Jake Weyant’s Post

I invested a lot of sweat equity in my #DadBusiness this weekend, and now share some lemonade stand lessons learned. For 9 months, my oldest has been saving for concert tickets so she can take my wife to see Pink. She is getting close to her goal and wanted to run a lemonade stand with her best friend. Rather than share the valuable lessons she learned (planning, timing, location, pricing strategy, marketing, supply chain, supply costs, etc.), I will offer you my insights as a unpaid laborer in her enterprise. 1) Feel good when you buy. It was 95 degrees in the shade, so getting out of an air conditioned car was a big ask. However, supporting a bunch of girls selling lemonade with handmade signs gave the buyer a little "I did something good today" boost. 2) Embrace the experience. The lemonade was made with cool water but didn't stand a chance against the heat. We rationed out ice cubes from an insulated container surrounded by ice packs. It was great - who doesn't love seeing an ice cube floating in their drink on a sweltering day. 3) Make the most of your network. My daughter had lots of energy and lots of ideas, but she was severely lacking in the practical planning to pull off the stand. Daddy acted as roadie: tent set up, transport, and security. Mommy was business consultant: baking tips, reminders on necessities like change, tape, and signage, and basic customer service techniques. To her credit, she took advantage of all help, even enlisting her little sister. She didn't let pride (do it all herself) stand between her and success. May all of your beverages be frosty today, and remember to support your local small businesses (especially if they are roadside lemonade stands).

It's the week of July 4 when thoughts turn to... Innovation? Innovation is not just coming up with a new thing - many times it's combining other things in innovative ways for something amazing. We do this all the time at SAIC, but let's not think of innovation as a technology-only practice. Exhibit 1: My traditional go-to ice cream flavor when on vacation, Zombie. Exhibit 2: My new favorite offering, Dopamine. Exhibit 3: Not shown ... placing both of these flavors into one amazing chocolate, peanut butter, cookie dough, graham cracker flavored sundae To all of the innovators and ice cream lovers in my network, may your experiments be as rewarding and delicious as my recent efforts in #DadBusiness innovation. Special thanks to Bonkeys Ice Cream for the revolutionary work they are doing in frozen dessert R&D.

The topic of uncertainty has come up several times this week, and it made me think about my Sunday at the ball field. A never-encountered scenario combined with a 100 degree heat led to some misunderstandings and an ejection. With an opposing runner on third base, the batter hit a short pop up that landed directly on the runner's head at third base. The ball deflected off the helmet into foul territory and the runner ran home. I thought it was a foul ball or the runner was out, but the ump said the ball was in play...my daughter's team later lost the game by one run. One of our assistant coaches voiced his confusion and disbelief with the umpire in a way that left the umpire feeling disrespected. At this point, pride and communication became more important than any interpretations of the rule book, and our coach was asked to leave the game. Lesson Learned: Uncertainty undermines confidence and can lead to misunderstandings. Prioritize communication. If you're the leader or authority, take a minute to tell your audience why a decision was made. And if you, as the audience, don't understand, ask for clarity in a way that recognizes the decision maker is trying their best. e.g., "We may not have all the details yet, but we all want to get this right, and here is what we're doing to get there." I don't always practice my own advice, but I am practicing, and I haven't been ejected from any games...yet. #DadBusiness PS - I didn't get footage of the strange play, but I did capture a fun triple.

#WhereIsJayToday ? Interviewing with Tobias Naegele of Air & Space Forces Association of course! I had my SAIC #ai dream team on hand for a series of recordings today. I look forward to sharing the outcomes with you soon. David DeStigter , Angela Sheffield , Jon “BigDogg” Rhone

My lack of cubicle to display artwork from my girls means LinkedIn must serve as my corkboard. Today's piece explores the cosmos. "Space ground" in the forefront frames two stars, a red planet, a rocky gray planet, and a moon. Please do not confuse the rocky planet for a moon or the red planet for a red gas giant...I asked those questions and was corrected...strongly corrected. #DadBusiness #Space

#DadBusiness is strong at SAIC. Imagine my surprise when I saw our VP for execution excellence Eric Mackiewicz at the softball field this weekend? It took me a moment to recognize him outside of our usual Zoom and business casual environments, but sure enough he turned when I yelled his name, and we got to compare notes on the fun of having daughters in travel softball. We were not in the same pool, so we didn't have to face off on Saturday. However, my daughter's team was last seed for Sunday play, managed to upset the 1st seed, and then faced Eric's team in the quarter finals. Playing in 97 degree weather our two teams battled, going into extra innings! I should be upset that we were beaten with a two-out single, but honestly, I was ready for some AC. Well played, Eric --- looking forward to a rematch.

Great to see this wonderful initiative coming together. Bridget Chatman has been raving about this program and the fun she has had in its planning. I can't wait for SAIC to work with AIAA, customers, and the entire Space4All community to really make an impact on #STEM and #Space.

This past year, SAIC gave me the unparalleled privilege to serve as a coach in the AcceleratHer program (a cohort designed to advance women leaders at SAIC with coaching, a capstone project, and accredited online courses). It has been the highlight of my professional life recently--and I even got a cool shirt. I was wearing my T-shirt at the beach, and a grandfather came over to me to ask about the program and to share notes on raising amazing and empowered daughters and granddaughters. His questions gave me an opportunity to brag about SAIC and my amazing mini-cohort. I met regularly with Jenna Schifalacqua, Gina Wade, Jessica B., and Kay Chapman. I asked them a few questions, pointed them to some resources, and mostly just listened and stayed out of their way as they took over the world! What a thrill and pleasure to work with such talented people. Not only are they rocking it in their various roles, they also made the time to invest in themselves and help out a great cause for their capstone project. Thank you to these women leaders for allowing me to tag along on their adventure.

A special father's day edition of #DadBusiness...my oldest said she was filming dad "race to his doom" My girls don't let me relax, and that's a good thing. Most days they humble me by reminding me how old I am, and then they goad me into trying to complete a ninja warrior course. Ironically, they somehow make me feel old and young at the same time. FYI Daughter 1 can beat 30 seconds every time. Surround yourself with people that push you and will not let you sit on the sidelines, they don't even need to be daughters. Bonus points if they yell a few encouragements while you're wheezing your way to the finish line.