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by The Military Leader
Welcome to The Military Leader Podcast—where I share candid, practical lessons to help you grow as a leader and develop your team. I’m a 25-year Army officer, certified coach, and TEDx speaker, and I’ve spent my career leading in high-stakes environments. The Military Leader blog, book, and podcast deliver real-world insights to sharpen your leadership skills. Whether you're in uniform or leading in another profession, you’ll gain actionable strategies to lead with confidence. If you don’t have a structured development program, start here!
Latest Episodes
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- May 20, 202544 min
Intentional Leadership, Podcasting, and Leaving a Legacy | Cal Walters
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 that’s now shaped over 125 conversations with leaders across the military, business, and academic worlds.We cover:✅ Why self-leadership is the foundation of leading others✅ How to start something meaningful—even if fear is holding you back✅ Building a leadership brand without letting ego get in the way✅ What Cal learned from interviewing General McChrystal, General Petraeus, and Patrick Lencioni✅ The role of military prosecutors and the emotional weight of justice✅ The difference between being nice and being kind in leadership✅ Practical insights on how to manage tension instead of trying to solve itIf you're a leader looking to live and lead with more intention, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.🔗 Explore Cal's work: https://www.calwalters.me🎧 Subscribe to The Military Leader Podcast for more candid, practical leadership conversations. If you don’t have a leadership development program—start here.Check out The Military Leader BlogVisit The Military Leader YouTube ChannelGet The Military Leader book on Amazon
- Apr 29, 202555 min
Fighting Workplace Chaos and Leading Through Transitions | Juliet Funt
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 leaders' time, energy, and mission focus—and what we can do about it.Then they dive into leadership transitions: those pivotal moments when one leader steps out and another steps in. Juliet shares powerful insights from her new research on military leadership handovers—and what it takes to step into a new role with clarity, humility, and intentionality.If you’re leading through chaos or preparing for your next big move, this conversation is packed with practical lessons you can use right now.Take Juliet's survey to support her research on leader transitions: https://wsaw.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6rl2oUbqccp8zxsFollow Read Juliet's book, A Minute to ThinkCheck out The Military Leader BlogVisit The Military Leader YouTube ChannelGet The Military Leader book on Amazon
- Nov 17, 202455 min
"Beyond Gut Instinct" - Data Literacy with Jon Bate, Erik Davis, and Brett Reichert
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 maximize it. Even a few years ago, powerful data tools were exquisite, expensive, and unavailable for leaders at the tactical level. That's no longer the case. Leaders at every level have access to programs and apps that can unlock unthinkable insight. New awareness and insight - potentially lifesaving insight - lies only on the other side of data. We're going to talk about that in this episode, and how you can leverage data tools to augment your leadership and decision making. And here are just a few of the questions that you could be answering if you brought some data tools into your unit: How efficient are we at processing evaluations, awards, legal packets, and so on? What maintenance actions should we focus on to reach the highest readiness rating? What is our budget spend rate and are we on track? As our vehicle crews train for gunnery, which training step is the most important and the best predictor for crew qualification? How many suicide ideations, DUIs, and drug offenses is normal for our unit? How much time do our leaders spend reacting to serious incidents and infractions like these? And here's one that I guarantee your higher headquarters cares about…how many sexual harassment and sexual assault offenders were we supposed to begin separation action on, but haven't? All of these questions have been answered by units who pay attention to data and use the tools that are readily available. And the three guests today are pioneers of homegrown data innovation in military units. Lieutenant Colonel Jon Bate commands 2-23 Infantry Battalion and uses his Stanford PhD experience to improve the unit systems and lethality of his battalion at Fort Carson, Colorado. Lieutenant Colonel Erik Davis brings sixteen years of special operations experience and is an Army War College Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He’s also the author of the ‘Downrange Data’ Substack, where he shares his experiences using data to outmaneuver challenges in the field. Major Brett Reichert is an Infantry officer and current PhD candidate at Cornell, where he is studying how technology and automation are reshaping warfare. As the Brigade Executive Officer, Brett revolutionized our Brigade's systems and processes, and managed to plan and execute the brigade's three week field exercise without using a single PowerPoint slide. The days of avoiding computers and relying on gut instinct are over. You have the chance to be more aware of what's happening in your unit, within your organization, and in your environment. We owe it to our people and our service to do so, especially as our adversaries and competitors fight for every advantage over us. Find this episode at The Military Leader.
