It’s the beginning of my new life at Navstar and I am asked, “What do you hope to do?”

A simple question but it completely floors me. I’m so used to the opposite and its stifling restrictions and requirements. I just can’t fathom the answer.

Then day two rolls around and I’m still floored. I decide to ask our VP, Corinne Combeau, what do you think? She proceeds to paint a beautiful picture for me. Complete with flowing creativity, ambitious goals, and even a prop. A sheet of paper that she turns into a metaphor with one side representing the Navstar way with a sky is the limit, blank slate approach and the other side representing ‘others’ with a job description that forces you into a box.

Again, I’m floored.

I keep thinking to myself…is this what it mean to be working for a top 25 technology company in DC (pdf)?

——–

This all means that I am officially an employee of Navstar. They have offered me an incredible opportunity to join their team where I will be helping their Green IT and Enterprise 2.0 programs.

Our  broad vision for Green IT is to help turn our Federal government in a mean green machine. Transform it one of the most sustainable and efficient operations in the world. Over the coming weeks we will be putting out more details of our program and services. The main focus of which will be providing sound solutions to federal agencies that reflect the modern environmental movement, where going green means cost savings, increased capabilities, improved efficiency, and much more.

In Enterprise 2.0, Navstar is already a leader in the space having caught the wave very early. Now, over 4 years later, the program is a defined leader in the space thanks to the work of Andrea Baker, the Director of Enterprise 2.0 for Navstar. I am excited to join her team and help grow the program (and this blog!). More details on my involvement to come.

This is an exciting time for me since I  have a deep passion in both areas. In the field of green I am a passionate change advocate for food and waste. I created the non-profit, A Clean Life, to allow for greater impact and change. I spend my days and weeks helping DC turn into a zero waste city and its citizens discover the joys and health benefits of real food.

In the online world I am non-stop. Since my earliest days I have developed an alter-ego, starting as a Senior Game Master at Blizzard. In that role I learned the new language of the nets as our success on World of Warcraft went through the roof, defining a whole new genre in gaming (massive multiplayer). With that new language I quickly progressed to teaching others about it in the Intelligence Community, helping scores of Intelligence Officers understand what a wiki is and soon blogs, tags, and more. After that I joined the World Intelligence Review helping spearhead their Agile Product Development and Project Management programs, watching as it became the most successful online enterprise in Intelligence.

Now, I am poised for success again as I join forces with Navstar to grow their Green IT program and contribute mightily to their Enterprise 2.0 work.

Still…I am left pondering the question…”what do you hope to do?”

I want to do it all

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Tagged as: Agile, enterprise 2.0, government 2.0, project management, Steve Mandzik