#76: Zebrina Warner & Jason Roncoroni — Transformational Leaders in Uncertain Times

November 09, 2021 by Cal Walters in Servant Leadership, Leadership

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.

The Leader's Choice: Bridging the Leadership Gap in an Uncertain World and Winning

By Roncoroni, Jason, Warner, Zebrina

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

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#51: President Bob Caslen & Dr. Mike Matthews — On Grit and the Character Edge

November 11, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Today, I am so privileged and honored to bring you insights from two great leadership minds, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Robert Caslen, who currently serves as the 29th President of the University of South Carolina, and Dr. Mike Matthews, Professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy.

Today, I am so privileged and honored to bring you insights from two great leadership minds, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Robert Caslen, who currently serves as the 29th President of the University of South Carolina, and Dr. Mike Matthews, Professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy. President Caslen and Dr. Matthews bring over 80 years of combined experience to their brand new book, The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity.

This was such a fun conversation for me. The amount of collective wisdom and knowledge between these two men is amazing. We talk about their book, how someone can develop character and recover from setbacks, the difference between resume and eulogy virtues, the first servant leader President Caslen encountered, positive psychology, my results from the Values-in-Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS), the work Dr. Matthews did with Angela Duckworth on grit, Coach Popovich, and the amazing example of 1LT Daniel Hyde.

The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity

By Caslen Jr., Robert L., Matthews, Michael D.

General Caslen served 43 years in the United States Army. His military career culminated in 2018 as the 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Under his direction as Superintendent, West Point was recognized as the number one public college in the Nation by Forbes Magazine and the number one public college by U.S. News and World Report. Through the establishment of Centers of Excellence at West Point, General Caslen connected the operational Army with West Point research and intellectual capital. He refined West Point’s leadership program by making professional ethics a priority and essential part of leadership and character development. He worked tirelessly to expand the diversity of cadets and faculty alike, and he dramatically expanded West Point’s minority and women populations to reflect the demographics of the Army that West Point’s graduates help lead.

Working with the Director of Athletics, he revamped the athletic program, made it self-sustaining, and fielded 25 competitive intercollegiate teams. He created partnerships with the NCAA and Department of Defense to conduct research into preventing and treating concussions and traumatic brain injury that have led to significant improvements in prevention and care. He stood up the Army Cyber Institute to build expertise and Army leaders prepared for the new cyber fight. And, fulfilling a pledge he made soon after becoming Superintendent, he led a sweeping reversal of Army’s football program and developed a culture of excellence through winning with character, culminating in Army defeating Navy in 2016 for the first time in 14 years, and beating both Air Force and Navy in 2017 to win the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy for the first time in 21 years.

Before becoming the West Point Superintendent, General Caslen served as the Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, where he served as the senior military commander in Iraq after the drawdown of U.S. and allied forces in 2011. Caslen held several other notable positions including commanding general of Multi National Division-North during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Chief of Staff of both the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) and the 10th Mountain Division, where he also served as the Division’s Chief of Staff during Operation Enduring Freedom. He also has served in combat and overseas deployments in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras, and Operation Uphold Democracy and the United Nations Mission in Haiti.

He is a graduate of West Point and he holds an MBA from Long Island University and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Kansas State University. He was also recognized with an honorary Doctorate from Long Island University. He is a member of the Kansas State Engineering College Hall of Fame, received a Life Time of Service Award from the American Red Cross, was recognized with the Honorary Rock of the Year Award for his efforts in diversity as the Superintendent of West Point.

He also received the 2018 Gerald R. Ford Legends Award for lifetime service, and was the 2019 recipient of the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award, joining the ranks of Tony Dungy, John Wooden, and Presidents Eisenhower, Reagan, Ford, and George H.W. Bush. Caslen also serves as the Special Advisor on Executive Leadership and Character Development at Higher Echelon.

Dr. Mike Matthews is currently Professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy. He served as President of the American Psychological Association's Society for Military Psychology from 2007 to 2008 and is a Templeton Foundation Senior Positive Psychology Fellow. From 2014 to 2015, he served as a Fellow for the U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Strategic Studies Group.

Collectively, his research interests center on Soldier performance in combat and other dangerous contexts. He has authored over 250 scientific papers, is the co-editor of Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and First Responders, the Oxford Handbook of Military Psychology (Oxford University Press, 2012), and (in collaboration with co-editors David E. Rohall and Morten G. Ender) Inclusion in the American Military: A Force for Diversity, published by Lexington Books (2017). He is a co-author of The Millennial Generation and National Defense: Attitudes of Future Military and Civilian Leaders (Palgrave Pivot, 2013), and co-editor of Human Performance Optimization: The Science and Ethics of Enhancing Human Capabilities (Oxford University Press, 2019).

Dr. Matthews is the author of the highly acclaimed Head Strong: How Psychology is Revolutionizing War (Oxford University Press, revised and expanded edition, April 2020), which explores the vital role of psychological science in 21st century war.

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#20: Q&A with Ryan Brence - Football, Ranger School, and Servant Leadership

November 13, 2019 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Packed with great stories of overcoming adversity and incredible nuggets of wisdom and inspiration, this episode will not disappoint!

Packed with great stories of overcoming adversity and incredible nuggets of wisdom and inspiration, this episode will not disappoint!

Ryan Brence grew up playing big time Texas high school football. He is the son of a very successful Texas high school football coach in Plano, TX, and he shares lessons he learned watching his dad lead a football team.

Ryan is a husband, father, West Point Graduate, former Army Football player, winner of the Black Lion Award, Army Ranger, and he currently works as a business development manager for TDIndustries in Dallas, TX. TDIndustries teaches servant leadership and is a Fortune 100 Best Company to Work For: TDIndustries Awards.

Ryan shares stories of overcoming adversity in football and Ranger School. He shares practical ways in which he lives an intentional life, and he shares lessons he learned on servant leadership from his dad and his work at TDIndustries.

Ryan references the following book during the episode:

The Power of Consistency: Prosperity Mindset Training for Sales and Business Professionals

By Long, Weldon

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