- Sep 25, 20241h 17m
Major General Brook Leonard - F-35s, space warfare, and being ready to fight tonight
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 command, US Space Command. It’s not often that you find a leader who can be both no nonsense and positive and reinforcing at the same time. But listen to the way Major General Leonard shares the stories and lessons from his career. You can tell he’s totally committed to getting the job done. But you can also tell he cares about the people he leads. This is the kind of leader that we all hope to serve with, and need to learn from. Take the Next Step Put these lessons and insight into practice as you lead. Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too. Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it. Follow The Military Leader Blog: www.themilitaryleader.com Book: The Military Leader on Amazon
- Aug 24, 202446 min
Colonel Teddy Kleisner - Leading Through a No-Notice Deployment to Afghanistan
"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 with his relatable leadership style and his pragmatic, history-centered approach to professional development and tough training. In this episode, Teddy discusses the experiences and lessons that shaped his early career, leading up to his command of 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, where he led the no-notice deployment in support of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.Take the Next StepPut these lessons and insight into practice as you lead.Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too.Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it.Follow The Military LeaderBlog: www.themilitaryleader.comBook: The Military Leader on Amazon
- Mar 10, 20241h 1m
Colonel Bob O'Brien - Behind the Scenes at the Army's Command Assessment Program
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'Brien is an Infantry officer who has deployed multiple times and commanded at the O5 and O6 levels. He is a founding member of CAP, as well as an International Coaching Federation Certified Executive Coach.We talk about the whiteboard origin story of the program, the scienced-based evaluation methods it incorporates, and the program's extensive effort to remove bias from the evaluators.Colonel O'Brien also shares what leaders can do to prepare for their own assessment, so if you hope to attend CAP in the future, or if you are involved in any aspect of talent management for your team or company, then you definitely want to listen to the end.You can connect with Bob O'Brien on LinkedIn. Follow the Army Command Assessment Program on LinkedIn and visit the website at https://talent.army.mil/cap/.Find this and other episodes of The Military Leader Podcast at themilitaryleader.com/podcast/.
- Feb 7, 20241h 7m
MG Curt Taylor - Training for the Changing Character of War
"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.GuestMajor General Curt Taylor is the Commanding General of the National Training Center (NTC) and Fort Irwin, California. NTC is the Army's premier training center and one of the three installations solely dedicated to making the Army's units and leaders ready for the next fight. Episode SummaryIn this episode, we discuss:How NTC adapts its training rotations to account for the evolving character of warWhat lessons to take away from the conflicts in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabach, and GazaHow NTC uses cell phone data to locate units during rotationWhy it is important for commanders to develop an instinct for opportunity and then act decisively to seize itHow leaders can succumb to information overload and how to avoid "paralysis by analysis"What rotational units will experience in the environment of contested logisticsThe unseen benefits of serving at the National Training Center Take the Next StepPut these lessons and insight into practice as you lead.Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too.Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it. NTC YouTube Channelshttps://youtube.com/@tactalks-operationsgroupntc?si=J5k48Xei7bP09mF4https://youtube.com/@ntcupdate?si=DBZAqGcvceTyh3yMFollow The Military LeaderEpisode: www.themilitaryleader.com/podcast/taylor-ntcBlog: www.themilitaryleader.comBook: The Military Leader on Amazon Major General Taylor's BiographyBG Curt Taylor graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May 1994 and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Armor branch. Over the last twenty-five years, he has served in various command and staff positions in Armored, Cavalry, and Infantry formations up through brigade combat team. His combat service includes two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq. In 2010, MG Taylor commanded 3-66 AR in Grafenwoehr, GE and deployed with it to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Following battalion command, he served as the Brigade Senior Trainer at the JMRC in Hohenfels, GE. Following senior service college, he served as the Director of the Commander's Initiatives Group at Fort Leavenworth focused on the development of innovative approaches to talent management and leader development across the Army. In that capacity, he also served as the director of Strategic Assessment for the CSA 39 Transition Team in 2015. From 2015 to 2017, MG Taylor commanded 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Carson, Colorado which transformed during his command into a Reconnaissance and Security Brigade Combat Team and executed a series of exercises to demonstrate the ability of a Brigade Combat Team to perform the traditional roles of operational cavalry on the 21st Century battlefield. Following Brigade Command, MG Taylor served as the Chief of Staff of Fort Riley Kansas and the 1st Infantry Division where he oversaw the deployment of multiple combat brigades to Europe and execution of a large-scale Warfighter exercise. From June 2019 to April 2021, MG Taylor commanded the Army’s newest combat brigade, the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade consisting of specially-selected and uniquely trained combat advisors oriented on the INDOPACOM area of operations. In April 2021, MG Taylor assumed command of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin. MG Taylor has two Masters Degrees in Security Studies.
- Jun 22, 202046 min
Major General JP McGee - The Present & Future of Army Talent Management
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 connected to talent.army.mil for the latest on Army Talent Management.
About The Military Leader
Welcome to The Military Leader Podcast—where I share candid, practical lessons to help you grow as a leader and develop your team. I’m a 25-year Army officer, certified coach, and TEDx speaker, and I’ve spent my career leading in high-stakes environments. The Military Leader blog, book, and podcast deliver real-world insights to sharpen your leadership skills. Whether you're in uniform or leading in another profession, you’ll gain actionable strategies to lead with confidence. If you don’t have a structured development program, start here!
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