#76: Zebrina Warner & Jason Roncoroni — Transformational Leaders in Uncertain Times
I’m honored to welcome Jason Roncoroni and Zebrina Warner to the show! It was wonderful to learn from these two great leadership minds.
They founded The ZeroSix Group with the belief that veteran leaders provide a crucial role in the corporate world and have the wisdom and experience to not only survive, but thrive, in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. As the veteran population is decreasing as a percentage of the total workforce, they are on a mission to bridge the gap by creating a program of engagement of accoladed leaders and adaptable processes to inspire corporate professionals to succeed and win in the VUCA world. This is the collaboration between civilian and military leaders. Their new book, The Leader's Choice: Bridging the Leadership Gap in an Uncertain World and Winning, gives more details on their mission.
As a former battalion commander and combat veteran, Jason believes that the military experience is part of a larger journey to prepare leaders for a more impactful and meaningful life beyond the military. He has more than 25 years’ experience building, managing, and developing high performance teams, including negotiating policy measures with international partners at NATO Headquarters in Belgium.
Jason is also a Certified Professional Coach, master practitioner for the Energy Leadership Index assessment, and founder of Ordinary Hero Coaching helping military professionals bridge the civil-military cultural gap.
Zebrina has spent nearly two decades designing impactful and transformative educational experiences for senior executives in the defense sector for the Department of Defense, U.S. military services, and the private sector. As a civilian with no relationship with the military prior to her tenure at an education and research non-profit, the Institute for Defense and Business, she developed a close understanding and appreciation of military leadership and how the military invests in their greatest weapon and asset, their people. After spending her career educating the government and military about business and innovation, she saw value in flipping the script to bring the best in military to the nonmilitary world.
Zebrina continues to serve on the leadership team at the Institute for Defense and Business, developing new programs in the organization’s portfolio. She is also a board member of Nourish International, a non-profit focused on building the next generation of social impact leaders.
On this episode, we discuss:
The disappearance of the military veteran
Leading in a world marked by VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity)
How we can bring the best of the military experience to the private sector
Defensive Pessimism, Collective Efficacy, and Self Actualization
How leaders can create commitment, not just compliance
The difference between leadership and management
Keys to building a team and a sense of shared identity
Focusing on strengths, not just weaknesses
Transformational leaders
Dealing with setbacks