We recently connected with Linc McCoy and have shared our conversation below.

Linc, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

Coming from immigrant parents (Guyana and Trinidad), my parents always taught me to be consistent in who I am, how I treat people, remember to look out for family and never give up when God has placed you on the path. Those are a few of the solid ground foundational ingredients that they provided. With that, I have been able to achieve quite a bit from being the first in my family to achieve the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Five (highest rank within the Army’s Warrant Officer Cohort – 3% of the Army’s population achieves this rank). Ensuring that I treat everyone with dignity and respect keeps me grounded because watching my parents work multiple jobs to ensure we had food on the table, clothes on our backs and a roof over our heads forced me to ensure I never gave up on my vow to give back to them for their sacrifice. This allowed me to not only be a first time home owner in my family but also provide advice and guidance to those youths who may be in or come from low income communities.

Linc, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I joined the Army in 1995 shortly after graduating high school. Not knowing this opportunity would allow me to explore a multitude of countries, cultures and people I embraced every moment and chance given to me. With that I was able to grow into a Man, Soldier and Individual capable of building relationships with partnering nations, a variety of communities and between those with differences. Fostering who I was becoming opened doors for me to work in spaces like the White House for 7 years and providing support to 2 different Presidents and Vice Presidents. This space also allowed me to expose my family and others to events, experiences they would have never dreamed of, to include meeting the President and First Lady. As humbling as it was, I never took my “foot of the gas” and continued press forward along with ensuring with every opportunity I introduced new experiences to youths.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As I experienced various deployments and austere locations, I was able to learn how people react and operate in unfamiliar spaces which made me sensitive to those I support or provide customer service to for Information Technology (IT) requirements. With everyone having a different need it allowed me to grow in discomfort and mature in emotional intelligence. As I matured in providing IT services, my brand grew and I became well known. This is a lesson I hold near and dear as I modernize how I provide services daily.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Remember that those who work for you and along side of you are going through things daily just as you are. So never walk in without saying good morning, or leave without wishing them a great evening and a safe journey to their next destination. Ensure you ask those within your team, how they are doing periodically and listen to the answer to understand. Lastly, reading a good book on team building from time to time helps keep ones skills sharp…

Contact Info:

• Instagram: m.linx5
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missinglinc
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/linc-mccoy