A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to host a squad of our son’s Naval Academy classmates who needed a respite enroute to San Diego to continue their SEAL training. Just young men in their twenties needing a good dinner, a warm bed, and a hearty breakfast before continuing west. We were more than happy to meet those needs.
What we received from them was much more powerful. The stimulating conversation covering everything from faith to undersea lock-out procedures (actually, that’s faith too!) was just awesome. The dialogue was filled with knowledge, opinions, disagreement, preferences, empathy, passion, curiosity, and humility. Given I’m in my mid fifties now, I guess it’s possible that I was enamored with the opportunity to answer questions about submarine operations, but I’m pretty sure it was much more than that. Watching a very diverse group of young people that are mission driven and purpose filled is very refreshing and encouraging. There was no observable inclination to divide up into separate teams when perspectives, opinions, or experiences differed.
Very often when I’m interacting with a business, I’m not sure exactly how I’m being viewed. Sometimes it is very difficult to ascertain whether my patronage is being valued or whether I am simply a mid-shift annoyance to be tolerated. More than once I’ve unintentionally caused vexation by interrupting the view of a TikTok. Perhaps those videos only play once and can never be seen again? Even the words ‘thank you’ seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
At Truxton, the client is our purpose. Helping create great outcomes/experiences for clients and their families is our mission. No doubt, there are days where circumstances may have temporarily dulled our edge. But our steadfast aim is for you to see, hear, and feel a group of very diverse professionals enthusiastically sharing a purpose. You. It was an honor to serve you and yours in 2025. Thank you and Go Navy! ▪
