M6 Leadership Spotlight: Michael Arnone
This week, we are excited to feature Michael Arnone in our leadership spotlight. Mike is the Business Development Manager for our National Security Solutions portfolio. Mike’s journey with M6 began through the SkillBridge program following his retirement from the Army after 20 years as a Psychological Operations Officer. Since joining full-time, he has been pivotal in driving business development and supporting the execution of our company’s strategic vision.
Tell us about what you do at Morgan 6, and how you came to the company.
I have two main roles with Morgan 6. First, I’m a business development manager for our national security solutions portfolio, which means that I’m responsible for going out and finding new business, making new contacts, finding partnerships and good fits for the company, and then also taking something from an initial idea, an initial concept, or an initial meeting to full fruition. So, essentially, it’s marshaling the whole business development process from beginning to end. I also have what is similar to a ‘Chief of Staff’ / integrator role at Morgan 6, where I serve as the right hand man to the President and CEO and assist with the implementation of the company’s vision and strategy.
As for how I came to Morgan 6, I retired from the Army after 20 years as a psychological operations officer. I spent my entire career in the Special Operations community, and early on in my career as a brand new Lieutenant, I was fortunate enough to meet Gavin McCulley and Paul Thompson, who are our president and CEO and one of our executive vice presidents. Both Gavin and Paul were instrumental in my development as an Army officer when we all worked together, and then we remained friends over the years.
When it became time for me to transition out of the military, Gavin reached out and said, “You know, I’d love to talk to you, bring you on as a SkillBridge intern, and see how things work out.” Things were great, and working together again felt natural, like no time had passed at all. So, I was really excited to join Morgan 6 as a full-time employee when I was presented with an offer at the end of my SkillBridge.
Can you tell us what you did during your SkillBridge time?
I was doing some of the same things that I’m doing now. I was learning the business development process, which is, I think, as an Army officer and a recent retiree, one of the most difficult things to learn because you’ve never received extensive training on the business side and the contracting side of the business world [when you’re in the military]. So, it was certainly a transition from focusing very much on a niche, high demand, low density skill set in the Army and then coming into the business world where everybody here already knows this environment. There was a lot of learning to do. Being an intern with SkillBridge gave me an opportunity to begin to learn the business side of things and to see if it was going to be the right fit for me.
I also began performing some of the integrator / Chief of Staff functions during my internship. So that gave me the opportunity to run meetings, take a look at processes, and look for opportunities to streamline some of the Morgan 6 processes. I was able to bring a fresh set of eyes to problems the organization has been working through.
Do you recommend SkillBridge to transitioning service members?
For sure, without a doubt. It’s awesome.
You’re relatively new to the company. What are your first impressions? How have you been spending your first months?
This is the right team for me. Morgan 6 puts you in an environment where you’re surrounded by high performing professionals and people that share the same vision and outlook for the organization. We’re all moving in the same direction. It’s an exceptional team that I’m proud to be part of.
I’ve been spending my first five months learning the company, the people, and the customers. Now, we’re working on a number of bids that we’re excited about. We’ve got a lot in the pipeline and I believe we have a bright future ahead of us.
How do you personally resonate with M6’s values?
The core values of Morgan 6 are newly encompassed in a mnemonic: HEROIC. That stands for honor; excellence; resourcefulness; one team, one fight; iron sharpens iron; and, castle defense. The ‘one team, one fight’ really resonates with me because the idea behind it is that we’re all on the same team, working through the same challenges, together. It’s certainly not unique to Morgan 6, but it’s definitely a value that I’ve lived throughout my entire Army career, and it’s great to see at Morgan 6 that we embrace some of the same ideals. We’re all moving in the same direction. We have shared values. One person’s success is everybody’s success, and everybody’s success is each person’s own success. It’s an opportunity to be part of something that’s larger than oneself, which is certainly something that resonates with me as a recent military retiree.
What ways do you think M6’s values distinguish the company?
The one thing about Morgan 6 is that we don’t compromise our values. What I mean by that is we evaluate all of our decisions in terms of our values. When we have an organizational or a business decision that needs to be made, it has to be in alignment with our values. If we have to compromise our values or do something shady that isn’t in the best interest of the company, there is no hesitancy within the organization to call it out and say that it isn’t the right fit. We know that in the long run, sticking to our values is going to make sure that we retain our clients, that we win new clients, and that we don’t sacrifice on who we are and who we want to be.
What do you find exciting about the work you’re doing at M6?
One of the things that’s a little bit different about myself and some of my colleagues that wore the uniform previously, is that at Morgan 6 we have the opportunity to address problems that we encountered while in service – problems that we understand – in a way that we couldn’t while we were part of a massive organization where sometimes things don’t move fast enough, or where you encounter bureaucratic issues. Or, sometimes there are decision-makers that don’t fully appreciate the problem we were trying to solve.
As a contractor at Morgan 6, we have the opportunity to work things from a different angle, and sometimes get to yes in a way that we couldn’t when we were in uniform. This is a huge advantage for a small company where we can innovate and adapt to meet the needs of our customers at a much faster pace than larger companies and organizations can.
How does working at M6 align with your career goals or personal values?
First and foremost, my priority after getting out of the uniform was finding a job, and it’s been especially rewarding to be able to work with people I know so well working on challenges I really understand. Morgan 6 also gives you the opportunity to grow in your job. We can go out and find a particular contract or a particular area that we want to work in. If we’re able to make those connections and win those contracts, we have an opportunity to lead in that particular area. So, for me, as a psychological operations officer and somebody that worked in Information Operations (IO) for my whole career, there’s an opportunity to bring that into the company and to grow with it.
Rapid Fire Questions
What’s the best title you’ve ever had, personal or professional?
I would have to say son or grandson. I have a very strong Italian family and family is a huge part of who I am.
What’s the best location you were stationed at?
I loved being stationed in Newport, Rhode Island. It was right on the water and it was a fantastic place to live – especially in the summer.
What can we find you doing in your free time?
Watching sports. I am a huge fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football team, but I also love all of my Bay Area professional sports. So go Giants, Sharks, 49ers, and Warriors!
What is your go to news source?
I like the Associated Press because I find it to be the most impartial of the major news agencies.
What books or movies have you read or watched lately that you think are great and that you recommend to people?
There’s a Netflix limited series called All the Light We Cannot See. I loved it. It’s about a young, blind girl in Nazi occupied France and her efforts to work in the French Resistance, in the French underground.
Who would you most like to have dinner with or be stuck on a desert island with?
I would love to have a beer with Lou Holtz, legendary head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, because he’s such a colorful figure, a passionate member of that community, and such an inspirational leader.