Joe Polanin describes himself as “a kid from New Jersey who couldn’t swim until he was 17, yet went on to work with Navy Seals.” His guidance counselor said “no one from your high school had ever gone to the Naval Academy.” As valedictorian, even his brothers and sisters asked, “don’t you want to be a doctor, lawyer, something else?” He said that every time someone told him he couldn’t do it, it gave him more fuel. He recently retired from a 30-year career in the US Navy as one of the top 1% of senior leaders, and founded the Alaka’i Leadership Group to help organizations mobilize high performance teams, ensuring a culture of honor and humility.