My 2015 CWA attendance draws to a close–and before hearing reflections of 30 high school students tomorrow in Socratic Seminar, these are several of my first “sips,” distilled from reflecting on a number of panelists’ views. Over the next several days I’ll share others.

•Every voice is crucial. The eye cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you.” Yay for having Robert Kaufman and Jim Smith and Valerie Wilson speak together…rich paradox, not comfortable, but Essential.
•”Friend your mom before you apply for jobs–she’ll clean up your page.” (John Smith) •Learn a language, get a passport, travel-it builds cultural intelligence and common sense. (Whole panel.) •If you want entrepreneurial funding, go West. Eastern establishment is a much harder sell. (Andrew Safir.) •Having your résumé sent via personal connection gets you much farther in the paper pile sorting.
•Understand what matters to organization to which you apply–ask them why they do what they do & see how your expertise can help.
•Synthesize vs. summarize with information.
•Whatever the work, “Own the outcome.” I am responsible. If things don’t turn out how I’d hoped, what can I learn? How can I do things differently? (Nina Richardson, former GoPro COO) (Kick-Ass Career Advice) 🙂

•We won’t know for at least six months after a nuclear agreement with Iran the nature of Iran’s intentions–we must look at follow-up behaviors, but musn’t we start somewhere?” (Jim Smith + Valerie Plame Wilson) •Can we afford to use force without understanding the I intended consequences of that use of force? (Jim Smith) •What are the stakes if Iran destabilizes the region further? Can we afford to believe that President Ruhani is sincere? The price tag is huge. (Robert Kaufman paraphrased) • Military service in U.S. Should be compulsory so that the public knows what it’s like to serve, be in harm’s way, what it takes to honor and heal our returning soldiers. (FYI: Thailand requires compulsory military service and at least one day’s service as a monk if all of it’s young men.) •Why can’t we have sacred circles of healing for our returning warriors? (Why is there such a dichotomy between being “mission ready” and acknowledging fear? Doesn’t this create a culture deeply resistant to healing? Isn’t it more psychologically whole to encourage embracing the real–me) Media must show the whole truth and not just sanitized version. Media has responsibility to tell the truth, so that public knows and supports those it sends/we send to harm’s way. We are responsible as a society.

(Malcolm Gibson)