The Military Leader

In this episode of The Military Leader Podcast, I sit down with Cal Walters—Army Ranger, JAG officer, professor of leadership, and host of The Intentional Leader Podcast, ranked in the top 1.5% of shows worldwide. We dive into Cal's journey from long commutes and solo reflection to launching a global leadership platform. You'll hear how a desire to grow (and a nudge from his wife) led to a podcast...

Leadership transitions can either build momentum—or break an organization. Juliet Funt shares how to get it right. In this episode, Drew Steadman talks with bestselling author and organizational strategist Juliet Funt about two leadership challenges leaders everywhere face—whether they realize it or not. First, they explore how modern work culture, endless taskers, and email overload are draining...

Twenty years ago, you could get away with saying you're "just not a computer person." Leaders, even senior commanders, took pride in resisting the digital movement in the military and avoided any attempt to learn it or leverage it. Today, the military's most prolific weapon system is Microsoft Office. We touch it more than any other system, and yet we have little to no instruction on how to maximi...

Major General Leonard graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1992 and went on to become an F-16 and F-35 command pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, to include 576 combat hours. In his 31 year career, he commanded multiple fighter wings, served as a military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, and in his last assignment, he led the standup of the US military's newest combatant c...

  "I was sitting on an aircraft with some of the finest Americans we've ever put in uniform, with enormous confidence in knowing that when this ramp drops, this group right here will figure it out." I'm honored to share my conversation with fellow "Tomahawk" commander and respected Infantry leader, Colonel Teddy Kleisner. Throughout his career, Teddy Kleisner has inspired formations of Soldiers wi...

In this episode, we go behind the scenes to see how the Army selects its senior commanders and shapes talent for the future. Colonel Bob O'Brien is the Director of the US Army's Command Assessment Program (CAP), which is the yearly selection crucible that Lieutenant Colonels, Colonels, and Sergeants Major must pass through to compete for command of the Army's battalions and brigades. Colonel O'Bri...

"If you bring a cell phone to NTC, you'll be found and targeted." In this episode, we get an inside look at how the Army's National Training Center creates tough, realistic training rotations to ensure that Soldiers and units are ready to win the first fight. Guest Major General Curt Taylor is the Commanding General of the National Training Center (NTC) and Fort Irwin, California...

The Army is radically changing its personnel and talent management systems and Major General JP McGee , head of the Army Talent Management Task Force, is in charge of making it happen. From AIM 2.0 and the Battalion Command Assessment Program...to brevet promotions and direct commissioning, MG McGee gives an inside look at the major personnel and talent initiatives coming to the US Army.  Stay con...

Michael Bungay Stanier is an author, speaker, and innovative thinker in the world of coaching and leadership. His most popular book, The Coaching Habit , is a Wall Street Journal Bestseller and presents a powerful framework for helping leaders make meaningful connections by becoming more coachlike.  In this conversation, he highlights how easy it is for leaders to jump straight into advice-giving...

This episode features passionate world changer and good friend of nearly twenty years, Noble Gibbens. Noble is a West Point graduate, successful entrepreneur, speaker, personal mentor, and business coach who learns, lives, and breathes leader development. As the energetic son of an emergency room doctor, Noble Gibbens developed an insatiable love of learning partly because his parents bribed him w...

In May 2007, Colonel Greg Gadson found himself face-up on a Baghdad street, having been blown out of his vehicle by a powerful roadside bomb. He was bleeding profusely from both legs, which he eventually lost. As a battalion commander, that day he was returning from a memorial service for two Soldiers from a sister unit who lost their lives...and now Colonel Gadson's Soldiers were trying desperate...

In August of 2012, Army Captain (Ret) Florent Groberg found himself face to face with an enemy suicide bomber. He didn't have time to think, he simply moved towards the threat. Then in 2015, he found himself standing on a stage with President Barack Obama, receiving the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.  In this extensive interview, Captain Groberg recounts the details of the fatal attack o...

Before he departed Fort Irwin to become the current Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division, Major General Jeffrey Broadwater and I sat down in his office to chat about leadership, combat, the National Training Center, and how to personally manage the highs and lows of command.  As a company commander in 2007, I was fortunate to be attached to 3-7 Cavalry as then LTC Broadwater led the squa...

Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and renown author Dave Grossman essentially created the field of killology. His books On Killing and On Combat have made an entire generation of military, law enforcement, and first responders more ready for the stressful, sometimes violent situations they face. Long after his active duty career, Dave has continued to teach the stress-response techniques outlined in...

You'd be hard-pressed to find a leader who is more dedicated to the profession of arms than LTC Matt Hardman. His recent experience as Battalion Task Force and then Brigade Trainer at the National Training Center has made him one of the most tactically competent leaders in our Army today. He has a high standard for what it takes to make a unit ready for war and demands commitment. Still, he recogn...

People who have worked with CSM Schroeder know he is a Soldier’s Soldier. His 34 years in the Army spanned from his Germany days as an Electronics Mechanic to Command Sergeant Major of US Army Forces Command, a 4-star level command of over 750,000 Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Component Soldiers.    In this chat, CSM Schroeder shares the story from the beginning of his career, where he survived...

Every once in a while in your career, you'll work for a leader whose nature simply inspires motivation and action. Colonel Eric Lopez is one of those leaders. He is passionate, candid, and committed to building the team. You can't help but get fired up when you listen to him speak, which you'll really sense in this interview. Colonel Lopez just took command of the 3rd Recruiting Brigade and took a...

Of the many talented mentors I've had throughout my career, BG Marty Schweitzer has had the most formative influence in shaping the leader I am today. As my battalion commander in the 82nd Airborne Division, "Coach" personally invested in our development and taught us how to fight. He took us to our first combat deployment, showed us how to aggressively pursue the enemy, and exemplified the direct...

Army Lieutenant Colonel Adisa King joins The Military Leader Podcast for a conversation about the leadership lessons he took from West Point football, how he fires up his Squadron formation at 1-32 Cavalry at Fort Campbell, KY, and the most important lessons he's taken from mentors over the course of his career. Adisa is a passionate leader who brings positive energy wherever he goes. He's the kin...

Brigadier General Ross Coffman, Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division, joins The Military Leader Podcast to discuss the state of Army leaders after 16 years of war, how the National Training Center stretches brigade combat teams toward readiness, and why the best way to take care of Soldiers is to train them for combat. As commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, BG Coffman...

The former commander of the Asymmetric Warfare Group, Colonel Scott Shaw, shares his lessons from over 20 years in the Infantry. We get into counseling, connecting with Soldiers, team-building, and how to be a successful Army leader while still giving your family your best. Colonel Shaw is also the author of the longest guest post on The Military Leader, a sizable summary of lessons he learned whi...

If you are in the military and have Facebook, you know Doctrine Man! Steve Leonard, creator of Doctrine Man  and former Army strategist, shares the story of how sharing a few snarky cartoons on work email grew into a social media platform nearing 200,000 followers. Steve goes on to offer a common sense perspective of leadership that is refreshing and pragmatic. After writing several of the Army's...

General Robert Brown kicks off The Military Leader Podcast in this candid interview covering the span of his 37 years in the Army. General Brown currently commands US Army Pacific Command, which is the Army's largest component command, standing at over 100,000 service members and civilians.  Anyone who has ever worked for General Brown will tell you that he is one of the most passionate leaders th...