Mac believes the true value of any organization is the health and determination of the teams that comprise it. A great team is a resilient team made up of talented and committed members and leaders who grow and learn together, oftentimes through adversity.
Jason “Mac” McAlister
Co-Founder/President
Mac believes the true value of any organization is the health and determination of the teams that comprise it. A great team is a resilient team made up of talented and committed members and leaders who grow and learn together, oftentimes through adversity. Whether he was leading his first company in aerospace, or managing technical teams in oil/ gas, Mac feels great teams have this in common – The ability to manage many competing interests while maintaining focus on the objective and serving a purpose greater than the individual.
His diverse military background that spanned amphibious operations in the SpecOps community to flying military jets, left him with significant takeaways. Success or failure of the team is tethered to these truths: Trust in leadership, confidence in peers, and support from subordinates. Additionally, drawing from both military and civilian experiences; a strong team has fun together.
There should exist a sense of humor that bonds and identifies them as a unit. It’s not required, but it’s certainly okay to laugh and pursue excellence at the same time.
When asked to share a quote or phrase with the readers, Mac’s response was simply “phronesis”. Phronesis is a Greek word defining “a specific type of wisdom relevant to practical action, implying both good judgment and excellence of character, or practical virtue.” This concept is compelling because it suggests that traits or attributes thought to be unrelated are in fact very interconnected to form the powerful concept of “practical virtue.”
Wisdom + Action + Character = Positive Outcomes. By today’s standards wisdom is not often associated with practicality, or one’s character associated with their ability… politics would look very different if that were the case. The contemporary has placed little value on the ancient idea of “practical virtue,” but could it be a missing key ingredient to building high-performing teams.
Like the concept of phronesis, Mac envisions the tenets of HOP as a challenge to take a step back to evaluate the basics. Did we miss something in our zeal for complexity and bureaucracy? Have we misplaced our priorities on metrics and overlooked the impact of the human condition within the complex system? As our world and systems become more specialized, the idea of HOP brings us full circle to the focal point of people. The undeniable truth that we are, and have always been, the critical component.
Experience
Mac served in the United States Marine Corps for 15 years, and another 8 years in the US Navy.
He began as an enlisted Marine in SpecOps. After completing his degree, he was commissioned as an Officer and flew AV-8B Harriers with the Famous Black sheep Squadron. From there he completed an inner service transfer to the Navy Reserves and flew T-45 Goshawks as a flight instructor until he retired in 2012. During that time, he founded Wraith Systems which provides the stick & throttle flight controls for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Mac holds a BA degree from the University of Nevada. He enjoys competing in Ironman triathlons and other endurance events. He also enjoys leading mission trips to Central America and working with homeless organizations in Ft. Worth. He resides in Texas with his wife, he has three daughters and five grandchildren.
phronesis [froh-nee-sis]
a specific type of wisdom relevant to practical action, implying
both good judgment and excellence of character, or practical virtue.