and now he's uh he's a planner but all that because he went through this program yeah and he's done phenomenal so you being the beacon of the economic development hey this is what we have to offer and and growing that alumni base and and expanding opportunities right and and I think with my story like I am not the traditional student right I'm not the PhD EDD that yeah you know went neither am I school and did all these things right I I kind of I got here um forged by design forged by design you know what I'm saying brother like really when you think about it getting to this point and being able to share that and I mentor students there daily that's why I say like five years from now I'm um I hope and I pray that I'm still there and I'm able to contribute in bigger ways.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:36

Absolutely you know what I'm saying but to be able to be there and share the story because everyone that comes through those doors doesn't look at it as a I gotta get there. Right. I just want to break down those barriers to entry you know and I have a and a phenomenal leadership team at the technical college that is allowing us space to kind of figure out new opportunities to grow and expand in the community and I think that in and of itself that's my five 10 year plan.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:11

Man that's to continue contributing man that's amazing just like I said uh this uh the the podcast Forged by design uh came I was given a conference and that's how I titled it and it I love it and it and it and it uh it resonated and it stuck and I knew that that was because I I saw it as the new generation there there's a blueprint for your life I mean there's the you're designed for greatness not for failure not for procrastination not to be lazy fair not just just wandering by without direction without hope without a a target without dreams and aspirations when you will when you understand that you were created on purpose and with a purpose I mean your whole uh mindset shifts and when I read your bio and they you you know uh leadership development uh personal growth mindset education uh a certified trainer with the John C. Maxwell PhD in education what an what an asset to the community now because a lot of people just see us as professionals right in my my world they go to the to the LinkedIn and like oh wow this this guy yeah has some really great hard skills you know he's done so many projects or uh whether it be through a Lean Six Sigma or through project management um all those little accolades and badges that but that does not define us and so you can have all that and and be be abrasive and and be not welcoming and and be in in your own island yeah and the island of excellence the island of excellence you don't want to contribute to your society to the community it's all about uh you and stuff like that so you we encounter people like that in our career paths but um that's not that's not who we are you're a speaker you're a keynote speaker yeah uh you you speak from experience you know the you know the the Brian yeah I know definitely and you know you you want to you know not not not uh bury the Brian because it's part of your journey it's part of your testimony right yeah and uh likewise I I I don't have that that testimony uh we grew up in uh uh a as a low income family but uh I was the first one to graduate college yeah I was the first one but whether it rained I think I have a podcast on on that uh the power of determination where I share that whether it be I was living in Fairway village off of uh Richmond Hill West. Yeah we talked about it we talked about I had to walk I had to walk to guess the tech uh um whether it rained whether it whether it was cold whether I was hungry I was stuck I was uh working full time then I had a lemon I had a Plymouth neon the worst car maybe too much it was it was it was it was it was something else that vehicle was something else it would always leave me stranded right so I said listen I gotta go to school so I would walk that two and a half miles to school uh at five o'clock or and then I would leave almost at 11 in the dark yeah they didn't have the lights that they have now back then they needed a little more a little more post light post but um so yeah again it's it's it's not who we are and and um you know you you have all those badges well earned a lot of sacrifice but it's your it's your essence that draws people in it's your your willingness to influence that brings people in uh the the willingness like like you say that we we we're not a know it all we're constantly growing uh our mindsets evolving into how can I improve myself from the the able to or the Daniel from a year ago yeah you know and then not only that not be complacent right not stay stuck how that's why I asked you the question what what do you look like in in five years well most likely you have matured in other areas maybe acquired other certifications and I and I know I know that your soft skills and hard skills will open doors but because of your preparation so if you want doors of opportunity to open you have to be prepared definitely I I would like to to wrap this up by by asking you now you have your your consulting firm um you have your your your certified coach uh if you were to give this community and the world abroad because this go this goes everywhere um some some lessons to learn for this new generation as we're evolving with AI Chat GPT and all those all those man so many AI emotional you know uh that softwares out there uh what is it that this new generation needs to prepare for as they look at education for the years to come what what does what does that look like for them yeah I would say um because my background is in IT and electronics I embrace AI as a um as a tool to advance humanity especially in in in terms of education I would say that for people out there to really look within yes right within and how by looking within how we can influence those around us that's family community and then how it impacts all of that at large right I think at the end of the day it really does start with us as an individual um we can have all of the accolades like you said and it's funny you mentioned that because in my closet I have my dress blues badges awards made from the military and now and now and and I pass by it almost daily right in my closet and there are some times when I take a step back like man I did all of that you know but again it's hanging in the closet and there's a requirement for me to continue to look within to see how I can influence and like I said before I'm a work in progress right there's no no island of excellence absolutely and definitely uh not striving for for perfection but striving for purpose oh and I like that you mentioned being on purpose true born on purpose because with a big with a purpose absolutely absolutely well what a what a blessing what a what a treat we've had throughout this uh podcast with Dr. Ver Salazar I know it's not gonna be the first time because we got we got so much to talk about and then then when you're Hispanic you throw that into the mix and that that that puts a another level of wanting to contribute to uh to this community to the to the world to the world at large uh in my case uh I don't have I was never in the military right but uh one of the things I do have is is uh that really hones into to my new season is uh I always have the Bible and a blank sheet of paper because I always say what what's this next chapter is gonna what what what's my next chapter going to be written as uh what what's what's what's it like and and you have you have the power you have the control over your life I mean we're a byproduct of our own decisions yeah right they have consequences okay so so you they they have consequences so every decision that you make in life whether it be financial educational uh societal relational uh work wise career wise uh uh don't don't spend time uh working on things that were not your purpose or your calling or your whether it be a ministry or your assignment uh or your career some people are in careers that are not passionate about so this the the blank paper for me is the fact that uh you know I'm I'm the the some of the author of this chapter and if and if I align myself and if I apply myself then new doors of opportunity look at this I I I got the PMP through Francesca right she she was behind me saying you you know uh I won't so I won't tell you what she told me right but you got to get to it right you got to study you got to get to it and you got to join the chapter I went took the test joined the chapter and guess who I met I met doctor at a place outside and we had this conversation look where we're at why is that preparation yeah and I don't think if it's so it's it's uh I think Steve Jobs was the one that said you cannot connect the dots uh going forward you can only connect them looking back and when we make those right decisions this decision led to this this this this opportunity this opportunity led to this connection this connection led to this door and when you look back you see that there was an algorithm you know a divine algorithm a blessing algorithm to connect us and to to join us in whatever community event now that we have the resources and people know I want to start to say that you have to go to uh LinkedIn look at this man's profile Dr. Abel Salazar and all the the the talent ability skill sets education and all he's doing not only for the CSRA but for abroad so this has been Daniel it's been a pleasure thank you brother this won't be the last time and you have a great week and join in follow us through uh Apple Podcasts Spotify all those amazing social media platforms so have a great week and I'll see you then