108: Breaking the Communications Career Template with David Albritton

In this episode, Dan connects with retired Navy officer, legendary communicator, speaker, leadership strategist, and coach David Albritton. The founder and CEO of Nineteen88 Strategies, David cut his PR and communications chops at the Pentagon and followed a career track that led to his role as Chief Communications Officer at Exelis. That would have been the career-high mark for most communicators, but not for David. From the pinnacle of the comms world, he made that rare, perhaps unique, jump to running an entire enterprise, ultimately becoming the President of General Motors Defense. Through it all, he saw the value of coaching and mentoring in his life and decided to dedicate his third - and current - career to helping others realize the same. 

How did he (and how does he) do it? How do you make the journey from being the PR guy to running a multi-billion-dollar business? Maybe it’s how he fostered a learning mindset. Perhaps it’s how he recognized when it’s important to embrace change. Or it could be that a "Learn-or-Die" mantra is a prerequisite for success. He and Dan explore these and many more lessons from David’s career to find some answers. 

Listen in and learn …

• Why communications professionals need to develop business acumen
• The dynamic nature of communications professionals’ role and the significance of continuous learning and growth. 
• The value of mentorship from a personal and professional perspective.
• The difference between a small “m” mentor and a large “M” mentor.
• How the universe recognizes your mentoring efforts and will reward you accordingly.
• The role of your worst day and how it can be used to push you forward. 
• The importance of respecting the expertise of others. 
• The Hole in Your Swing Philosophy and why it’s important to address it.
• Why leaders understand the value of surrounding themselves with smart people. 
• That sometimes people can see the leader in you before you can see the leader in yourself. 
• Coaching is a safe place and there is a difference between coaching and mentoring. 
• The game-changing aspects of coaching on a personal and corporate level. 
• Some of the amazing resources David used to fuel his growth including, “Business Acumen for Strategic Communicators” by Ron Culp and Matthew W. Ragas. 

Notable Quotes:

• “There have been so many people who have mentored me and didn’t even know it.” (4:56) – David
• “I’m truly one that believes you can get through this life journey alone.” – (5:43) – David
• “Believing in others and their ability to help you and your ability to help them is what makes us human.” – (7:30)
• “There’s a whole lot of goodness in this country that we don’t get to see through the media all the time.” (10:06) – David
• “What is the story of David Albritton?” – (12:55) – Dan
• “You can’t be a good leader until you’ve learned how to be a good follower.” – (14:33) – David
• “A soldier is trained to carry a rifle to fight wars and all those types of things. They’re not trained to move a family with a baby that needs diapers and blankets.” – (34:14) – David
• “I never believed that by myself I was smart enough to do anything.” – (39:48) – David
• “PR isn’t an exact science.” – (40:23) – David
• “I realized that I couldn’t just be a communications person. I had to become more of a business partner.” – (40:54) – David
• “Just because you have title does not mean you know.” – (44:24) – David
• “Communications gives us (communicators) license to try and learn everything.” (47:31) -Dan
• “Then I had a huge left hook thrown at me that knocked me on my butt.” – (56:00) – David
• “I realized that if I could become a coach and get paid to be a coach, I never have to retire.” – (1:00:22) – David
• “We all deal with change differently.” – (1:03:40) – David
• “The job of a coach is to look into your future.” – (1:08:22) – David
• “It’s not so much about who you know but who knows you.” (1:13:07) – David
• “Go into every situation as prepared as you can be.” (1:14:22) – David
• “Ask smart questions to people when you don’t know things.” – (1:18:32) – David
• “You have to be known because you are contributing.” – (1:20:27) – Dan
• “People will stay with you if they feel like they have the opportunity to grow.” – (1:26:39) -David

About David J. Albritton, ACC

David Albritton, Founder and CEO of Nineteen88 Strategies, is an accomplished ICF-certified executive coach and business leader with over 30 years of diverse leadership experience spanning corporate, nonprofit, and military sectors. From his unique transition as a Chief Communications Officer to a business division chief executive of a Fortune 25 company, to his current role on the board of NASDAQ-listed Embecta Corp., Albritton exemplifies career versatility. His extensive roles, including President at General Motors Defense and VP Communications roles at Amazon Web Services, Exelis, ITT Defense, and United Way of America, reflect his expertise. As a seasoned executive coach, Albritton employs a holistic and authentic coaching framework to empower high-performing executives. His passion lies in enhancing leadership presence, personal branding, and emotional intelligence among others. He is also a Service-Disabled Veteran with degrees from the U.S. Naval Academy, Naval Postgraduate School, and executive education from top universities including Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton.

• Nineteen88 Strategies
• David Albritton | Linkedin
• David Albritton - Instagram 
• David Albritton - Twitter
• Four Forces Executive Group

Dan Nestle Links

• The Dan Nestle Show (libsyn.com)
• Daniel Nestle | LinkedIn
• The Dan Nestle Show | Facebook
• Dan Nestle on Twitter

Timestamped Summary

• Introduction to today’s guest. 0:00
• David’s introduction. 1:49
• Putting positivity out into the universe. 6:22
• How did you get to the mindset you have? 11:49
• The mindset of a public relations professional. 17:57
• Learning to be a media communicator. 25:09
• Rising through the ranks of the military. 29:38
• Dealing with the perceptions of the military. 37:22
• The common theme of leaders who are not the smartest. 44:48
• Becoming a CCO at Exelis. 48:52
• The importance of having the right talent. 53:09
• Understanding your why and your purpose. 57:40
• Being directive as a mentor. 1:02:06
• Coaching is about helping people. 1:07:04
• The importance of being prepared for every meeting. 1:11:49
• The crux of it all. 1:18:56
• David’s advice for leaders. 1:23:48
• David’s work with veterans and charitable orgs. 1:27:52

*Notes were created by humans, with some help from Capsho and Otter.ai.