By Colin Gwin (LDS 423)

Journalist and author Sebastian Junger published Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging after a particularly harsh period in his life and career that saw him living at a U.S. military forward operating base in Afghanistan. There, he developed a deep bond with the soldiers he was covering. In his book, he explores the nature of that bond. I had the benefit of hearing Junger speak about that experience shortly after returning from Afghanistan, and many of his assertions resonated with me. Given that the theme of this month’s Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association (FEIAA) Executive Summary is “Networking and the Importance of Making Connections,” I thought I would reflect for a moment on the shared connections that drive our networks.

In the book, Junger says that “human beings need three basic things in order to be content: They need to feel competent at what they do; they need to feel authentic in their lives; and they need to feel connected to others. These values are considered ‘intrinsic’ to human happiness and far outweigh ‘extrinsic’ values such as beauty, money, and status.” 

Looking back on my own experiences, I would agree, and I believe that one of the strongest connections I feel with others is a result of my time at the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) and my time serving on the FEIAA Board. As graduates of the Leadership for a Democratic Society (LDS) course, we all participated in a unique shared experience that provided an extremely strong connection. Time and again, I’ve been able to rely on that connection since I completed the course in 2016. 

What do I mean? For starters, there is the shared experience of your Leadership Development Team (LDT) cohort. How many times have you shared life news with your old teammates? How many times have you picked up the phone to call an old LDT friend for advice or guidance or maybe just for someone to talk to
Then there is your entire LDS class—folks from an incredibly diverse spectrum who all share three core similarities: a call to public service, a dedication to constant self-improvement as leaders, and a very deep and transformative shared experience at FEI. 

Moving even further out, there is the entire “alumni cohort,” of which FEIAA plays a significant role. Even those who may have gone through FEI years before or after you could provide you with career guidance and insight or might turn to you for mentoring and help. 

For those of us who belong to FEIAA, the association offers a built-in network based on that special shared experience that can open doors, offer insights, or simply have our back when we need it most. I’ve had several instances in which a simple “Hey, didn’t you go to FEI?” turned a hard conversation into an easy one. On more than one occasion, I’ve found myself sitting across the table from senior government leaders simply because I reached out and noted that we have the FEI connection in common. Our FEI shared experience is powerful and unique—I encourage everyone to recognize that and do everything you can to be an active participant in the network. More importantly, I encourage you to be an active contributor to that intrinsic value Junger calls “connectedness.”