Welcome Back, G-Tribe

Issue # 123 – February 24, 2026

This is the last week of February. Leadership month ends here.
Over the past four weeks, we have talked about what leaders do. We covered presence, consistency, sacrifice, and showing up when no one is watching. You have heard the principles. You have sat with the questions.

Now comes the harder part.

What are you going to do with it?
Not what you plan to do. Not what you intend to do someday. What are you doing this week?

This issue is about closing the loop. When a month of leadership content ends, most people move on, and nothing changes. The G-Tribe is not most people.

Let’s GO!

Growth Spotlight: The Last 10 Percent

In 1968, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania ran the Olympic marathon in Mexico City. He fell during the race and seriously injured his leg. Dislocated knee. Bandaged and bleeding. He finished the race anyway.
He crossed the finish line more than an hour after the winner. The stadium was nearly empty. Someone asked him why he kept going after the injury. His answer was simple.
"My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me to finish it."

That's the last 10 percent. The part where most people stop. The part where fatigue sets in, and the crowd is gone, and no one would blame you for quitting.
Leadership is not tested at the starting line. It is not even tested at the midpoint. It is tested in the final stretch when you are tired, and the finish line still feels far away.

Think about the commitment you made at the start of this year. What did you say you were going to build? What did you say you were going to change? Where are you right now?

The last 10 percent is what actually counts.

At AFGM, we see this with mentors every spring. The energy is high in September. By February, some mentors have drifted. Check-ins get shorter. Follow-up falls off. It is not because they stopped caring. It is because the newness wore off and the work got real.

The mentees who need you most are the ones watching to see if you are still there. Your consistency in month six means more than your enthusiasm in month one.

Finishing is a leadership decision. Make it deliberately.

Michael’s Hot Take: The Report Card

Every week I write this newsletter, I am also writing it to myself.
February is Leadership Month at AFGM. But if I am being direct with you, the real test of any leader is not what they post. It is what they practice when no one is grading them.

I spent 36 years in federal service. Early in my career, I worked alongside people who were brilliant in the conference room and absent everywhere else. Great presentations. No follow-through. Big titles. Small impact.
The leaders I actually respected were different. They were the ones you could count on at 7 am and 7 pm. The ones who remembered what they promised. The ones who asked about your family and meant it.
That kind of leadership does not show up on a résumé. But it shows up in people.

I carry that into AFGM. Every mentor we recruit and every event we plan is a direct answer to one question: will these young men be able to point to a leader who consistently showed up for them?

As February comes to an end, I want you to give yourself a real report card. Not for the world. For yourself.

Where did you lead well this month? Where did you fall short? What are you going to do differently in March?

No one is grading you but you. That is exactly why it matters.

The young men in your life do not need a perfect version of you. They need the real version showing up on purpose.

Parent Insight of the Week

At dinner or on the way home this week, ask your son or daughter:

"What is one thing you started this year that you have not finished yet?"

Let them sit with it. Do not jump in with the answer. Then ask the follow-up:
"What would it take to actually finish it?"

Help them think through the gap between where they are and where they said they wanted to be. That gap is where leadership development lives.
You are not looking for a perfect answer. You are looking for an honest one.

Try This With Your Mentee

Ask your mentee to name one goal he set at the beginning of the school year.

Then ask him:
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how close are you to that goal right now?"
Whatever number he gives, ask him what would need to change to move it up by two points before the school year ends.

Do not evaluate his number. Just help him think through the steps.
Close by asking him one specific thing you can help him with before your next session. Write it down. Follow through. That follow-through is your leadership.

Watch & Learn

There’s a secret power in finishing because how you finish one thing is how you finish everything. Don’t just be inspired, get activated.

Upcoming Events

Join us for the Super Bowl

MUSIC BINGO NIGHT IS HERE!!

Pull up for a night of good vibes, great music, and an even better cause 

Join A Few Good MENtors for Music Bingo Night, where great music, nostalgia, and friendly competition meet, and the community comes together!

Saturday, March 14, 2026
6:00–10:00 PM (21+)
Mulligan’s Pub on the Green | Fairfax, VA

AFGM Engagement Hour | 6:00–7:00 PM
Arrive early. No pressure. Just good conversation, light apps, and a chance to connect.

Tickets are available now.
Can’t attend? Donations & sponsorships welcome!

AFGM 5K Youth T-Shirt Design Contest — Now Open!

Calling all youth artists! A Few Good MENtors is inviting young creatives ages 10–18 to design the official t-shirt for our upcoming AFGM 5K Fun Walk/Run on June 27.

🖌️ The winning design will be featured on the event shirt and worn by participants across the community!

✅ Open to ages 10–18
🎨 Community voting will determine the top 3
🏆 Winner selected by AFGM’s review panel
💰 Grand prize valued at $250

🗓️ Submit your design by February 28
🔗 bit.ly/afgm5kdesign

Let’s see your creativity shine — and wear your work with pride this summer!

AFGM Signature Events for 2026

These events mark our year of movement and momentum.

• AFGM Financial Youth Workshop — April 11, 2026

• AFGM 5K Run/Walk — June 27, 2026

• AFGM Brotherhood Awards Luncheon — November 7, 2026

Sponsorship Opportunity

We are seeking sponsors and partners for all 2026 signature events.
If you know a business or organization that invests in boys, families, and mentorship, connect them with us.

Email: [email protected]

That’s it for this week.

This is the Year of Movement and Momentum.
Every step matters.
Thanks for moving with us. Please share this newsletter with friends and family.