Take the call
Take the call. When you’re in government, especially in a place like the Pentagon, your time is constantly spoken for. The meetings are nonstop, the mission is pressing, and your inbox fills faster than you can clear it. Requests come in from all directions: internal teams, senior leaders, oversight bodies, and yes, vendors trying to introduce solutions or share new capabilities.
It’s easy to wave off those external calls. After all, there are plenty of guardrails, ethics rules, and real concerns about time, relevance, and intent. But I made a conscious choice to take those calls, especially if they aligned with the mission space I owned because sometimes, it’s damn hard to see outside of the five-sided tunnel.
The Department of Defense is massive. Even on the inside, figuring out who owns what, how decisions are made, or where a problem lives can be a full-time job. For those on the outside, from startups, researchers, or companies with real capabilities, it’s exponentially harder. They are trying to do the right thing, navigate the system, and contribute to national defense. But without a point of entry, it is like knocking on a thousand doors and hoping one opens.
I have watched many of my friends transition to the private sector, working for companies trying to partner with government. During my time between DoD roles at Rebellion Defense, I experienced firsthand how hard it is to even get in the door, let alone have a meaningful conversation. Even when a company brings real capability and genuine intent to support the mission, it can feel like shouting into a void. I have also seen the frustration from the inside: “not another vendor call.” But that mindset often overlooks opportunities to bring in new energy, tools, and ideas that could make a real difference.
Some of the most effective solutions I encountered came not from top down mandates, but from conversations: informal, unplanned, and unexpected. A new tool, a more efficient process, a different way to think about an old problem. None of those would have surfaced without being open to the dialogue.
For my colleagues still inside the building, take the call. It may not be urgent today, but it could be critical tomorrow. And one day, you might find yourself on the outside, trying to help, trying to navigate, hoping someone picks up the phone.
Sometimes mission impact starts with just listening. Do not underestimate what can come from a 30 minute conversation.
Take the call. It matters.
